It may seem strange to find this on my blog, but I have gathered a lot of information in my brain cell and feel oddly inspired to share a little bit of this wisdom. If you don’t have kids, don’t babysit – you can probably move on. This won’t be to crazy – and certainly wont involve cycling.
Note: We have only had one male babysitter. He was a great guy – but we generally go with girls. As such, I will likely use “Her” more than “Him” in this – and that’s just the way it will be. Besides that … I dropped the “Adult Movies” line on him… he may never be the same! (You will have to ask for that story!)
To the parents:
- Try a few babysitters. Your kids may or may not like one. You may not like another. It’s kind of like underwear, you can change often!
- That being said – if you like a babysitter and your kids like her, you should treat her like a family member. Make sure she has food, snacks and ample access to television when the kids go to sleep. This will make her want to come back.
- Knowing the family is good – but not always important. Our two best babysitters ever: One, I was very close friends with the parents, the other… I met the parents two years later (she came with references).
- if u wnt 2 git a sittr, u nd 2 lrn 2 txt. No kidding. Teens now a days do not talk on the phone. They could have 100 minute plans – with unlimited txting and work out perfectly fine.
- OVER information the girls! They are afraid to ask. Better to cover all your bases. Once you get to know them, they will txt you if they have questions. That’s awesome!
- Ask how much in advance! (More on this later).
To the Babysitters:
- This is the single most important tip I can give you: Be ready to say how much money you want. It’s okay to ask for what you think is fair! If you say $12 an hour I am going to counter offer, but you should know what you want! It makes you seem confident and responsible. It makes me, the person hiring you, respect you!
- Play with the kids. They like you more and you get to come back!
- (In my house) After the kids are asleep – it’s okay to txt, call your friends, watch TV, sleep or do your homework! Relax
- Things in life happen. If you can’t make it – let the parents know ASAP! Babysitters are sometimes, a very hot commodity! We need time to find a fallback!
- If something bad happens (breaks, falls, gets lost, the dog ate it) – just let the parents know! Chances are, the same thing would have happened if we were home!
- Doing the dishes, while not required, gets you on the A-List pretty quickly!
- Kids tell their parents EVERYTHING you did!
- If somebody gives you a ride home and hasn’t paid you yet, don’t get out of the car. Alex taught me that trick, she knew me too well and she always got paid!
We have had good babysitters, we have had bad babysitters. If your daughter only babysat for us once, it doesn’t mean she was bad or we didn’t like her. In all honesty, the only babysitters we have said we will not use again left us stranded without a sitter. We have had good experiences. I believe most, if not all, is a result of carefully picking people and being open and honest. Thanks to all the girls (and the guy) who has cared for our munchkins!