Feeling old

I went home this weekend because a girl that I used to babysit for was getting married. The summer of my 16th year my job was to babysit for two neighbor girls, K and M. K was 12 and M was 8 at the time. Three days a week I would drive my 1981 Ford Thunderbird to their house while their mom worked part-time. They were good girls and we had a lot of fun that summer.

Fast-forward 14 years. On a previous trip home M made me promise that I would attend her wedding. K is married with a five-month-old and was matron of honor for her now 22-year-old younger sister. These girls were born to two very tall individuals so we always new the girls would be tall. K is the shorter of the two at 5'10". M at 6'2" towered over her 5'11" husband J, who I've also known since he was young. The wedding was nice as small town weddings go. At the reception I was able to watch after K's son for a while. He's such a cutie and is so good tempered. I couldn't help but note that I was now babysitting a second generation of their family.

K now works at a day care center and M is finishing up school. Other kids that I used to babysit for were also there. R1 was now working for an farm implement company. His younger brother R2 died tragically at 16 two summers ago when he cracked open his skull from sliding off of the tailgate of a pickup another kid was driving. M2, who was in M's class, was in the wedding and had her husband and baby girl with her. Her older sister M1 was smoking and drinking away in the bar. A was also in the wedding but his sister couldn't make it because of work. I got the updates on other kids from their parents and answered their questions on what I was doing now with my life.

I had a hard time figuring out who these young adults were that I had known since they were kids. Twelve years away from a place will do that to a person. It was so interesting to see how they had grown up and what they were doing with their lives. I hope they remember me fondly from the short amount of time I took care of them.