Herald Democrat, Sherman, Texas, Jerrie Whiteley column

Jerrie Whiteley, Herald Democrat, Sherman, Texas

Jan. 27--The history site, on-this-day.com says that in 1950 on this day, the American Associated Insurance Companies, of St. Louis, MO, issued the first baby sitter's insurance policy.

I think most women today have spent some part of their lives baby-sitting. Some of us did it both for money and for family. I feel like I was born baby-sitting, but I know that my younger brothers really didn't come along until I was in elementary school so I wasn't actually born doing it.

That doesn't mean I didn't do my fair share and then some. Today's young sitters come much better equipped than I did back in my day of sitting. Back then a child could expect a sitter to arrive with some coloring books, a few picture books and maybe a board game or two. I remember being impressed when I watched "Halloween" for the first time because one of the baby sitters in that movie brought along a pumpkin to carve.

Now days, baby sitters come with full on technical support including tablets, portable DVD players, cell phones and all manner of electronic trickery. They can throw a bag of popcorn in the microwave and have a tasty snack for their little charges faster than I could set up a hot air popper back in the day. And they can instantly pull up the youngster's favorite cartoon character or pop princess without having to dash out to the video store.

I can't imagine what that must be like these days. Or maybe I can. See, sometimes really good baby sitters get promoted to aunts. Now the children I watch generally come to me. If the weather permits we go outside and play in the park or, in the summer, the pool. If the weather is not that great, we like to snuggle up with a good movie or a book. And of course, electronic games are involved. I can't say that I have ever had insurance for my work as a baby sitter, but I can say I have never really needed it.

--Happy Birthday to Kimberly Cannon, Donald Hubbard, Latice Rutherford, Glenna Eugene, Kimberly Luper and Alice Boatright, all of Sherman; Bennie Montgomery of Whitewright; Ida B. Price, Dee Dee Holloway, Jimmy Dustin Key and Frances Sparkman, all of Denison; Johnnie Smith; Belinda Jenkins of Pottsboro; James Etta Daniels of Dallas; Charles Huddleston of Luella; Jennifer Wallace of Tom Bean; Jackson Thomas of Camden, NJ.; Charles Kenneth Kee of Amarillo;