It’s not hard to find a babysitter who will arrive at a scheduled time and watch your child for upwards of $15 an hour, which works fine for a dentist’s appointment or a workday shift. But what about those days when your children are driving you around the bend, when you’ve dealt out ten time-outs already and there are still hours until bedtime?
If your dark night of the soul happens to occur between 5:30 and 8:30pm on a Monday or Friday, or 9:30am-5:30pm on a Saturday, boy are you in luck. The San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center offers free drop-in childcare for kids up to age 12, diaper-wearers included. While your children are in the cheery and friendly playroom, you can attend a class, use the computer room, go to a Center event (like the monthly Monday evening Buddhist meditation group), or just go sit down at the cafe and drink a cup of tea in blessed, blessed silence. As long as you stay in the building you’re in the clear.
If your child is in diapers you must pre-register; call Emael at 415-865-5553 for registration and other questions or visit sfcenter.org.