Part Time Joke

I felt like a lady of leisure this week. I've been "interviewing" new babysitters and had each of them come one day this week for a trial.

Yesterday, when I came back from the gym, there was a swarm of Chinese Grandparents hanging in front of my house with the new babysitter.  For those unfamiliar with the term, a description can be found on a post from two years ago regarding the phenomenon that is Chinese Grandparents.

Click here for previous post: Chinese Grandparents

Back to yesterday: Josie and Owen and their friends were running around our front lawn in their bright winter coats and hats. I waved hello and the grandparents all bowed their heads slightly to acknowledge my greeting.

One chinese grandfather approached me.  "Good for you," he said softly.

"Good for what?" I smiled, wondering if he was checking out the sweat stains on my shirt..

"You got a part-time job. Good for you," he repeated.

"Oh, I didn't get a job. I just went to the gym," I said with an uncomfortable laugh.

He laughed as well, much harder than me, and slowly walked away speaking Chinese to his play group of grandparents. Then they all started to laugh.

I paid the babysitter and corralled my three children inside.  For a second I felt guilty.  Then I was just mad.  I was mad that this grandparent felt the need to judge me.  And I was really mad that he thought if I did have a job that I would go to it wearing sweaty gym clothes.

I went to Stanford damnt I thought to myself as I got out the plates for lunch and clocked back in at my full time job of day care provider for three.