Let's hear it! and diminutive responsibilities

[Lwellerrpt@AOL.COM]

In a message dated 8/5/1999 5:37:52 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
pno2nr1@juno.com writes:

> My sitter was late this morning - I phoned the
>  customer, explained & apologized, they were very nice about it and even
>  said " Oh,  that's okay, bring your daughter along,"  but although it
>  worked out okay (the sitter arrived, daughter was fine, customer was
>  happy with results),  I wondered what other people do.  When is it okay
>  to bring along one's diminuitive responsibilities? 
>  Kris Anderson, RPT
>  Hibbing, MN


Hi Kris-

My kidlet is now almost seven.  I've only taken him to one whole tuning job.  
It was when he was just four.  The customer wanted the piano done asap and I 
told them that that Saturday I had kid duty.  They said to bring him and 
their twelve year old would watch him. (they forgot to tell her that...)  We 
showed up at what was the largest house on a very nice block.  Evan had his 
little red toolbox of toy tools with him.  He copied me as I wiped my feet as 
we waited for someone to answer the doorbell and I reminded him to let them 
ask us in before walking in.  As the woman answered the door, he started 
walking and talking at the same time: "Hi! I'm here to tune your piano!"  He 
threw his sunglasses on the white leather sofa as he made a beeline across 
the marble floor just missing the marble pillar with his toolbox, toward the 
grand piano, set down his tools and got very excited about the large creamic 
carousel horse which was next to the piano.  I ended up tuning with the 
Pocahantas movie playing in the background .  As a last task, I let him put 
in the cheekblock screws with my hand under his so he didn't drop the 
screwdriver on that floor. 

Now (only occasionally) I take him to things that I know will only last less 
than an hour like delivering repaired parts, picking up actions, and stuff 
like that.

I've been extremely lucky in the babysitting dept.  Mostly the grandmas when 
he was little and then preschool friend's moms picked him up (some paid, some 
traded time)  with their kids and that let me get in a job in the afternoons. 
 
Now that Evan is in school, there's afterschool daycare on campus.  If I get 
there to pick him up before 5, he's not ready to leave because he's so busy 
playing with his friends.

My schedule when Evan was an infant was slow:  Take the baby to my mother's, 
nurse him, go do a tuning, come back, eat lunch, nurse him again, do another 
tuning, come back and nurse, go home.  Once, while I was being lead to a 
piano in one of the wards at the VA Hospital, one of the nurses introduced me 
at the nurses' station as the lactating piano technician.  Quite a 
distinction!

Lisa Weller
Los Alamitos, CA
Southbay Chapter
(not even lurking--just popping in now and then)
to send me a personal e-mail, please use my other address: pianocat88@aol.com 
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