Guest blogger Dani Klein: How do I hire the babysitter so I have peace of mind--without insulting my visiting mother?

"Well, it's just a good thing I got home early," my sister said to me last Sunday morning over coffee, "When I got here Mom was in way over her head."

"Oh," I say, looking down at my cup.

Ever since I had my second child, babysitting the two kids alone really is too much for my mother. Neither of us wants to admit this. But here was a witness to our shared denial. I seem to be holding on to this childish notion that my mother will stay as strong and quick as she's always been--despite the march of time.

My mother won't let me publish her age, but let's just say she was a real live "bobby soxer" in her day. She still sells real estate, can tell you the hottest restaurants in her neighborhood, and will gladly give you her take on Edwards' infidelities--but the truth is, putting two children under 5 to bed is simply too much for her now. Heck, most nights it's too much for me! But she would bite my head off if I even suggested hiring a babysitter when she comes to visit because nothing makes my mother happier than having her grandchildren all to herself. The last thing she wants is some energetic girl distracting them from her. Or so I thought until she came out of the guest room that morning.

"They're a handful, these two. Good thing your sister showed up to put the baby to sleep." From the exhausted look on her face, I'm pretty sure this was the beginning of her waving the white flag and saying she needs help.

Dani Klein is the mom of two boys, and the creator/producer of Afterbirth...Stories You Won't Read in Parents Magazine.