Responsibility is key

I have babysat since I was about 13 years old. My mom made my best friend and I go to a babysitting class at the hospital where we learned CPR, how to change a diper, babysitting tips and tricks, etc. Not to brag or anything but I think I'm pretty good with children. My sister tells me all the time she thinks my career will involve children and I'll have a lot of my own one day, and I think she might be right. Over the years I've learned a lot about children such as: whom to let stay up past their bedtime, when to give an extra scoop of ice cream, when a child is lying, when a child is telling the truth, whom to be stern with, whom to let run around the backyard numerous times so they will crash in bed and so much more. 

Responsibility comes in all shapes and sizes. Wether it is regarding school, exercising, eating healthy, being the president of a sorority or taking care of children. In the U.S. it's not difficult to take children to a restaurant to grab some dinner, ride bikes on a trail, get ice cream, take them to the zoo, among many other things. Because while you are over there you just have to be observant and follow the signs and social cues that you have grown up with. Well in Germany it's a little bit of a different story. Taking care of children is easy but it's the not knowing the language or understanding social cues that is the issue. I will use the example of the zoo since I took the girls last weekend. 

First we walked to the bakery to get breakfast, which I've gotten used to now but I had to be observant to understand which way the line went, how to order the food and how to pay. Then we rode a bus to the zoo. Of course I had directions but I'm not sure what the rule is about food on the bus or talking (but basically yelling) children. I just had to be observant and try my best to fit in. After we arrived at the zoo, I wasn't exactly sure which line to go to so I just took my best adult guess and picked one. Luckily I picked the correct one and we got in like a breeze. We walked around the zoo and enjoyed all of the wonderful animals. Our favorites were the giraffes, monkeys and camels. By the way, if you ever go to Munich and have kids, go to the zoo. It is huge and has about any animal you can think of. Around 1pm the girls were hungry for lunch so we picked the Gorilla Cafe and sat down for some sandwiches and shade. I walked in the door that I thought was correct and walked up to the counter to order. Well I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing or not but I ordered our food with confidence but inside I was scared because I didn't want to make any Germans upset, because like I've said before, Germans are not very nice when they are upset. The man at the counter pointed me towards the register to pay so I did but couldn't find our sandwiches. A third man was making them at another station and the line was getting crowded so people were pushing, the the girls were begging me for an eis so needless to say I was a little overwhelmed. Since we were outside I wasn't sure what to do with our tray when we finished eating. I had to look around and be observant of others to figure out what to do. 

My father has always taught me to be aware of my surroundings, especially at night and when I'm alone but I'm taking that advice to a different context. I HAVE to be aware of what is going on in another country especially since I don't know the language or the traditional customs. Responsibility is important when looking after children and I feel as though my responsibility has doubled since I've been over here and especially when I'm alone with the girls. Luckily they are sweet and listen to me most of the time :) but I'm enjoying this heightened responsibility because it is a wonderful skill I'll take with me to the next phase of my life. 

Responsibility is key along with being aware of your surroundings all of the time. 

Just a few pictures from our zoo trip. And p.s. suckers are ALWAYS a good treat!