Dear Urban Diplomat: How do we tell our otherwise perfect babysitter that drinking on the job isn’t cool?

Dear Urban Diplomat: How do we tell our otherwise perfect babysitter that drinking on the job isn’t cool?

(Image: Johan A)

Dear Urban Diplomat,
My wife and I discovered the parenting Holy Grail: a babysitter who’s punctual, affordable and amazing with our kids. Last time she sat, we told her to help herself to anything in the fridge. When we got home, she was a bit chattier than usual. We paid her and she drove home. Then we discovered a bottle of wine sitting empty on the counter—it had been three quarters full when we left. Was she drinking while playing with the kids? Was she driving drunk? We want to keep using her, but we don’t know how to broach the drinking issue. Help!
—Parental Guidance Needed, High Park

Your sitter’s a godsend, but she’s got no qualms about pinot grigio–fuelled joyrides? I say cut her loose! Unfortunately, it sounds like you’ve already decided to rehire her. I suggest you call her up and be direct: tell her your kids adore her and so do you, but BUI, not to mention drunk driving, is just not on. If she cuts you loose, consider it a blessing. If she agrees to come back, lock up the booze, and listen for telltale sloshing emanating from her handbag when she walks in.

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