Hi! I'm a physics professor, and I have a wonderfully bright 14 yo son. I am recently divorced, though on reasonable terms with my son's father. That said, I am looking for someone I can ask to come and spend time with my son, when his dad isn't able to, and I have a deadline or another event I need to attend. Obviously because of his age, it isn't really "babysitting" - more like being a big sister/brother or mentor. Just so you know... I am not a 'normal' physicists by any means. I like to hike, cross-country ski, and I am much more talkative than a typical physics professor. :-) My son loves the outdoors, karate, and of course, video games! My son is just finishing grade 9. He is friendly and chatty, and generally a happy guy. I always find this amazing, considering he has multiple anaphylactic food allergies along with mild asthma. On the other hand, his health issues have led us on the road to eating primarily organic and being aware of indoor air quality (through things like eco-friendly cleaners, not wearing perfume or strongly scented products (including cleaning products like "Tide"), etc.). We are fortunate in that he has never had an anaphylactic reaction, in part because we have been careful and aware of his environment. He had severe eczema when he was a baby, which led us to explore alternative medicine including homeopathy (though I still rely on and appreciate conventional medicine!). I am fascinated by psychology and the development of children (and yet I am a physicist?!?). Anyway, that is best left for another conversation.... I am looking for a reliable "occasional" nanny/babysitter/big-sibling for him. He's at the age when he doesn't really need someone home with him, but for long periods (2-3 hours or more), I'd rather him not be home by himself. I would love to be in contact with someone who would like to mentor him, take him for walks, and hang out with him, so he's not just on the computer when I have to work late, or if I have an event to go to. One important note: my son has been diagnosed with mild aspergers. This means he is very gifted (he is in the 97th-percentile for working memory, and 98th percentile for language ability), but has minor challenges in motor coordination, and he has a uniquely different way of seeing the world. It means that someone working with him must be patient (especially with physical things like swimming, or writing homework), and not be intimidated by his memory or vocabulary. He is a loveable, huggable, amazing kid, but sometimes he communicates like a 30-year-old lawyer, so be careful what you promise him, since he will remember! :-) If you have some experience with French, that would be awesome as well, as our son is in French Immersion. That said, if you don't know French, but otherwise think we'd fit, I'm great with that too! If you are interested, please do contact me (email works best). I am looking forward to meeting you! Sincerely, Jo-Anne