Hey, how tough could it be? After all, I'm an experienced dad. I have two sons of my own, and there were many times I would watch them while their mother was off doing whatever it is that moms do when they can get dad to watch the kids.

So when Natalie asked if I would be willing to watch Kaitlyn for a little while, I said, "Sure, no problem, piece of cake."

"Oh, that's great," she said. "We'll only be gone for a little while."

So while the adorable Kaitlyn slept in Natalie's bedroom, the three of them quietly went off to attend their event.

That's when it hit me—I hadn't watched a 2-year-old for 19 years! Not since 1985 when the 21-year-old was still a toddler ... not since the Reagan administration ... not since Big Bird was little!

And as I sat there and watched Ohio State pull away from Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl, I thought to myself, "Well, this is fine ... but what the heck am I going to do when she wakes up?"

Now, you've got to remember, as a dad I had an arsenal of tools at my disposal that I wouldn't have as a babysitter—a room full of toys, Mr. Rogers, time out! And keep in mind that my experience with 2-year-olds had almost exclusively been limited to little boys ... OK, exclusively limited to little boys!

Then there was the way Natalie kept asking, "Are you sure you want to do this?" Did she know something I didn't know? (What am I talking about? She's the mother of four children and the grandmother of three more with one on the way ... and she's a woman ... of course she knows more about kids than I do!)

I wouldn't exactly call it a panic attack, but the anxiety was certainly beginning to build as I heard little Kaitlyn stirring in the other room. I was relieved when she awoke with a broad smile across her beautiful little face.

Then, in a tiny, heart-melting voice, she asked, "Where's Nani?"

Uh-oh. I knew I was in trouble.

"Um, well," I stammered, "Nani's with Mommy and Daddy, and they're going to be back very, very soon."

The corners of her little mouth quickly turned south, and she asked again, this time with a definite purpose in her voice, "Where's Nani!" And she started to cry, just a little.

Now, I've had enough experience in this area to know that I had to work fast or I was about to experience the longest three hours of my adult life. I didn't have time to ask myself what Dr. Spock would do in a case like this. Or even Dr. Phil. I immediately fell back on my years of parenting expertise, relied on my innate "Dad" instincts, reached back for my bag of tricks.

"Wanna watch a video?" I asked. "And maybe have some candy and make some cookies?"

She stopped crying, smiled and nodded her head. So I reached into my bag (yes, I actually did have a bag of tricks ... I had come prepared with a bag of DVDs, chocolate chips and the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies).

So the Fiesta Bowl quickly gave way to the Muppets, Van Goat and the Teletubbies. (Oh, my God! Have you ever seen the Teletubbies? Maybe this would be the longest three hours of my adult life!)

And before Kermit could even say hello to Miss Piggy, I had the oven preheating and the chocolate chip bag ripped open.

You know the old quote, "Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast?" Well, when it comes to children, the same can be said for chocolate.

So from that point on, she was a sweetheart and the evening went quite well. Kaitlyn and I had an understanding—I wouldn't watch football, I would let her have as many cookies and as much candy as she wanted, and she wouldn't cry. Sounded like a good deal to me!

And when Natalie, Brian and Lisa got home, there we were sitting quietly on the couch watching Van Goat on TV, with only the melted chocolate chips on her little pink T-shirt giving away my strategy.

"Well, it looks like you two are doing OK," Natalie observed.

"Yeah," I agreed. "It was a piece of cake." (Hey, that's an idea for next time ... maybe chocolate, with some of those colored sprinkles!)

Want to talk? Call me at 408.354.3110, ext. 31, or drop me a note at dsparrer@svcn.com.