Problem Child
I babysat for the Antichrist (and tried to fix him).
by Amelia McDonell-Parry
August 20, 2007
I told Calvin's father about some books and a fun, special gym where experts on this kind of thing could help Calvin get used to and work with the sensory stimuli, while family could get educated on how to best interact with him. Dr. Austin's son had done it and was thriving.
He said they'd look into it, but they never did. When I asked about it again days later, Calvin's mother said, "I talked with a child psychologist and she thinks Calvin's behavior is totally normal for a four-year-old." My ripped shirt, tear-soaked therapist bills and bruised foot (Calvin had slammed a door on it) begged to differ. "So we've instituted a reward chart in order to encourage better behavior. Every day that Calvin is good he gets a check" — Yippee! — "and every day where he misbehaves, he gets a privilege taken away, like toys and books." Books?! "After a certain amount of checks, he gets a new hockey stick. We really think this is going to help."
"So this doctor you spoke to spent some time with Calvin?" I asked hesitantly.
"Oh no!" said Jen is a totally pshaw way. "I talked with her and explained everything." In otherI felt terrible for him. But I also felt terrible for myself, because his aggression kept getting worse. words, she explained the infrequent naps and occasional temper tantrums. The hitting, threats of murder, stomachache-inducing sobs and inability to follow any sort direction must have slipped her mind.
Calvin seemed to be heaving around the weight of the world on his tiny hunched shoulders, shuffling around with unhappiness indicative of a crisis. I felt terrible for him. But I also felt terrible for myself, because his aggression kept getting worse. Finally, in the middle of one of his tirades, Calvin balled up his fist and punched me right in the face. It didn't hurt that much — he was hardly packing Rocky-style heat — but that was all I could take. I quit that night.
Thinking back on the six months I spent babysitting the Kelly kids, I've realized the parents probably felt guilty they didn't see the kids more and couldn't handle admitting that something could be "wrong" with Calvin. I should have told Jen and Peter the night I quit, that children aren't perfect, that plenty of them have problems, that they should have been eager to find out if Calvin's had a name and a treatment — because otherwise, the kid was just evil. And isn't that a lot harder to hear?
©2007 Amelia McDonell-Parry and Nerve Media
About the Author
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Amelia McDonell-Parry is a freelance writer in New York. Her work has
appeared in Teen Vogue, Everyday With Rachael Ray, NYMag.com,
Nylon, RollingStone.com, and Marie Claire UK. Her
biological clock has been ticking practically since puberty, but
she's still debating whether it's cruel to give her future children a
triple hyphenate surname. In the meantime, her dog, Lucca, calls her
Mommy. |
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