The Barter System

While talking to my sister on the phone our conversation ended when her hairdresser rang the doorbell.

              My sister has the perfect set up. She babysits her neighbor’s two young girls from time to time and in exchange gets her hair cut and styled right at home by their mother, a hairdresser. My sister enjoys spending time with the girls and says they keep her young. Everyone benefits.

           It’s a simple barter system, the way I remember it used to be: neighbor helping neighbor. It seems the idea fell by the wayside over the years, but it might be enjoying a resurgence these days as everyone is looking to save money. I give my neighbor a ride to the doctor’s once in a while and she repays me by giving me some of her homemade jam, something I really enjoy and that costs me nothing.

           I was discussing this with a friend recently, and she pointed out that she and her daughter have a sort of barter system going as well, although she simply calls it repaying the favor.  My friend babysits her grandchildren when needed and in return the daughter prepares wonderful stews and soups for her mom when cooking for her family.       “When I’m short on time,” the daughter told me, “I tell my mom that it’s on account. At the end of the year, my mother probably does a lot more for me than I do for her, but she doesn’t mind.”

           Not surprising since the barter system between a mother and a child tends to be skewed in favor of the child. But, just like my friend, all of us who are mothers really don’t mind, do we?