Last updated on December 2nd, 2023 at 11:24 pm
If you don’t babysit, your kids will. And this is something all babysitters should see.
Now it’s time for a trip to storyland.
I was but fourteen, and my neighbor, a friend of my mother’s, asked if I could watch her kids once a week when they got out of school. I, like any broke young adult, eagerly said yes. This was not my first time babysitting; I had been babysitting since I was thirteen, after all, and all of the children I looked after adored me. Well, they either adored me or were terrified of my mother, whom I threatened to call if they misbehaved.
But anyway, I was entirely unprepared for what happened when I stepped inside the house. I knew the kids well; my sister was best friends with the oldest girl, my brother played with the youngest boy, and the middle girl was always around. However, on this fateful day, the middle girl took one look at me and ran away.
I spent the entire time looking for this girl with the help (hindrance?) of her little brother. She didn’t answer when I called. The house was small, and yet I couldn’t find her anywhere. I was mid-panic-attack when her mother came home and she burst out of whatever alternate dimension portal she’d crammed herself into and hugged her. The mother thanked me, paid me, and asked if I was available the week after.
Rule Number One
If the kids don’t like you, don’t go back. Just suggest to the parents that it might be a better idea if they found a more suitable sitter whom their kids got along with better.
Rule Number Two
This is a lesson that my childhood babysitter taught me. Always leave the house in better shape than you found it. Pick up the living room, get the kids to bed early as a surprise to the parents, empty the dishwasher, etc. It’s the little things that pile up and make parents go nuts, so lighten their load a little! It’s not like you’re watching their kids for free, anyway, and it’s nice to do while they’re eating lunch or plopped down in front of the TV.
Rule Number Three
Be prepared. It’s common sense, but a lot of first-time babysitters don’t think to bring a bottle of water and some snacks for themselves, which is really important because no matter how many times the parents say, “No, seriously, help yourself!” you’re going to feel awkward until the fourth or fifth time you head over. Also, bring your own little first-aid kit. Even if the parents have shown you where theirs is, you don’t want to have to scramble for something in an unfamiliar place with a kid bleeding and crying when you could just have a little pack in your back pocket. And, of course, keep all parental contact info handy.
Rule Number Four
Know the kids you’re babysitting. Get to know them even before you walk through the door: ask their parents for a list of their allergies and preferred activities, and come with some ideas for games or things you can do with them.
Rule Number Five
Put down your phone. Try not to text and chat with your friends and family as much as possible, because it takes about .2 seconds for kids to get into something they shouldn’t be, and you don’t want them to get hurt just because you were catching up with a friend and had your eyes on your phone instead of your charge.
Rule Number Six
Ask the parents to write down everything important that you should know. Some parents just go, “Oh, you know kids!” and breeze out the door. That leaves you feeling awkward and unsure if you should even feed their kids. “We usually have this!” could mean that yes, they usually do have that, or it could be a way to wheedle something forbidden out of the newbie. Don’t fall for it, and ask the parents ahead of time so you can relax a little.
