Should I Stay or Should I Go Now

Today was…difficult to say the least. I sat down tonight and wondered what I was going to write about, unsure of whether or not to delve into the monstrosity that was Fien’s three hour tantrum (two hours of which I was supposed to be off.)
…So I decided not to.

So while I sat on my couch deciding whether to write about the joys of Dutch television or the woes of Dutch transportation, there was a knock on my door. I opened the door to find Suzan, the mother, and against my embarrassment of both my lunch and dinner dishes still being on the table, I invited her in for some tea. She came in and sat down with a look of having something serious to say, and I was worried. Thinking I had handled the situation fairly well this morning, I prepared to defend my approach to childcare. So you can imagine my surprise when the words that followed “I guess what I want to ask you is…” were “we want to make sure you don’t want to leave us.” I was speechless.
I immediately assured her that one tantrum is not going to stop me from taking care of a child, I’ve grown so fond of already. She was so relieved, and stood up without having any of her tea. When I reminded her of it, she laughed, sat down again and explained that she had come in thinking she was going to have a long, emotional talk, convincing me to stay, and was completely thrown off by my immediate response. We spent the rest of night talking about various things including Fien, the upcoming Sinterklaas party, and decorating for Christmas (tree shopping!)
I’m truly blessed to have such a wonderful family. I’m glad they appreciate me and treat as a part of their family. I’m also glad Fien likes me (on most days of course.) But that’s how kids are. They may hate you for a moment, but the next morning, or at the end of the day, or maybe only an hour later, they still love you unconditionally. And that’s what makes 300 euros a month so darn worth it.

Word of the day: Lief - love