Friday, July 10, 2009

My Ever-Plaguing Love/Hate Relationship

Some folks my age have retail jobs. Some work at restaurants. Some have big-boy and girl internships related to their field of choice. Some have big-boy and girl internships completely unrelated to their field of choice. And then there are some who employ themselves with summer school.

Within these multitudes of summer jobs, career-furthering prospects, and sometimes just "things that take up my time," you'll find those who love what they do and those who really don't find enjoyment in the activity. It's also not uncommon to hear of those who hold a two-tiered opinion of their job. I'd say I fall into this category. For me, it's quite the love/hate relationship.

So what's my job? Oh you know, I just babysit. It's funny, every time someone has asked about my summer work of choice this year, I've responded with, "Oh you know, I'm just babysitting." Like it's some easy, no-biggie, random employment that doesn't require much in the way of effort. Which is true. Almost never. Still, though, there are definite perks.

Do you witness my love/hate reasoning beginning to form? You see...

Babysitting equals time with cute little kids, and I adore cute little kids. I love my job.

But cute little kids require frequent diaper changes, can cry at the drop of a hat, and tend to throw their entire lunches on the floor just for the fun of it. I hate my job.

Babysitting means you can pretty much wear whatever form of clothing you want and you never have to dry your hair if you don't feel like it. I love my job.

Actually, though, the dress code sort of has to be old, raggy clothes since you will experience muddy shoes on your shirt and snotty noses on your pants. Ick. I hate my job.

Babysitting has a fantastic hourly wage, and the word FICA is non-existent on your paycheck. I love my job.

Yeah, there's no downside to that aspect...I once made $15 an hour to watch tv and read a book while the kiddies slept. I really do love my job.

Babysitting is very flexible, because if somebody calls to ask, you always have the option to just say no. I love my job.

But then, having the option to say no means a lazy, busy-doing-other-things-that-cost-money person like myself frequently turns the offer down, frequently making this job one guilt trip after another because the economy sucks and I should be taking these people's money every chance I get. Whew. I hate my job.

In babysitting, your boss is typically a very cute and sweet mom or dad who offers you free access to their excellent kid-food-stocked pantry and usually wears a nice "I'm the parent of three children" casual outfit instead of a stiff and scary suit. I love my job.

These oh-so-innocent-looking parents will then turn around and slide your name to all their friends and family, meaning you now get a phone call every hour from a total stranger wanting you to watch their hooligans screaming in the background. I hate my job.

See what I mean? It's a love/hate thing, and I could go on for hours.

Now in response to this post some might think, "You should just hush about hating your job. Mine is definitely ten-times worse." And they're probably right, which is why I love my job.

But then others might say, "Riding bikes for hours on end with a three-year-old and twin two-year-olds in the blazing July heat? No way, I'd absolutely choose my nicely air-conditioned, easy and mindless desk job where I don't have to talk to anyone but can go chat with intellectual adults if I do so choose." And this I too understand, which is why I hate my job.

And that is all.

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