With great power...

I was babysitting my younger cousin. Babysitting him for the first time. I felt like Supergirl. No, whose more powerful than Supergirl?

Um-that one superhero more powerful than Supergirl.  Like I could take on Supergirl and defeat her.

Of course, I wasn’t doing it alone. My grandmother was helping me as he was only a few months old. But since she couldn’t bend over an pick him up and do even the simplest things, it was my job to do most of the work.

Then he started crying and….well let me start from the beginning

           It was Thanksgiving weekend, 2012. I was 16, my cousin and his girlfriend had just had a baby boy. I thought he was the cutest thing, even when he was crying. He was my little soldier boy.

My aunts, uncle and older cousin had come over to my grandmothers for Thanksgiving and had bought the baby along since Zach and Megan were having problems. Major problems. Like everything that happened to the baby was the other one’s fault.

Everything had gone smoothly through the first day. Jack had only one crying fit, only when me and my aunt had gone to get lunch.

On Friday afternoon my aunt had seen a sale going in the paper for Wal-Mart.  She always had to go to Wal-Mart when she visited. Claimed they had the best Black Friday deals.

My grandmother had offered to watch the baby. My grandfather was absolutely helpless with him, even before he had his stroke.

The sisters (all four) kept trying to find someone who could stay with her but they all had something they had to do.

So, I offered. My stupid brain thought it was a good idea.

“Are you sure you can handle it?” my aunt asked “He is still a baby and you tend to panic at the littlest-“

“That won’t happen.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure”

“Are you positive?”

“I’m positive. Now go.”

I wish I had thought about it a little longer.

           It was a few hors after they left and everything was going great. Jack was playing, Grandmother and I were watching something on TV ,and Granddaddy was out golfing I think. I could never keep up with him during his time and I didn’t really care. He may have been at the farm.

Everytime Jack got fussy, I simply played with him or bounced the bouncy eat a little with my foot without looking up from my book.

Yep, having power felt good.

Then one of ourcell phones rang.

I looked and it wasn’t mine. For one thing the ring tone was a little loud and I put my on medium as to not scare the baby.

It was Grandmother and it was one of her friends.

Since she didn’t want Jack to make any noise during her call she asked me to take Jack into her bedroom next door to get him to sleep.

I gently lifted him out of the bouncy seat and, patting his back, walk to her bedroom.

It was fine for a few minutes. He was crying but it wasn’t a full on wail yet.

Yep, I was Supercousin! Nothing could defeat me!

Huh, that call was taking longer than usual. I let it go, figuring that friend just had a lot to tell her.

I guess Jack could feel my hert start going faster in excitement because he started wailing. I frowned

Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh! What do I do?

I don’t need to interrupt Grandmother in the middle of her call.

So I tried the first thing I thought of. I sat on Grandmother’s bed and gently rocked him

Nope didn’t work

I got up and walked.

Nothing

I paced.

Nothing, Supercousin was starting to find her Kryptonite!

I tried the last thing. I sang a song I had heard the Rock sing in a movie

“Love me tender

Love me sweet

Never let me go.”

(More wailing)

“You have made my life

Complete

And I love you so”

This didn’t stop at all and I started tearing up.  I wanted to ask for help

No! Supercousin does not asked for help!

The little voice in my head seemed right. So I tried talking to him

“Hey buddy. It’s ok buddy” I said in a soothing voice.

I was praying it wasn’t colic. The last thing I needed was for him to vomit all over me or to pass a lot of gas or something

However, it still wasn’t working

I was starting to feel like Rachel Green when her daughter was constantly crying after she woke up Emma.

I bounced him gently patting his back in case it was colic.

I took a deep breath Nothing was working with this child! Nothing!

Time to try the last thing I knew to do.

I hurried as gently as I could to the living room, nearly crying. Jack wailing louder if that was even possible

Grandmother looked at me surprised from her phone call.

“Help.” I mouthed desperately.

Grandmother’s friend was still talking but she quickly told her she had to leave and hung up after several byes.

She walked over and gently took the baby from me nd went to calm him down.

I flopped on the couch rubbing my hands over my face multiple times.

I couldn’t believe I had told my aunt I could handle the baby. I clearly couldn’t I wasn’t ready yet. Maybe I wasn’t Supercousin after all.

Superman never needed help. Neither did Supergirl or any of those other main super heroes.

(I wasn’t counting the justice league or the Avengers clearly)

I took a deep breath sighing softly. It would work out eventually. I hoped .

I could hear my grandmother humming and I slowly realized that Jack wasn’t crying anymore. I recognized it as a hymn we had sang in church a couple of times.

I swallowed deeply, wishing I had thought of that. I wished I had paid more attention to the hymns sung in church

More importantly, I wished I hadn’t agreed to baby sit.

After all. With great power, comes great responsibility .