The Joys of Parenthood by SunsetMiko

Babysitter Blues

This was written for Stella's Proverbial Challenge Prompt: Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know. Words: 420

She needed a night out, desperately. The boys were making her insane and if she didn't have a few hours of quiet and adult conversation, she might just explode and take the whole house down with her. Her sweet mate knew this. It seemed as if he could see the gauge in her mind, that he could watch as the pressure rose to critical levels. He always gave her what she needed, when she needed it, and for that she would be eternally grateful.

There was only one problem: the babysitter. The boys loved Sesshoumaru's father, and she did as well, but he was a terrible sitter. He gave them too many sweets, sometimes skipping over dinner completely in exchange for cake and ice cream, which made getting them to sleep nearly impossible. He let them run wild in the house. One time, she could have sworn there were footprints on the ceiling. He even encouraged it, playing games that he justified by saying that they helped the boys learn to follow their instincts.

She always came home to a mess, always! Kagome couldn't even count the number of stains on their carpet that magically appeared while Papa Inu was watching them. They'd practically destroyed her favorite couch. She'd been forced to buy a slip cover for it because there was absolutely no cleaning it. Just walking into the house after their evening out was nearly impossible as toys covered every single inch of the floor. The kitchen sink would be filled to overflowing with more dishes than the whole family usually used in three days!

The boys were filthy by the time they came home, covered head to toe in filth. Even when they left after dark, or during cold weather, so that there was no way the boys went outside to play, somehow they managed to get ridiculously dirty.

What was the point in going out in an attempt to relax if returning home after doing so was such a nightmare? Sometimes it took her days to clean up the mess Papa Inu left behind. She loved him. Really, she did, but he was the babysitter from hell. Too bad her mother was unavailable, and she was terrified of using someone she didn't know. She didn't trust strangers with the safety of her pups; no matter how highly recommended they came.

If she wanted to go out, then it was her father-in-law or no one. Kagome smirked. Maybe he should watch the boys at his house this time.