Referrals

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I am amazed by the power of referrals.

In theory, I always knew they worked well, but never before have I seen them work with such fervor. Let me illustrate.

Mom A recommends me to Moms B-H.
Mom I recommends me to Mom J
Mom J recommends me to Mom K and L.
Mom M recommends me to Mom N.

Then Mom H recommends me to Mom O over at the country club and Mom O asks me if I would like to be a full time nanny for her daughter. It takes me aproximately .23 seconds to decline, as I have just made an arrangement to babysit regularly for Mom L. Later, Mom A calls and says "I recommended you to Mom O through Mom H, but I really didn't want to because I wanted you to stay available for me."

And so dear friends, it has come to this: Which house are the kids allowed to play in Mom and Dad's room and which one is to be doubled or triple locked? And what are the names of the dogs and cats that I need to yell at if they bark too loud or barf too often? And which kid needs to wear a helmet while on the back porch and which kid should I try not to give a bath to?

One of these days, I will call the dog by the kid's name and give the kid puppy chow for a snack and let the unpotty trained go diaper free while sitting on Mom and Dad's bed.

When that happens, I will once again be the talk of the country club.

Comments

Elena Johnston said…
How difficult is it to keep from bathing this kid?

You will be glad to know that your blog is serving me well by helping me avoid bathing my boys. =)
9:21 AM
serapio said…
I have put together a directed graph to help all your other fans visualize your referral network.
9:38 AM
slowlane said…
Thanks, serapio, that graph looks great. Now all I need is a little flow chart that has all of the critical information for each household. Or maybe you can create a cluster graph of how desperate these mothers are for a babysitter.

And Elena, I tried to give this kid a bath because she had found a pile of dirt on our walk and had dirt caked in her fingernails. I wasn't too sure how her mother would like finding a filthy child in the crib the following morning. However, note that I said tried. This child locked her little knees and never ceased crying from the moment I brought her inside until an hour later when I distracted her briefly with a bedtime story. Maybe in the turn out of things, it doesn't matter if you try or don't try to give this child a bath.
11:12 AM
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