Boy, writing that title made me feel SUPER old. I may have to edit it.

Every time I see anything involving golf on TV (which is rather frequent because the bearded eye-roller loves golf!) I am reminded of one of the most embarrassing experiences of my life and I blush every time I think about it. Seriously, I blush EVERY time!

Queue in the go-back-in-time music...

I was always in high demand as a babysitter, because I was good with kids and I could handle the worst kid on the block with ease.

Hmmmm, that reminds me of another babysitting story involving a menorah...

Anyhoo. . .

When I was 17, I was asked to house-sit and take care of two kids for a week while the mom went with the dad on a golf tournament. The kids were around 5 and 6, if I remember correctly, and the mom and dad were due back on a Sunday evening.

During that period of time in my life, I was the female lead singer in a small band and every once in a while we'd get impromptu gigs. That happened on a Saturday during this week of babysitting. My brother (hey Brother 1!) agreed to babysit the kids for me while I went out and did my thing, because I agreed to pay him and the kids would already be in bed by the time I had to leave.

Back then, I was a bit of a slob (hey, don't judge- you were too at the age of 17!), so I left with dishes in the sink, my dirty clothes (including underwear) scattered all over the floor in the master bedroom, etc. My plan was to clean everything all at once on Sunday so the place would be sparkling when the mom and dad got home.

I happened to have a crush on the male lead singer of this band, so when he suggested that we all go out for pizza after the gig, I was all over that idea. I knew my brother would be fine with it, because the longer I was gone- the more money he made. So, I rolled in at about 2 a.m.

The first thing I noticed was that my brother's motorcycle was not out front, and my heart started pounding. Then as I walked up the walkway, I could see that all of my stuff was on the front porch in front of the door. On top of it was an envelope with the money for babysitting that week and a note saying that they came home early.



I was pretty mortified at that time, because I knew that the mom (or dad) had to pick up my dirty clothes off the floor; clean up the mess that I (and the kids!) made; and that they opened the door to find a complete stranger (my brother) in the house watching their kids.

As an adult? The mortification multiplied because as a parent I know how over-the-top mad I'd be if I came home to a situation like this.

Thankfully, those people didn't live in my neighborhood and I never had to face them again. But now, after hearing this story, if you see me blush when I see someone wearing plaid polyester pants and a polo shirt, you'll understand why.