Awakening from sleep, the Infant lets out a warning cry to get the attention of a family member and whimpers till taken out to the balcony. Meanwhile keeps gently rubbing away the remnant of sleep from the eyes. Then, a brief smile appears on the face, probably assessing the worth of sparing a full blown smile.
When the other person responds positively, this brief smile changes to an acknowledging ‘Donald Duck’ brand smile; a wide grin accompanied by twinkling eyes. A favourite babysitter has been chosen for the occasion. After enjoying the daylight and fresh breath of air, the Infant remains in contemplation for a while, all the while pouting. The babysitter is kept in the dark about the plans drawn up for execution.
The morning fresh air might have kindled the Infant’s botanical interest. Tiny flowers or buds from the garden get a special attention. With focused eyes, the hands stretch out slowly as if trying to catch a gadfly. The bud or flower receives an affectionate caress and then the fingers slowly close over it.
The next moment the flower or bud gets separated from the plant. As an afterthought, the Infant turns back to smile, mischievously at the babysitter as if thanking for the physical support rendered to lean and reach the plant. After a cursory inspection, the flower or bud either gets tasted or discarded.
This Infant’s playful mind and body is ever alive to curiosity; eyes constantly surveying for objects or obstacles, and vocal cords ready to render stirring background score. Thus an outlet, for converting the stored potential energy to dynamic energy, has been found. All these assessments are completed in the blink of an eye of the babysitter.
The act of learning to crawl is like swimming, no matter how hard the floor is. Arms fly forward and then by arching the back, pushes with the legs, to undertake a tour of inspection. If you have never seen a caterpillar learning to swim, don’t miss your chance to watch this live demonstration! Like champion swimmers, looks back with a cackle (laughter) as if expecting a thunderous applause for the effort.
Exhibiting an acute sense of taste, the Infant gets drawn to any object of interest lying in the path - a toy or a feeding spoon or a piece of paper. They are left behind, only after giving them a affectionate ‘saliva wash’ as if to stamp ‘OK, passes taste’. If nothing else is available within easy reach, a printed bill or the fingers holding the bill enjoy the same treatment.
A bean bag, a sofa, a bookcase, a coffee table or a rocker is an object to be scaled and conquered. The whole affair of climbing reminds the babysitter of a caterpillar trying to swim on a vertical/sloping plane. Hands gripping at a vantage point, manoeuvring to place the legs somehow on the object being climbed, bend at the knees and then try to hop like a worm. Loosing hold or repeated falling is simply forgotten after a brief cry. Finally the assault to reach the summit succeeds and with a mere 70cm of height, the Infant tries to stand as tall as possible.
Spoon feeding, at meal time, is the ultimate endurance test for patience and perseverance. The Infant demands for a spare spoon and shows annoyance when unable to scoop up food or deliver the scoopful into the mouth. Undaunted by these failures, tries to use the spoon as a mouthorgan. If bored with this activity, takes on a new avatar as spray painter- mixing saliva with food and dispatching it at the same rate as being fed. Is it not enough to keep the babysitter on toes?
Once on the road (sightseeing?!), the head and torso of the Infant twists and turns like a periscope, not to miss out on anything that is of interest. Being automobile-crazy, the tail lights get maximum attention and are watched till they disappear from sight. The blinding head light beams receive a cursory glance and are dismissed like flicking dust from the shirt sleeves.
On these road-walks, the Infant becomes a human CCTV camera with pan, tilt and zoom facilities. To get a clear view or wanting to react to a particular type of engine sound uses body language to convey the message to the babysitter – grunts combined with twist and turns of the body. If in excited state, forcefully nudges with the legs, like a jockey urging the horse, to demand immediate compliance with the conveyed message.
The Infant’s sleeping time is a different story, altogether. The babysitter has to perform a variety entertainment programme involving crooning, dancing, fencing, swinging and may be a walk in the park, even if it is midnight!
Occasionally the Infant likes to play hide and seek before calling it a day. Yet to go verbal, the Infant’s body language throws up a question: where am I? The snuggling up implies the answer: In your heart! - as if granting a good night’s rest for the babysitter.
Are these not a heady mixture of high octane activities to keep any babysitter busy? Bones ready to fall apart, muscles strained in all the 360° possible. The aching body is left reminded about the long forgotten lessons on ‘parts of body’. This anatomy class, for the babysitter, is free and conducted without the help of external aids such as X-ray and scans.
Having said all the above, Babysitting BoJy isn't something that I'd forfeit.
When the other person responds positively, this brief smile changes to an acknowledging ‘Donald Duck’ brand smile; a wide grin accompanied by twinkling eyes. A favourite babysitter has been chosen for the occasion. After enjoying the daylight and fresh breath of air, the Infant remains in contemplation for a while, all the while pouting. The babysitter is kept in the dark about the plans drawn up for execution.
The morning fresh air might have kindled the Infant’s botanical interest. Tiny flowers or buds from the garden get a special attention. With focused eyes, the hands stretch out slowly as if trying to catch a gadfly. The bud or flower receives an affectionate caress and then the fingers slowly close over it.
The next moment the flower or bud gets separated from the plant. As an afterthought, the Infant turns back to smile, mischievously at the babysitter as if thanking for the physical support rendered to lean and reach the plant. After a cursory inspection, the flower or bud either gets tasted or discarded.
This Infant’s playful mind and body is ever alive to curiosity; eyes constantly surveying for objects or obstacles, and vocal cords ready to render stirring background score. Thus an outlet, for converting the stored potential energy to dynamic energy, has been found. All these assessments are completed in the blink of an eye of the babysitter.
The act of learning to crawl is like swimming, no matter how hard the floor is. Arms fly forward and then by arching the back, pushes with the legs, to undertake a tour of inspection. If you have never seen a caterpillar learning to swim, don’t miss your chance to watch this live demonstration! Like champion swimmers, looks back with a cackle (laughter) as if expecting a thunderous applause for the effort.
Exhibiting an acute sense of taste, the Infant gets drawn to any object of interest lying in the path - a toy or a feeding spoon or a piece of paper. They are left behind, only after giving them a affectionate ‘saliva wash’ as if to stamp ‘OK, passes taste’. If nothing else is available within easy reach, a printed bill or the fingers holding the bill enjoy the same treatment.
A bean bag, a sofa, a bookcase, a coffee table or a rocker is an object to be scaled and conquered. The whole affair of climbing reminds the babysitter of a caterpillar trying to swim on a vertical/sloping plane. Hands gripping at a vantage point, manoeuvring to place the legs somehow on the object being climbed, bend at the knees and then try to hop like a worm. Loosing hold or repeated falling is simply forgotten after a brief cry. Finally the assault to reach the summit succeeds and with a mere 70cm of height, the Infant tries to stand as tall as possible.
Spoon feeding, at meal time, is the ultimate endurance test for patience and perseverance. The Infant demands for a spare spoon and shows annoyance when unable to scoop up food or deliver the scoopful into the mouth. Undaunted by these failures, tries to use the spoon as a mouthorgan. If bored with this activity, takes on a new avatar as spray painter- mixing saliva with food and dispatching it at the same rate as being fed. Is it not enough to keep the babysitter on toes?
Once on the road (sightseeing?!), the head and torso of the Infant twists and turns like a periscope, not to miss out on anything that is of interest. Being automobile-crazy, the tail lights get maximum attention and are watched till they disappear from sight. The blinding head light beams receive a cursory glance and are dismissed like flicking dust from the shirt sleeves.
On these road-walks, the Infant becomes a human CCTV camera with pan, tilt and zoom facilities. To get a clear view or wanting to react to a particular type of engine sound uses body language to convey the message to the babysitter – grunts combined with twist and turns of the body. If in excited state, forcefully nudges with the legs, like a jockey urging the horse, to demand immediate compliance with the conveyed message.
The Infant’s sleeping time is a different story, altogether. The babysitter has to perform a variety entertainment programme involving crooning, dancing, fencing, swinging and may be a walk in the park, even if it is midnight!
Occasionally the Infant likes to play hide and seek before calling it a day. Yet to go verbal, the Infant’s body language throws up a question: where am I? The snuggling up implies the answer: In your heart! - as if granting a good night’s rest for the babysitter.
Are these not a heady mixture of high octane activities to keep any babysitter busy? Bones ready to fall apart, muscles strained in all the 360° possible. The aching body is left reminded about the long forgotten lessons on ‘parts of body’. This anatomy class, for the babysitter, is free and conducted without the help of external aids such as X-ray and scans.
Having said all the above, Babysitting BoJy isn't something that I'd forfeit.
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