I was thirteen years old when I was offered a baby-sitting job for a grandchild of one of my mother's friends. Having a younger sister, I had occasionally baby-sat for my parents, but had never really done this for any family outside of my own, but I was very interested in the idea. The young boy I was asked to baby-sit was about six years old, and I was warned that he was very inattentive, somewhat rebellious and had a "temper problem." His name was Xan (pronounced Zan). The plan was for him to occasionally come over to my house and I would watch him for a couple of hours at a time while his mother, Alex, went and did "what she needed to do."

The first time Xan came over I was outside skateboardi

Over time Xan's mother straightened out and was now getting her life in order. She wanted to start over again by moving out of town, go through inpatient rehabilitation, get the children back in school and ultimately get a job and become a self-sufficient and productive adult. The last day I saw Xan before they moved to Laguna Beach was heartbreaking. He did not want to leave me and threw the biggest fit I have ever seen a child have, but I assured him that I WILL see him again. I gave him a going away present - it was my half-used deck (skateboard) that he loved to ride on when I would baby-sit him. After they moved, quite often his mother would call me and have me talk to Xan - just so he could hear my voice. She told me Xan still skateboarded and asked about me every day. Over time they got busy with school and the phone calls became less frequent. Chaim also went and visited her mother in Mississippi for a bit; her mother was still not allowed have custody of her, but was now able to have Chaim come and visit on a conditional basis.

I am 17 now and four years have passed since I first baby-sat Xan. This past month Xan, Chiam and Ollie came to town to visit their grandmother. When they got to Fresno the first thing Xan wanted to do was to come and see me, so his mother rushed him over to my house and the look on his face was pure joy. You could tell his life was a lot better now, he was more secure and it was obvious that he is a lot happier. When I talked to his mother she told me that I was one of the reasons that they came and visited Fresno.

As time went on and I got to know Xan better he developed an intense trust and respect for me, so he emotionally opened up and responded to me. As it turns out, to Xan, I was a lot more than a baby-sitter. I will attempt to describe his brief and tumultuous six years of life. Xan lived in Fresno with his mother and father in a small two-bedroom home with his younger sister and an older female cousin (Ollie, age 1 and Ch

Some topics in this essay:
Alex Xan, , Fresno Xan, Laguna Beach, Ollie Alex, Fortunately Chaim, Chiam Ollie, xan's mother, impact life, baby-sitting job, fresno xan, spending money, grandmother mother, skateboard xan,