Dimples on the Edge

I was tricked and bamboozled into virtually babysitting.

I have been working on a virtual website to teach English for a few weeks and recently gained two new students, 11-year old twins. They are quite sweet and energetic, so the struggle has of course been finding ways to keep learning engaging over the computer.

After two hour-long sessions with the parents present, I noticed on the third session that only one student was joining. My student shared that their sibling had been hurt at school and the parents were with them at the hospital.

We discussed feelings and about halfway through our talk, my student shared that they were also feeling anxious because no one was at home with them.

At the start of the call, I had seen an adult in the background, but apparently that was their grandfather who was only remaining until our learning session began.

While the lesson had no hitches, I was so surprised to be entrusted with the care of a stranger’s child, even remotely, after only meeting twice. It seemed so perilous to put the life of their child in my hands, even if only for 40mins, as the parents eventually returned home at the end of our session.

I am a literal stranger on the internet!! Anything could have happened during our 50-minute session. Not only on my students’ end, with them choking on something, or passing out, or on my end, as a STRANGER ONLINE. I was a totally random adult.

Sure, an argument could be made that the site is secretly recording all sessions, but that wouldn’t matter in the immediate instant of something happening.

I was flabbergasted to have been given so much trust of someone else’s child. It seems like in this day and age, there are looser restrictions and expectations around the care of children.