Thursday, February 22, 2007

Who would have thought this would be so hard?

I mean, we've made much harder decisions. We chose a preschool with very little time, with endless self imposed pressure to make sure it was the perfect place to leave what is most precious to us. We've made decisions about what they eat, how to discipline them (which clearly isn't working, but that's another post), and each day shape their lives with the endless decisions we are making for them. But this...this had me at a bit of a loss.

After all, how do I know I am getting The Right Clown? What qualifications should I look for? I assume it's not like hiring a contractor who needs to be licensed and bonded. Will they play the right games? What if Hayden is afraid of clowns? These are the thoughts that plague me through the night. After all, how can I be sure that the water coming out of the funny boutonniere is non-toxic? I called a couple agencies, but for some reason nothing felt comfortable to me. They assured me that "whatever clown" they sent would be great, but shouldn't I know exactly who is coming to my home? Shouldn't I already know what person will be interacting with my 3-year old son and his friends, whose parents are trusting that I will not expose their children to some degenerate?

Today I found The One. She looks great. Her website shows pictures of her with the kids, lists her experience, references and even her resume. She is also a preschool teacher with Child Development units. I quickly emailed her and she quickly responded, even mentioning that she is a "pretty clown" not a scary clown. Ding! We have a winner! She called me just a short while later, sounding very personable and friendly. One thing we talked about was price and I mentioned that her price is perfectly competitive with the other companies I contacted. She said she used to work for agencies like that and that the person doing the performance gets a small fraction of that amount. She also said that they may describe one person and send another, that they even asked her to use another name on occasion! Now, some of this is self-promotion, but I do like the idea of having personally spoken to and arranged things with the person who is coming to our home. She spoke about being able to keep the kids' attention for an hour, and that she knows how to speak with them, making even the shy ones comfortable.

Hmmm...maybe I should go to clown school.

4 comments:

Ann said...

Hmmm ... walking the trail of birthday entertainers. You are braver than I. Kathleen will get her first party (maybe) this year. I just can't fathom the cost of a friggin' clown and b-day party. Maybe I am a party-pooper.

congrats on the clown

Jana said...

Hey Marlo!
A Clown!!! I feel so inadequate! We are having a family party but I am springing for a bouncy house for Tyson. However, I must admit I am looking forward to it more than he is. I used to LIVE on the trampoline as a kid.

Clown school sounds like a great idea! You would make a cute clown! :)

Jana

mi said...

It seems like all Hayden's friends get bouncy houses. We would be happy to get one, but he doesn't seem to like it all that much, especially with other kids in it. Logan loves to tumble around in there, but as soon as a few kids come in, Hayden bails. So, we figured maybe that's not the best choice for him. I hope he likes the clown...

Undomestic said...

Sounds so exciting! You'll have to let us know how it goes!

Happy Birthday to Hayden!