CHAPTER FIFTY NINE – TEACH ME TO BABYSIT

Undeterred, Joan decided to try her hand at babysitting the following weekend. "How hard can it be?" she thought. "I've dealt with difficult patients during my clinical practice. Surely I can handle one six-year-old." Oh, how wrong she was. Little Timmy seemed angelic when his parents left, all big blue eyes and dimpled smiles. The moment the door closed, however, he transformed into a pint-sized mastermind of chaos. "Okay, Timmy," Joan said brightly, "what would you like to do first? We could color, or play a game, or-" "I want ice cream," Timmy declared. Joan checked her watch. 10 AM. "How about we save that for after lunch? We could-" "Ice cream!" Timmy's voice rose to a shriek. "Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream!" Wincing, Joan tried to redirect. "Let's make a deal. If you play nicely until lunchtime, we can have ice cream for dessert." Timmy considered this, then nodded solemnly. "Okay. Let's play hide and seek. You count." Relieved, Joan agreed. She covered her eyes and be