It's taken her close to 95 years, but my mom said she finally understands how folks get hooked on daytime soap operas: she's been sucked into a show on the Hallmark channel called When Calls The Heart.
In one episode, neighbors Rosemary and Elizabeth were making plans to go work the polls, which, incidentally, Mom has done in some presidential races, including hand counting ballots til 3AM in 1948 to declare Truman the winner.
Anyway, a third character had volunteered to look after Rosemary's baby on election day, and she said she'd happily take Elizabeth's baby too.
“That's how we did it when I was younger,” Mom said to me. Meaning, someone would take neighborhood kids to free up the mothers occasionally.
Would you feel comfortable with a neighbor babysitting your child or spending time at home with your mother or anyone you care for?
After years of getting to know them, I have four neighbors I'd trust to sit with my mom without me there (whether they'd have the time is another matter).
But all is not lost if you don't know your neighbors well. Yet.
To get—or give—neighborhood support without years of cultivating trust upfront, background checks can hasten the process.
And this can go both ways, frankly: a babysitter or elder companion might want to feel as comfortable with you as you them.
My man Jeff and I have talked about taking neighborhood kids (& adults) on field trips once I return to Atlanta. We'll be strangers at first but I can get background checks and have a trusted 3rd party vouch for us.
(That way, I can avoid sharing reports with our personal info to the masses.)
I heard about Sterling Volunteers through the
Village to Village Network. At $19 for an
advanced search, their pricing is competitive. Search “volunteer screening companies” to investigate other options if you'd like.
As a longtime volunteer who's worked with kids and in people's homes, I've had many background checks done on me. The beauty of
Sterling Volunteers is that I can have access to my own report and share it as I choose.
There's a joke that America's favorite pastimes are baseball and suing each other. I'll be sure to share which field trip insurance(s) I get closer to the time!
“See” you next time.
