Mother's Helper

When I was 13, I got a job taking care of a set of 4 month old twins, mainly while their mother was at home, but sometimes while she was out. It was the first time I took care of kids whose parents weren't well known to me. The parents ran a carpet cleaning business. The dad was usually out on jobs while I was there, and the mom was answering the phones, setting up appointments. Every so often they'd have a special, like a coupon or something running in the paper and the phones would be ringing off the hook.

The twins were not the liveliest babies I've ever known. The main things I remember doing with them are giving them their bottles and putting them down for naps. Then I was responsible for scrubbing their bottles and hanging around in case they woke up. One thing about that family is that they were the first folks I ever met who sincerely loved Elvis Presley. They had posters, albums, statuettes and other paraphernalia all over the living room.

They were also the first folks I'd met who read the National Enquirer and such. So when the twins were napping and the bottles were clean, I'd read the tabloids and various Elvis tributes. I think I was getting paid $3 an hour. They lived in the new subdivision that was being built on the edge of the swamp where we lived. I'm sure it's all super paved over now, but in 1982 it was like, pow, housing development rising up outta nowheresville, Florida. I got the job by advertising my services in the little neighborhood paper.

I only worked for those folks for a few months. I can't remember what happened - maybe they moved? They were from the midwest.