My 17 year old, i.e. babysitter extraordinaire, with my 3 year old
Over my 21 years of parenting 10 children, I've had quite a few babysitters.....some good and some, well, you know. Hopefully none of my beloved babysitters of the past are reading this, but some of these things happened quite a long time ago : )I do have my older children babysit but I don't like to burn them out. I usually give them a choice if they want to make some extra money, unless it's a real short stint that I will be gone, say running to pick a child up from tennis or something. And yes, some of these things my own children have done while I was gone and I had to chastise them when I returned. But all these things have actually happened. So here goes what not to do if you are babysitting and things for us Moms to look out for and maybe even mention in advance to our wonderful sitters: )
1. Don't tell the children stories of what used to scare YOU as a child, especially in the dark right before bed.
2. Don't let any child or a child's friend on the roof.
3. Don't make fires at all!
4. Don't let the pizza guy delivering the pizza into the house, especially past the foyer and for more then 1 minute.
5. Do not let stray animals or wild animals in the house.
6. Don't lock yourself out of the house with all the kids with you and no key to get back in.
7. Don't spend the whole evening on your computer or phone while the house is in complete disarray.
8. No boyfriends over, period. And really no siblings or friends over unless you ask (yes, I have come home with 6 extra people in my house that the babysitter invited.)
9. No air soft guns or any guns used while parents are gone.
10. No leaving all the kids alone while you go borrow an ingredient for cookies from the neighbor.
11. Don't let the baby "cry it out" especially if you haven't called to tell me he or she is screaming.
So, any crazy babysitter stories from you Moms of many out there?
I'll comment on #1 and #2. And I'll add #12: Don't let the younger kids get tools from Dad's tool bench. Usually, our older kids babysat. One afternoon,one of our younger daughters, who was about 7 years old then, decided to lay a quilt on the gravel driveway, and jump onto it from the carport roof. My husband and I drove up, saw the quilt, and nixed the plan just in time. Whew! Another time, we drove up to find our six year old son pounding nails into a 90 year old apple tree. He was just finishing nailing three wooden boards for steps onto the the trunk so he could climb them and reach the branches. We actually left those boards, and all the kids and their friends enjoyed those steps for years. The worst was when we had a young couple from church watch all of our kids, and the young husband thought it would be funny to go outside at night, bang on the locked door, and scare them all. It was very immature, mean, and bizarre. (They left the church soon afterwards...can't imagine why?!)
ReplyDeleteYou know we have had so few babysitters in our life with children. Really how do you pay someone for watching ALL the children?
ReplyDeleteThankfully older children are more than willing to help Mama and Papa out.
I can't think of any horrible experiences just now but had a good laugh over yours :-)
~Cinnamon
We have had a few babysitters over the years. My favorites have been don't break something and tell us a child did it. Don't answer our phone and tell people you don't know where we are when we left notes. Don't call and ask us if it's okay a child jumps on the couch. Those are the highlighted ones that stand out.
ReplyDeleteOurs some what the same but said she is babysitting on her terms not mine. Fired!
DeleteMy kids are so young that we haven't had many non-family babysitters yet. But I used to babysit in middle and high school all the time, and I can't believe some of the things babysitters do! I used to unintentionally "steal" clients from friends, because I guess I just had more common sense than they did.
ReplyDeleteDo your kids cooperate for babysitters? My younger brother (now 21) was a terror for sitters. My parents could never keep one coming back for very long, because he tried so hard to drive them out. One of my funniest memories was when he managed to sneak several grapes into the back pocket of one poor babysitter's jeans, then *sweetly* asked her to read him a story. She sat down with him on her lap, grapes squished, and she ended up with a damp butt.
I would do that too if I was littler! I'm taking baby sitting lessons in a couple months then my mom will see if I can baby sit other little kids.
DeleteWow!!! Well, from a babysitter's perspective I have been locked out with the kids. I was babysitting overnight one time, picked the kids up somewhere and took them back to their house. Their parents turned the cell phone off (the last time they did that, so they say). I arrived at their house and realized I didn't have a key, though I had their just-turned-2-year-old and his not-quite-1-year-old sleeping brother. After trying everything I could, I was able to climb through a window while the 2 year old sat outside crying. It was traumatizing for both of us - the next several months whenever he saw me he would cry and say "no Betsy no Betsy no Betsy!" Thankfully, that was a long time ago, and he is 8 now. I told him the story recently and we had a good laugh together.
ReplyDeleteNow, I know none of this must be about me, cause you know I read this! Haha...
ReplyDeleteI think Christian has used the airsoft gun while I was over...but he can be stubborn and a little too convincing.
fun post Rebecca! Like #11 ;)
well put the gun some where else
Deleteoh and i really want to hear the details on #10...................
ReplyDeletelolol
I hired a sitter to come to my house when my two oldest were 6 mos and 18 mos old and I was working at a bank. My husbands brother was staying with us at the time, but didn't leave our house for work until about 2 hrs after I did in the morning - although I didn't expect him to watch the kids so I had scheduled the sitter to come before I left and told her the situation. On the second day, my b-i-l called to tell me the sitter had just walked out and left the kids!! I asked him if she'd said anything to him before she walked out and he said that my 6 mo old wouldn't stop screaming for her and he walked into the room and she handed her to him (she immediately stopped crying) and she said, "Well!!" and huffed off. He was panicked because he had never been left alone with them before and was going to be late for work so I raced home. I tried to call this woman (who had excellent references, just to say...) for THREE DAYS afterward and couldn't get ahold of her. Immediately following the incident I called and her husband told me she'd gone shopping for the day - I asked him if he knew she had started a new job and this was her third day of work. He didn't know anything about it (he said and strangely, I believed him). It was so... scary. Needless to say, I rarely left any of my kids with anyone from that point on. This happened 24 yrs ago. I was a daycare provider for many years after this and the stories I could tell of the kids I watched (lol)!!
ReplyDeleteI would love to know "the rest of the story" on some of these!
ReplyDeletethe other day i was babysitting four out of control children, at one point the two young boys locked the eldest daughter of the family, the youngest boy of the family, and i for twenty minutes on the back deck while i was reading to the youngest. What should i do if it happens again???
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I would definetly tell the parents about their behavoir, especially locking people out of the house. The parents should discipline for this and you should let them know that you will babysit again if there is not a change in their behaviour. I hope it gets better for you : )
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ReplyDeleteWhen your kid locks you in the bathroom, and tries to make you kiss him to get out. Uhuh hunny. That's not gonna happen.
ReplyDeletei am a babysitter and i have had a baby vomit and i have vomiited whikle baby sitting. NOT A FUN EXPIRENCE AT ALL !!!!!
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ReplyDeleteI was babysitting 2 girls (I was 12 or 13, they were 6 & 8) and we were coming back inside from the backyard when the 8 year old locked both me and her sister out of the house and wouldn't let us in. I thankfully had my phone and told her that I would have to call her mom or dad and then she let us in. after that when their mom came home from work i told her.
ReplyDeleteI was babysitting for my neighbor (her daughter is seven) well I was told not to worry about bed time and to keep her up all night! I was a little shocked but did as I was told. We ended up making home made play dough, goop, slim, plasma, and stuff like that. About seven hours into playing she fell asleep on the floor. It was like 2:00am so I fell asleep to. About 30min later I wake up to her with all the crap we made in her hair on the couch everywhere! Her mom showed up 15min later. I told her what happens and she said it was know big deal! Thank God!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh that is cray! Lol
Deletei was babysitting one time when I was like 14. the little boy who was probably 6 chased his older sister around the house with a carving knife.he also threatened me too.I had to call my mom to come help me out.
ReplyDeleteWe had a sitter once who would fall asleep on the couch, sometimes she would lay on the couch and talk on the phone all night.
When we were little, I was 7, my sister was 5 and my brother 3 my brother got a scratch on his middle finger and held it up to show the babysitter and she spanked him for "flipping her off" she never watched us again.
Jessie, how late are you out for the sitter to fall asleep on the couch? I babysit, and am a full time student, and have a full time waitressing job. When a family has me sit until 1 or 2 in the morning, I fall asleep on their couch at like 10 or so after the kids were long asleep. Thats ridiculous to expect them to stay up and just watch tv or whatever. Especially if this is still a student in school and ESPECIALLY if its on a week night.
DeleteI have to disagree here. It is never okay for a babysitter to fall asleep while they're working. Know your limits, and know if you can handle the job. What if someone got in to the house while you were asleep? How would you feel? If the family is going to be home too late for you to be able to stay awake the whole time, tell them you can't take the job. The Safety of the kids is the most important thing when it comes to babysitting.
DeleteI've fallen asleep babysitting before. Anonymous, if your kids go to bed at 7, and you fall asleep at 10, and someone breaks in at 1AM, is that really going to make you feel any different? Your house is still getting broken in to. I doubt you stay up all night to make sure your house is safe. Honestly, someone on the couch is probably safer than someone in bed. Generally I ask the people I'm babysitting for if they mind me falling asleep on the couch once everything is settled down, but I've never once had someone tell me no, as long as everything is locked up.
DeleteI agree with Sasha as long as you are on the couch you should be fine because natually you don't sleep as well on the couch as in bed so you would most likely wake up.
DeleteYou can't sleep when you're baby sitting? You're nuts, Anon. If I ask a sitter to watch my kid while I'm out until 10 or later, LET them sleep. I don't stay up all night when I'm caring for my boys, and I wouldn't expect that from a sitter.
DeleteI agree that you shouldnt fall asleep if the kids still need you but if you are babysitting really late how are you supposed to stay awake? I'm a light sleeper and when I fall asleep it is when the kids are asleep and I set alarms to wake up every 30 minutes or whatever and have the child monitor (if there is one) turned all the way up.
DeleteI'm babysitting two boys, one of them is 12 the other 8, and their father is actually a bouncer at a club, so I actually have to go to sleep because he doesn't get back until at least 3 in the morning. He also lives in the next town over so my parents as well as my client all want me to stay over and sleep for my own safety. As long as the kids are asleep first, and you are working really late I think that it is perfectly acceptable to fall asleep, just make sure that you set precautions just in case something happens.
DeleteI'll always remember the time when I was little and my mom hired a babysitter for my brother and I and we turned the entire formal dining room into a gymnastics mat. Needless to say, when my mother walked in the house, three hours past my bedtime, to find broken picture frames and my babysitter and I doing gymnastics in her house she was not pleased. I never saw that babysitter again but man she was a blast!
ReplyDeleteCrying it out is actually not bad �� if rocking them and feeding them etc does not work, basically thats your only choice.
ReplyDeleteAgreed sometimes the child has to learn by him/herself
DeleteBut not if the parents tell you specific specifically not to let them cry it out...
Deleteno way. never let a kid cry it out unless the parent has specifically said to. I would rather hold a baby all night long and let the mom get mad at me.
DeleteI had a child that did this, with three other children to watch... I couldnt hild him the whole time, and take care of thr other children... Mom admitted to hold child all the time .... I just couldnt do that, and told the Mom she would have to find another sitter... I told her i just felt i couldnt meet thr needs of her child, while watching the other three children...
DeleteDon't leave the kids at a library alone with a 11 year old as the person who watches a three year old ,a 10 year old, and a six year old to go to a job interview......
ReplyDeleteIf the child has a safety gate on the door to their bedroom, never let them schmooze you into leaving it open/unlocked. I may or may not have been the child that inspired this comment..... and that babysitter may not have ever had a job at our house again.
ReplyDeleteNever leave a babysitter at home with 4 little kids and 2 crying babies... It may lead to them crying after trying to call the parents 10 times and finally calling their mum to come help them... Also, leave your phone on please.
ReplyDeleteI loved your post! I have been babysitting for three years and have had experience with three month olds up to 11 year olds. Although, one family in particular has kept me wondering. They have three children, lets call them A, M, and J. M is the youngest, next is A, then comes the only boy, J. They are constantly out of control all day long, ( I babysit 8-2 on Mondays and Wednesdays for them). A had locked herself in the first floor bathroom and smashed through the window screen ands jumped out, just to be funny. They bike in the street and when they are told not too, they look you dead in the eye and laugh. If everything is not always exactly fair ex. J gets another story because he doesn't feel well, A and M will have a break down which consists of screaming, biting, yelling, hitting and destroying everything in their paths. All of their babysitters are aware of their "episodes" as we all call them. No one can stop them from doing these things and while there parents do seem to discipline, it is never constructive. Either a spanking or a yelling at session. The kids sneak and steal things out of the babysitters bags and out of their parents cabinets. They lie to the babysitters and I never know when they are telling the truth anymore. They have literally driven away babysitters by these tactics and its caused many of us much stress. I, personally babysit for 35 other kids and am able to plan learning activities and crafts to have a fun day, but these kids take it too far. If I teach them a cool gymnastics trick outside on the lawn, A and M scream at each other over who is "better". Just the other day, M was told not to play with A's new earrings countless times and picked them up anyway. She then proceeded to drop them and break them. She turned to A and I and told us she didn't do it. She then threw a tantrum. We decided we would have a bakesale at the corner to help raise money for new earrings for A. When a generous neighbor approached us he gave us a dollar for a 25 cent order. When he handed us a dollar, M said "Give me another dollar, I want another dollar". I of course was embarrassed and calmly explained to her that that was rude and she had another "episode". These kids fight over everything. Did I mention the youngest, M, is almost 7? The oldest is almost 11, and he still has tantrums over everything. They do not know when to hear no. Say I let them have a marshmallow after dinner if their parents agree it okay. With their marshmallows I teach them a cool trick I did when I was youngest where you can make taffy out of it. They will then, eat their taffy and M will take 5 marshmallows out of the bag, I say no, but she eats them anyways, A takes 6 just to make M mad. J will take 7 to make A mad. Then they'll get carried away and start throwing the marshmallows and sticking them to things and running around the house. they will not stop, no matter what you tell them. Ive tried everything. This always ends in more tantrums. The parents know these things happen and I never see a change. I'm only 13.What am I supposed to do? How can I control these kids?
ReplyDeleteWell being that you are only 13(so am I) if I were in your shoes I would explain the situation to the parents and if the kids continue to act up I would quit.
DeleteI'm 17 and the babysitter of a 6 year old boy and 12 year old girl. I've ran into situations similar where they attempt to push each others buttons and end up pushing yours the most. The only way I can see you resolving this is having the older write sentences (example: every time you try to be better than your siblings you are telling them "I don't love you" write "I love my siblings and will get along with them" 25 times) and (sad to say) set one in their room (on the bed or floor) and tell them no fun or ANYTHING they enjoy (for me it's the pool or CPU) until they be good and not fight. And tell the youngest that they can show up they're siblings by behaving. Little kids love having a model to follow or a goal to accomplish, so they are easy to calm down through giving them the "You'll be showing them how to be cool and awesome." Routine. And if all else fails have another heart to heart with the parent. Chances are they have their own punishment system you don't follow so that's why your being pushed around.
DeletePS You could pull the old babysitter bribery trick. Example, "Get along ALL of today and I will show you how to make taffy out of marshmallows" and if they begin to act up remind them by saying something like "I guess you don't really want to learn that, huh?" Just don't contradict parents rules. Rules are there to be followed, not broken.
DeleteIf I were you I would say that unless their kids learn a bit of respect and self control that you will have no other choice but to quit. Having someone who is 13(your older then me btw) looking after such out of control kids is ridiculous.
DeleteOnce when I had babysitters, I'd be doing my own thing in my room and they'd talk on their phones, make their selves microwave mac 'n cheese (don't even talk to me), and then when my parents came home they'd say "Oh she was great, she cleaned up, she played, she did this, she did that, blah blah blah blah blah. But I have my first babysitting job in a few days. I'm 14 and have taken the babysitting course at Red Cross but I'm still worried. I need to get them to do their chores done, clean up, and do schoolwork no fuss. The kids are a six year old girl (super hyper, likes to run around and play role play), and her four year old brother who likes staying inside, playing with my dog and watching Disney Junior. Any ideas of games or things we can do staying inside (parents wont let me go outside with them for certain reasons) Any ideas? Anyone?
ReplyDeleteI would tell them that when they get their chores done y'all can play some games. Twister is a good one that would get some energy out or hide and seek. My children love when the babysitters play game with them, like UNO or Candyland, Go Fish, etc. Then after about an hour of games, let the little boy watch TV and you could play dress-up and dance around with the little girl. Have a schedule for them, that always helps : )
DeleteSorry would be a good game. ABC games (make matching cards that involve lower case and capital letters and/or sounds for the ABC's as a craft with the kids) parents love anything the kids find fun but that is also educational.
DeleteKids are like dogs -- better behaved when tired. If they can't go outside, have dance contests or Simon Says games that will get the heart rate up.
DeleteI'm putting this on Yahoo answers too!
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ReplyDeleteI am a 12 year old girl who babysits. I want to know from the person on the other side how you gals find your babysitters. I haven't gotten a new job in a month because the person I babysat moved to the USA.
ReplyDeleteMake signs advertising for a babysitter with tear-off strips with a number to call. Put them around local shops and you should get a job.
DeleteOnline, friends of the family, word of mouth, etc. I've received multiple babysitting requests because I've been recommended by my employers. Get yourself a good start and then you'll have a lot of opportunities. (Also, flyers and self-aggrandizement help a little ;-) )
ReplyDeleteI recently have been told that the children I babysit are to not have any friends over to play while I'm babysitting (6:30-5:30). I babysit 5 days a week, every week. I understand that parents wishes come first, but is there any possible way of making them reconsider? At this rate I'm afraid the kids will not get any friend time, because in weekend they go to their dad's or spend quality time with their mom.
ReplyDeleteI have been babysitting since i was 12 years old (now 25, mother of 2 and owner and operator of a babysitting business in Atlanta). My one and only rule, is to treat the children like your own. That means you discipline when necessary, love on them ALWAYS, keep your cell phone on, and let the parent's know everything you did and said. I don't take kindly to parent's that are extra difficult. As a mom of 2 little boys myself (6 and 4),I understand that parent's have certain ways of doing things, but there is a such thing as too much. I have had plenty of client's who I have chose not to return as their sitter, strictly based off how the parent's behave. I've had some mom's not want me to feed kids (but they will be gone for hours), or treat me like I'm stupid and have never cared for a child a day in my life. As a parent you need to remember, you are leaving your child in the care of someone else. Being mean, rude, or annoying is in reality only going to piss off your babysitter.
ReplyDeleteAs for the babysitter:
1.) don't fall asleep unless all children are asleep, and you have gone through and done a walk through. (parent's, don't except to be gone late into the night, and your sitter is not going to doze off.)
2.) Always arrive at least 10-15 minutes ahead of your sitting session each time you babysit. Anything could be going on, so the earlier you arrive, the better(parent's need to have all important information ready and available where sitters can see)
3.) Interact with the children. No, you don't need to be in their face the whole time you're sitting, but you should definitely be doing activities if possible. (parent's if you're going to be gone for hours, your children need something else to do besides playing in the house. Have other options available to help the sitter out).
4.) Parent's: don't assume your little ones are perfect angels and never do anything wrong (get a grip). If you come home and see your kid jumping on the couch, don't automatically assume the babysitter wasn't watching them. It's as simple as your child could have just been hard-headed in that moment.
Babysitter and Parent's alike: it will take some trial and error, but make sure the sitter is the right fit for the family. Ask questions of each other, and work as a team!!!
Tomorrow I am going to be taking on my first real babysitting job. I am 13 and have completed a Red Cross course, but have never really done any babysitting (like just me and the kid alone). I have agreed to watch 4 kids for a family friend. I (kinda) know three of them, but have never met the fourth. One is a(somewhat needy and clingy) 3 year old boy, a 5 year old girl, a 6 year old boy, and a 8 year old girl. I am trying to figure out what I can do that will keep all of them happily intertained for the 4 hour period I have been asked to watch them. What should I bring? What should I do with them? I NEED HELP ASAP!!
ReplyDeleteWell I know it's too late, but here's my advice. I babysit a family with an 10 year old, 9 yr old, 8 yr old, and 5 yr old (or somethig like that). Their very fave game is a mystery spy game we play. There's a pretend villain 'Lary McFlarrie' or whatever, and eah time we thwart his new plans to steal valuable items or drink from the fountain of youth, etc. Bring in new characters like giant killer robots or evil twin bros. We also have code names for everyone and make fake guns out of Legos. Just add all sorts of fun details and crazy schemes. Every kid lives this and we play it every time.
DeleteYou could also color. I always bring my box of 96 crayons. Crayola.com has unlimited coloring pages, and you can search for dinosaurs, princesses, other animals, etc.
I am babysitting a 3 year old girl Wednesday. Any ideas on what we could do?
ReplyDeleteI am a 12 year old babysitter. we have a lot fun together. but she has so much energy i have no idea what to do it with reply to help me!!!!
ReplyDeletehow old is the child? how long do you babysit for her? I am 13 years old and regularly babysit a 2 year old girl and her 4 year old sister from 4:30 pm until 9:30 pm. their parents do not have any chores for them, so unless your child you babysit is old enough to do chores or if she has any chores, tell her she must do them before you can have any fun. i have no idea how old the girl you babysit for is, so I honestly can't really answer your question. But, the children I babysit for love to play house and pretend zoo. they take their stuffed animals and put them around the house and make signs for them and love walking around the house looking at them. when I work for them during the school year, the 4-soon to be 5 year old would love talking about her pre-school days. I would have to bring my homework over and work on it WHEN THEY ARE ASLEEP. Can you go outside? simple games like red light green light or tag are fun for little kids.
DeleteIm a semi new baby sitter i‘ve babysat some kids here and their although i regularly babysit for my neibors and the youngest (she is 7) she throws tantrums if she dosnt get what she wants. (I can usually here these from my house when not on the job, but if one is sorta showing is it wrong to give choices but the one you like most its ok to sound bias right? And second what kind of arts and crafts ideas are best? You think?
ReplyDeleteI have been babysitting for about 4 years now, and have only had few bad experiences. One for which I have a question. I was sitting a 3 & a 5 yr. old and they were playing with play-doh. They had been cutting it up into tiny pieces and a lot got on the floor. So, when I put them down for their nap, I swept it up along with the rest of the room since it seemed odd for me to leave the rest unswept. Anyways, when their mom came home she seemed very disturbed when she noticed that I had swept her floor. She asked me if I had and I replied "yes" and explained that the kids had gotten play-doh on the floor, so I was just cleaning up after them (normal for a babysitter to clean up after the kids, right?). She was shocked and asked me not to do that again and never asked me to sit for her again. I have never swept or noticeably cleaned anything while sitting since then. I am wondering, was it normal for her to be upset that I cleaned?
ReplyDeleteNo, that is not normal! I love it when babysitters sweep or load the dishwasher and most of my mom friends agree with me. I even had a few sitters fold a load of clothes since the kids were in bed instead of watching TV or going on the computer. That was the best! : )
DeleteVery nice blog and wonderful shared to baby sitters
ReplyDeletebaby sitters
I am 15 and I have babysat for a few kids over the years, but recently I have started to watch my mother's one year old god-daughter a lot. She is the sweetest, and I love her to bits, but I have a lot of trouble putting her down to sleep. She always starts to cry as soon as I put her down and has a meltdown if she isn't attached to me. Apparently she never does this with her parents, only with me and I'm not quite sure how to go about it. I have tried staying in the same room with her until she falls asleep and rocking her, soothing etc but nothing puts her to sleep. Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteThe same thing goes for an adorable little boy I babysit. The best thing to do is to let her fall asleep in your arms and put her into her crib when she is asleep. if she wakes up, read a short book to her over and over (a repetitive pattern is calming) and and sit beside the crib, not in a chair or across the room.
DeleteTry watching quiet cartoons with her until she falls asleep on her own. If that doesn't work, play some soothing music and stay with her till she falls asleep. The last resort is a glass of water, milk, juice, etc. Maybe even a tiny snack (carbohydrates make you sleepy) would fill her up and make her tired.
ReplyDeleteHope this helped. :)
I am babysitting for the first time (just me and the kids) in a week. They are a 4 year old girl who is quiet, and normally well behaved and a 6 year old boy who is very hyper. I was just looking for some tips on how to handle them. Thanks
ReplyDeleteI babysit a 9 year old but she doesn't like the usual stuff that girls like. (neither do I) I don't know what to do sometimes she usually has ideas but we go over them fast any new ideas?? (I'm 12)
ReplyDeleteSpeaking from the sitter point of view. Don't have a pool membership and then get angry at the sitter for not taking the kids when its 5 blocks away walking and it stormed for 2 weeks straight. I was reprimanded for making the decision to stay inside and at home with the kids when there were thunderstorms. Because they didn't want to spend the money and have it not be used. 3 dollars an hour was not worth it for those spoiled girls. I was also reprimanded for playing video games with them and unlocking achievements after being told to have free reign of the house and "be a friend"
ReplyDeleteEspecially when they only gave me half what I was promised and didn't pay me my last check.
DeleteAre you serious!? Guess the parents wouldn't mind their children getting struck by lightening then. Some parents are just ridiculous. One time a dad screamed at me because his baby was crying when he got home and I "let her cry" I wasn't trying to make her cry, if I could've stopped her from crying I would have (I rocked her for and hour, fed her, sang to her, everything) because the piercing screams of a 6 month old baby is far from pleasant! Also, $3 an hour is very littler money. Was this recent? I get paid $10 an hour for 2 boys and I thought that was low, seeing as that's what I got paid when I was 12 and I'm 19 now! Oh the joys of babysitting...good luck to you! :)
DeleteBabysitter's husband and other grown men in the house walk around in front of children with no shirt on......
ReplyDeleteI was babysitting for my first time, I knew it could be interesting because they lived on a farm with tons of animals that liked to escape, but it turns out that was not what I needed to be worried about. When I got to the house there were two extra girls and the parents said "Yeah well would you like three kids to watch instead of one, they're right here" I had to answer yes, the kids were right there and I kinda knew the kids from school (I was in grade 6). It wasn't as bad as I expected because they were friends and played with each other, but the youngest (4 years old) was afraid of dogs and there were 2 dogs. Whenever we wen't outside the dogs went in, and whenever we went inside the dogs went out. It wasn't so bad until the parents came home and decided we were fine to stay playing longer so they went to the other parents house for a drink. The thing was, they brought another dog with them. This dog misbehaved and clawed at the dog door to get inside. The little boy whom I was originally going to babysit proclaimed that the dog was going to break his dog door and before I could get a word in he ran to the door and unlocked the dog door. Three dogs ran in, the little girl jumped on the top of the couch and started crying, and the parents decided to come home at that exact moment. It was just a bit embarrassing for my first job. I guess they didn't blame me because I'm heading back there tonight (hopefully to babysit 1 boy).
ReplyDeleteOne time i had a sitter for my two children (then 6 and 8) and she made a fire outside in a good baking tray and roasted marshmallows! i specifically placed the matches in my bathroom medicine cabinet so that an incident like this wouldn't occur. All this did was lead her to leave my kids alone whilst she popped down the store and bought matches! She ended up wrecking my good baking tray, leaving the spot where the tray had been heated for my youngest to walk over and burn her foot and then left my children alone yet again to go and get burn creme that i had in the first aid kit on the counter! needless to say she was not hired again!!
ReplyDeleteYou have one of the most beautiful families I have ever seen. The love is evident just from these few pictures. God bless you guys. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteNever ever EVER go into the parents room, and don't even think about reading to them under the covers in the parents bed.
ReplyDeletedo not leave the kids inside while you go do cartwheels out front with boyfriend and friends.
As a child I had a babysitter who would bring her boyfriend over without asking, and ignore me while she watched TV! When my mother found out she never came again, but her sister came and was the best sitter i ever had! Never ever ignore the children! it's not fun, safe, or smart if you wish to come back!
ReplyDeleteYour blog is wonderful, God Bless.
I've never really had a problem while babysitting but recently I was babysitting a 3,5, and 7 year old and I'm 16 well I had cooked and fed them gotten them all bathed and dressed and it was nearing bed time and I do this thing.called wind down time it when we turn of all the lights lay on the floor in the living room and one by one they all tell one thing that makes them the happiest and at the end when we fall silent we just lie there and after 16 min I turn on a dim light and put them in to there beds but the 5 year old wasn't having it she wanted to watch" what the what weekend "on Disney so when I said no we can't it's about to be wind down time she decided to scream and cry and run to her room and lock the door so (all the girls sleep in the same room they have huge bunk beds ) I was left with no place to put the children to sleep the youngest is scared to sleep in her crib and the 7 year old is getting cranky and she won't open the door so i threaten to call their brother ...my boyfriend at the time (they call him brobro) and that normally scares them but not tonight she stopped answering me so I called and he of course came he was pissed he starts off with what the hell is wrong with you why are you disrespecting Sara and in that moment he was the sexiest man alive and she apologized to me and all her sisters and he went to take a shower I put them to bed and when he came out we did our thing. .....anyways it was a night from hell but it was one no big deal
ReplyDeleteWhat is the average going rate per hour for a babysitter these days? I have been asked to babysit 3 kids (4 year old girl and 3 year old twins) for 10 hours on Saturdays. I'm 22 years old, I am CPR and First Aid certified, I have worked 1 year (part-time) at a day care center and I have a bachelors in Psychology (starting my Masters in Speech Language Pathology in September). How much would be a reasonable rate? Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteI am a 12-year-old and will be babysitting a 2-year-old and 5-year-old tomorrow. I have never really babysat before, unless you would count watching your then 3-year-old cousin for not even a few hours as babysiting. Or watching your then 8-year-old cousin and now 10-year-old cousin for a few hours.
ReplyDeleteIm am 15 years old. I babysit my 2 (almost 3) year old sister and a family friends 9 year old, an my 10 year old brother ( who takes care of himself). The 9 year old, she is so sweet but she can be stubborn , smart mouthed and rude to the baby. What can i do to change her behavior without being "the evil babysitter" ?!? HELP ME PLEASE!!! :( :( :(
ReplyDeleteIt'd be nice to have an article on babysitting and handling rude kids.
ReplyDeleteMy mom is babysitting a nightmare, an 11 year old. Extremely rude, doesn't listen, will intentionally do things that she is told not to do (liking rubbing spit on my mother, or picking her ears and wiping it on my mom, she has ripped the lining inside our car, pushing my little brother when she thinks no one is looking and lying about it, stealing his snacks that he eats, and today another girl at the park told my mother that the girl my mom babysits gave my mother the finger when she was turned around when she told her that its time to leave the park and head home. I find it unbelievable, my mom is nothing but sweet to her (she used to give her snacks all the time with no charge -- as its not excluded in her plan, used to get her icecream or fries whenever they went out, gave her some of her unused older shoes that may fit her, let her use our laptop, play with my bros video games etc).
I've complained to that girls' mother numerous times, especially today about the incident with her daughter giving the finger, and her mom is like how her daughter can never do that because she knows its disrespectful and that the other girl is probably lying. I've told my mom already to stop babysitting her as soon as the agreed time is up, tell her mom that she will hold her mother liable for any more damages to anything, and stop being nice to her like giving her snacks without charging her mother that is not part of the agreed babysitting terms, to not allow her to play with my brothers video games (as shes ruined the CD), etc.
All I know is that she is diagnosed with ADHD, as her mother keeps saying. But having ADHD is no excuse for mistreating my little brother and pushing him around or being rude to my mother.
I would appreciate some insight and tips from other people.
Hi! It's crazy for me to think that some babysitters have invited people over... I'm a nanny myself of six families. All wonderful kids, but I'm currently babysitting an 11 year old, and she won't put her phone down. I've brought ideas of things to do. I have told lets go for a hike, lets go on a bike, lets color, pool, bake, etc... and she just won't let her phone, any advice?
ReplyDeleteI am 12 and I spend the night at their house and the parents leave early in the morning I babysit a 2 year old boy and a 5 year old girl with there 3 dogs that are terrified of the kids the boy is still in diapers and won't leave the dogs alone and the girl won't listen so I say I'll tell your parents and she say no! But still won't do it they have no manners what so ever they Both throw fits over every thing also the boy doesn't get that he is a boy and not a girl and the girl paint his nails I'm like no and she wants to walk around in her underwear like him I'm like no and they will both do something and she will blame it on him cause he can't defend him self and she won't leave me alone she is always in my bis
ReplyDeleteWho can you trust with so many kids? Who is willing to babysit so many kids? Not even my mom or mother in law babysit all of my 4 kids at once! I cannot imagine a vacation alone with my husband. And we haven't had a date night in ages. Desperate!
ReplyDeleteA)I babysit a little 1 year and 3 month old little girl, since she was three months old, one thing I realized pretty quickly was sometimes she has to cry it out. Constantly holding and fawning over a child is going to make them believe that anytime they want something all they have to do is cry.
ReplyDeleteB)I am a little shocked about the pizza guy restriction, like really people are so hyper protective of everything. I'm American but work in Europe and it's incredible how much more relaxed parents are with their children. I've noticed this raises less rebellious children because parents aren't so strict with them or over protective.
C)In regards to her one statement on the house being in disarray, a good babysitter should clean up any mess that they make with the children but in no way is it the babysitters responsibility to clean the house if it was messy before they got there. If you want someone to clean hire a maid not a babysitter.
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