Asking the Right Questions
A friend was babysitting for five kids and found crayon scribbles all over the wall. He knew the culprit wouldn't go down easy, so he cleverly asked, "Who drew those beautiful pictures on the wall?" Of course, the guilty party announced, "I did!" -CATHERINE ERAMO Wall, NJ
Dropping-Then Picking Up-the Ball
I babysat my sister and her friend every New Year's Eve. We'd have our own little party with snacks and sparkling grape juice. The girls didn't know our time zone was an hour behind New York City's, so every year, at 11 p.m., we'd watch the ball drop, then they went off to bed and I was free to watch whatever I wanted. Fortunately, when my sister realized years later, she thought it was funny and clever. -RACHEL HODGES Richardson, TX
Bedtime Means Bedtime
My parents were going out to dinner with our neighbors, who asked if I could babysit their young kids. They wanted the kids in bed at 8 p.m., which was no problem. When they came home, they found the kids sound asleep but couldn't find me. I'd gone home and to bed. My job was done, or so I thought! -ROBERT HOEHN Fair Oaks, CA
Help Yourself*
My wife and I left for the evening, telling our babysitter that she could help herself to anything in the fridge. Three hours later, we came home to a tearful teenager kneeling in front of the open oven door and frantically scraping a mountain of melted plastic from the inside. We'd left out one crucial instruction: Help yourself, but make sure you remove the Tupperware we store in the oven before firing it up. -JOHN AHLQUIST Ramsey, MN
Tots in the Henhouse
Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av Reader's Digest US.
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Denne historien er fra October 2023-utgaven av Reader's Digest US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Do You Kiss Your Dog? - Find out how gross your questionable habits really are, according to health experts
I admit it, when it comes to food, I have some eeew-inducing practices, like skimming mold off old cheddar and feeding the rest to my unsuspecting family. We're still alive, so how bad can it be? Because our gross human habits fall somewhere along the spectrum from mildly cringeworthy to full-on repulsive, I reached out to experts to find out where some common behaviors land on the gross-o-meter.
What's Ailing Our Doctors? - Today's physicians are burned out and battered by spreadsheets. We patients suffer too.
Today’s physicians are burned out and battered by spreadsheets. We patients suffer too. America's doctors are in crisis. Six in 10 physicians say they're burned out, with burnout rates for some specialties, such as primary care, reaching 70%. When polled by the American Medical Association, 40% of doctors said they were considering leaving their practices in the next two years. Another study, conducted by health-care industry publisher Elsevier, revealed concerns about mental health and burnout: 63% of med students in the United States reported that they had no intention of practicing clinical medicine after graduation and will instead work as lab researchers or academics. This is despite a predicted shortage of 124,000 physicians over the next 10 years.
Now Hear This
Losing your hearing suddenly, even if there is no pain, is always urgent
Go for the Gumbo
The soulful stew synonymous with Louisiana is delicious anywhere you eat it
BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE
Pinned by a giant boulder, a hiker had two choices: panic or gut it out. He did both.
Fathers of the Bride
A young woman finds a unique way to honor the many men who helped her survive her childhood
MY SMART PET
These clever critters are some smart C-O-O-K-I-E-S
How Hobbies Help Us
Far from a waste of time, pastimes are good for body, brain and spirit
1+1 = MORE (or LESS)
A math whiz encourages you to play with your numbers
That Kind of Time
A dressing-room encounter made me get real about aging