1. Kids are super cute and often entertaining.
- I once babysat two girls ages 5 and 3 and a boy who was 2 and all three of the kids were playing house with me. I was affectionately known as "girl" to my 3 year old mom (I think she forgot my real name) and she kept on trying to feed me "spicy lemon" which I told her was hurting my mouth. As it were, mom wasn't interested in pleasing her girl and instead proceeded to attempt to force feed me more spicy lemon. The 2 year old boy noticed my distress and immediately offered me a bowl of "dood soup" which consisted of felt apple slices and bacon. I was thankful. Then the 5 year old told me that she was my grandma and told me that she had no home and was just wandering the streets in a storm. According to 3 and 5 year old girls, storms "make all the lights go off, have lightening, clouds, spooky sounds, bats, bangs, and the wind blows over the beaver's house."
2. I have learned to be both fun and serious.
- Part of being a babysitter is having fun and playing with the kids but also being authoritative and what they would call "mean" sometimes. Especially when it is time to go to bed. This is when kids like to test my patience and I have to try really hard to maintain my "serious" face and voice in order to show the kids that I am no longer joking around. If the "serious" Jess fails, I then leave it to the parents to discipline their kids however they choose to. One girl I babysat for years said to me when she was 6 years old, "Jessica, sometimes you're scary, but I still like you."
3. If the children are well behaved, I pick up some good parenting tips.
- Every child can have his or her "off days" but I am able to tell pretty quickly based on how well the kids listen to me whether or not they have been disciplined well. Usually if I threaten reporting the kids to their parents when they get home, kids that have been well disciplined will submit and those that have not will continue to disobey. One girl, when I asked her, "Do I have to tell daddy that you're not listening when he gets home?" quickly responded "no, no, I'll be good!" and she listened after that. Kudos to that father!
4. I am very practiced in dealing with children.
- Having babysat for a number of families over the years since I was 12, I have gained experience dealing with many different kids. From crying 10 month old babies to "too cool" 10 year olds, and everything in between. It has been both fun and challenging and I have been able to develop some useful strategies in calming down angry kids, tiring out restless ones, and entertaining bored ones too. When I babysat a "too cool" 10 year old boy, he thought he was too old for a babysitter and acted as though I was the worst person ever because I was in charge while his parents were gone. His attitude quickly changed when I suggested we play Mario Kart and I proceeded to annihilate him on every race. Every time I babysat him after that he would show me his new video games and we had fun together.
5. Sometimes parents are surprised by what they come home to.
- Kids often act a lot more disobedient around their parents than they will with me. It may take 2-3 times of babysitting for me to establish my authority but a routine soon takes place and the kids realize that I cannot be pushed around. If a child has a habit of not going to bed, I have them asleep by the time mom and dad come home. Whether it be because I tired them out with a hopping competition or read them a really long story, the kids are usually sleeping. Another thing I like to do for parents is clean up their house for them while they are out. I'll do the dishes and tidy up any toys just to help relieve some parental stress. One family wanted to hire me to clean their house if I was willing but I told them that it was just something I wanted to do if I had time while babysitting and not as an extra side job (I don't think I need extra practice cleaning things in other words).
6. It is an opportunity to serve.
- I never go to babysit expecting payment though most parents have paid me anyways. I don't have a set rate because sometimes people can't afford to pay a babysitter very much and I get that. I am thankful when I get paid but I am more thankful for the opportunity to hang out with kids, get some practice for maybe becoming a parent myself someday, and relieving some stress from parents who need some time away from the kiddos. It's another way that I can show the love of Christ to those around me.
- I once babysat two girls ages 5 and 3 and a boy who was 2 and all three of the kids were playing house with me. I was affectionately known as "girl" to my 3 year old mom (I think she forgot my real name) and she kept on trying to feed me "spicy lemon" which I told her was hurting my mouth. As it were, mom wasn't interested in pleasing her girl and instead proceeded to attempt to force feed me more spicy lemon. The 2 year old boy noticed my distress and immediately offered me a bowl of "dood soup" which consisted of felt apple slices and bacon. I was thankful. Then the 5 year old told me that she was my grandma and told me that she had no home and was just wandering the streets in a storm. According to 3 and 5 year old girls, storms "make all the lights go off, have lightening, clouds, spooky sounds, bats, bangs, and the wind blows over the beaver's house."
2. I have learned to be both fun and serious.
- Part of being a babysitter is having fun and playing with the kids but also being authoritative and what they would call "mean" sometimes. Especially when it is time to go to bed. This is when kids like to test my patience and I have to try really hard to maintain my "serious" face and voice in order to show the kids that I am no longer joking around. If the "serious" Jess fails, I then leave it to the parents to discipline their kids however they choose to. One girl I babysat for years said to me when she was 6 years old, "Jessica, sometimes you're scary, but I still like you."
3. If the children are well behaved, I pick up some good parenting tips.
- Every child can have his or her "off days" but I am able to tell pretty quickly based on how well the kids listen to me whether or not they have been disciplined well. Usually if I threaten reporting the kids to their parents when they get home, kids that have been well disciplined will submit and those that have not will continue to disobey. One girl, when I asked her, "Do I have to tell daddy that you're not listening when he gets home?" quickly responded "no, no, I'll be good!" and she listened after that. Kudos to that father!
4. I am very practiced in dealing with children.
- Having babysat for a number of families over the years since I was 12, I have gained experience dealing with many different kids. From crying 10 month old babies to "too cool" 10 year olds, and everything in between. It has been both fun and challenging and I have been able to develop some useful strategies in calming down angry kids, tiring out restless ones, and entertaining bored ones too. When I babysat a "too cool" 10 year old boy, he thought he was too old for a babysitter and acted as though I was the worst person ever because I was in charge while his parents were gone. His attitude quickly changed when I suggested we play Mario Kart and I proceeded to annihilate him on every race. Every time I babysat him after that he would show me his new video games and we had fun together.
5. Sometimes parents are surprised by what they come home to.
- Kids often act a lot more disobedient around their parents than they will with me. It may take 2-3 times of babysitting for me to establish my authority but a routine soon takes place and the kids realize that I cannot be pushed around. If a child has a habit of not going to bed, I have them asleep by the time mom and dad come home. Whether it be because I tired them out with a hopping competition or read them a really long story, the kids are usually sleeping. Another thing I like to do for parents is clean up their house for them while they are out. I'll do the dishes and tidy up any toys just to help relieve some parental stress. One family wanted to hire me to clean their house if I was willing but I told them that it was just something I wanted to do if I had time while babysitting and not as an extra side job (I don't think I need extra practice cleaning things in other words).
6. It is an opportunity to serve.
- I never go to babysit expecting payment though most parents have paid me anyways. I don't have a set rate because sometimes people can't afford to pay a babysitter very much and I get that. I am thankful when I get paid but I am more thankful for the opportunity to hang out with kids, get some practice for maybe becoming a parent myself someday, and relieving some stress from parents who need some time away from the kiddos. It's another way that I can show the love of Christ to those around me.
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