My 9 year old asked if she could watch her little brother while I grabbed towels from the car. I said sure. Ten steps away. Thirty seconds, max. Then I stopped walking. I was standing in the exact spot my aunt stood forty years ago, when she handed her 8 year old daughter the same job, near the same kind of water, for the same reason. Convenience. That 8 year old is my cousin. She's 47 now. She still apologizes at holidays for something that happened when she was a child herself, watching another child, because no adult wanted to stop what they were doing for five extra minutes. I turned around and looked at my daughter. She was already walking toward the pool edge, eyes locked on her brother, taking the job seriously. Too seriously. The way kids do when they've been told they're responsible for a life. I walked back and took my son's hand myself. She looked almost disappointed, like I'd taken something from her. I didn't tell her why. I just didn't want her carrying this at 47.