July 7, 2023 (Song #2015): “The Babysitter’s Here” by Dar Williams (1993) Happy Birthday to Alison Werner Cooper & Emily Borden! Xoxo LYRICS & SONGFACTS SPOTIFY APPLE MUSIC
T-27* = 1996, when I worked at The Mark Spector Company. At the end of the summer in 1995, Rose was about 3 months old; she was sweet, social, smiley and always watching what was going on around her. Her calm, peaceful, engaged manner inspired people to call her “an old soul”.
Rose’s first summer, weather-wise, was brutal: temperatures hovered around 90 degrees with 90% humidity so going outside wasn’t an option, except for a few minutes at a time. I felt bad keeping her inside, but even worse taking her outside in the heat, strapping her into a carseat and then rushing her into an over-air-conditioned store (I kept thinking I’d be arrested for taking her outside – it felt illegal).
In late August, it dawned on me that both Rose and I needed outside stimulation; she was ready to start making friends her own age (ha!) and I was ready to go back to work. Of course, this was hard for me to accept: in a 7th grade paper for Bernie Berube at Bedford Junior High I wrote emphatically “I love kids! I will have a hundred kids!”.
Three months in, I was shocked to find that I wasn’t ok with sitting in a small apartment all day watching my beautiful, sweet infant sleep. I thought it would be a dream come true, but, in fact, it was hard; I was disappointed and embarrassed when I realized I was restless and cranky.
With Peter’s help and support, I made the previously-detestable decision to go back to work and prayed that my kid would be better off when I did. Fortunately, there was no family drama: our families fully supported the idea and thought it was the healthiest decision for us, both financially and emotionally.
So, off we went, job & daycare hunting! The first daycare we learned about was from our friends Mindy Eichner (Malinda Johnson to you) and Jennifer Utz Worsfold; they’d sent their kids to the amazing Lucille Saponare. Lucille’s daycare had a spotless reputation, so, of course, it was full.
Then our friends Melissa & Adam (who were living in Fairfield at the time), introduced us to Jen, who was taking care of their daughter Maya. Jen had room for us and we were thrilled. All went well, until the day Jen abruptly announced that she was closing her daycare and we had a week to find a new one. Somehow, the daycare gods shone their light upon us and Lucille had an opening (insert a million heart emojis here).
Lucille’s home and the daycare space were clean, friendly and adorable, but I was a wee bit nervous about sending Rose to spend the day in a basement with only high casement windows. My mom set me straight: “You are lucky that she has an opening! The kids are so happy and Lucille is so nice; Rose is going to thrive and you need to send her here immediately.” She was right, of course. I still can’t see Lucille at Stop & Shop without tearing up with gratitude. Mom and Lucille: THANK YOU!
As far as work went, my friend, roommate and bridesmaid, Amy, and I wrote an outline for a business plan for a marketing company (we even had a logo designed for “Broad Street Marketing”, named after a street at Colgate), but then she got pregnant with her 3rd child and our idea fizzled out.
Then I found a scrap of old newspaper in my wallet. A few years earlier, Mindy had found a classified ad clipping for a Music Job from the Westport News that she carried in her wallet, planning to share it with me the next time she saw me. I then carried the ad around for a few more years so, by 1995, the faded, crumpled piece of paper was about five years old. I thought: well, shucks, it couldn’t hurt to call the company, could it?
No, it couldn’t; as it turned out, The Mark Spector Company, whatever that was, was hiring!
When I interviewed for the job (office assistant, receptionist, tour marketing), I learned that Mark was Joan Baez, .38 Special and James McMurtry’s manager and his office was in downtown Westport in a house near the intersection of the Post Road just west of Wright Street.
It felt like a sign. I wasn’t a huge fan, but I loved dancing to “Hold On Loosely” and respected the heck out of Joan Baez (and always thought that my guitar teacher, Joan Slosberg, and she were somehow the same person, since they had the same first name and sort of looked alike) plus Joan’s Diamonds & Rust album was one of my first records.
I loved the title song “Diamonds & Rust” and “Hello, In There” by John Prine, who became another favorite of mine when my parents gave me his Diamonds In The Rough album in 1972 (I sang the song “Clocks & Spoons”). (Later, one of my guitar teachers taught me John Prine’s “That’s The Way That The World Goes Round” – click “CC” for the lyrics – which is a somewhat inappropriate song for a kid to sing, but it was a crowd favorite. When I heard Bonnie Raitt sing “Angel From Montgomery”, my passion for John Prine was sealed. Later, Peter and I both fell in love with his In Spite Of Ourselves album and his performances at the Newport Folk Festival.)
But, back to Joan Baez: I loved working with Mark and Rose seemed super happy at her daycare (plus Mark had been very generous and allowed me to come in late on Wednesday mornings so I could take Rose to the YMCA for a “mommy & me” gymnastics class, where we made a super new friend, Jen Kanter and her adorable son Will). I had a chance to talk to Joan and see her at concerts and she was always gracious and friendly; my job required me to help with Tour Marketing, so I spent a lot of time speaking to venue managers and radio stations in an effort to come up with ways to boost ticket sales.
Where does Dar Williams and today’s SOTD fit into all of this? Well, during Joan’s 1996 tour, Dar Williams was her opening act. I was (I know I say this a lot) completely smitten by her voice, lyrics and harmonies. She was super sweet to work with and even sent Peter and I a baby gift when, in 1997, we gave birth to the adorable Bennett Elihu Propp (see T-26 tomorrow for more on that!).
Dar’s songs are incredible; if you haven’t heard them, go straight to your favorite music streaming service and listen to “Iowa” (SOTD #1571 from 4/20/22), “When I Was A Boy” (SOTD #1935 from 4/19/23), “The Christians and The Pagans” (SOTD #1090 from 12/25/20) and “You’re Aging Well” (SOTD #385 from 1/20/19). Then go back and listen to each of her albums all the way through. It will be a day well-spent.
P.S. RE: babysitters. I remember that Rose never liked having a babysitter and would put herself to bed minutes after we left for the night. Her babysitters were sweet and kind and couldn’t understand what they’d done wrong, but we told them it was just an early example of her independence and ability to take care of herself and her needs. It cracked us up.
P.P.S. Caroline, Alex, Russell and I had many, many babysitters, including Mrs. Watson, an older woman who presented my parents with smiley-face (or frowny face, if we were naughty)-filled report cards when they got home, Ellen O’Connor (about whom I’m sure Dar Williams wrote “The Babysitter’s Here” and whose laugh I sometimes hear coming out of my own mouth), Donna Stephens (who impressed me to no end by bringing textbooks to study with after we went to bed; she couldn’t believe the junky snacks my mom left for us), and several teachers and teacher’s kids: Tyra & Greg Fullam, Liza & Lenny Paglialunga and Linda Uddyback. I’m so glad my parents got out of the house occasionally; we were a handful, for sure.