Excitement! Babysitting Gideon Full Time

Today I start a new adventure.  I will be Gideon's full time babysitter every weekday (and will probably get some other time in, too!).  It will be about 22 to 30 hours a week, giving me time to write (and do a little painting).I hope my fibromyalgia can take it!

What an honor to be such a major part of this child's life.  He will learn so much from me. Being a one-year-old, every day is a new adventure for him.  I am going to make sure that he learns new things every day and has a lust of life that keeps him always wanting to learn.

I fully understand that I can't just be the "fun" grandma.  Not when so many hours of his formative years are spent with me.  From me he needs to learn that there are boundaries and how to interact with others.  How to share and how to be polite.  But he will also learn a deep respect for nature and others, a solid sense of self confidence and self worth and he will know that he is unconditionally loved. And we still will have a whole lot of fun.

Right now he is still a baby, just beginning to become a toddler. There is only so much one can "teach" him in regard to boundaries and interaction.  But it is not too early to teach him the important things.  This is what I tell him a couple of times every time we are together:

You are smart.
You are creative.
You are cute.
You are kind.
You have a fabulous sense of humor.
You are a great listener and a wonderful decision maker.
You can do anything you set your mind on, so choose wisely.
You are loved.
Forever, you are loved.

He looks at me and smiles.  I know he is processing it. What a gift to help this child become a valuable addition to society, what a pleasure to help him enjoy the wonder of being on this planet. 

I am blessed.