Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Article #107-Babysitters

New moms are reluctant to release the care of their precious newborn to anyone else, especially to a teenage babysitter with no prior mothering experience. But there does come the time when the need to get out of the home and do something without this demanding dependent creature in your arms becomes too great. If there is a grandparent nearby, that can solve the problem, but most of us don’t live near our parents nowadays. So the hunt for the babysitter begins. Asking other local parents for suggestions helps. Then you have to make the arrangements to hire someone ahead of time. No spontaneous last minute dates.

Once a suitable sitter has been found and an hourly wage agreed upon, your worries aren’t over. You have to pick up this person, hope your child likes them and that you can be confident leaving your most precious possession in their care. Worrying and calling home to check on the situation while gone certainly limits your enjoyment while out to enjoy yourself. As more children come along, it becomes more of a challenge to find a sitter who with their limited years and lack of parental experience can handle disciplining more than one child at a time. It’s difficult enough for you to do that.

I remember my teenage years as a new babysitter earning 25 cents an hour. I knew nothing about babies or children, but I had no problem lining up jobs to watch children. Entertaining them by playing games was okay, but trying to get them into bed wasn’t easy. I felt so grownup then earning the few dollars I was paid for sitting for an evening. But now, I was the one trying to find an available sitter with or without qualifications.

Many times I ended up staying home and not attending some special activity because of babysitter problems. There is no way you can take three lively boys to an evening at the theatre or out to dinner, although we tried unsuccessfully several times. It is challenging being a parent and perhaps that’s why some young couples today choose not to have children and instead to enjoy their personal freedom. I have to grimace when I recall nowadays some of my last minute desperate attempts to find someone-anyone willing to come and watch my little brood of boys, so I could relax and have a life outside the home. (Photos of my first three sons: oldest-Frank, next-Daniel and youngest then-Brook, another son came later-Jeff.)

5 comments:

  1. I very rarely left my firstborn with anyone but a relative, by the time the second one came along it was harder to get the relatives to babysit as they were growing up! My 18 year old daughter has several babysitting jobs even though she is in college and works! She took a First Aid course many years ago and that is a big plus for parents. Also she can driver herself to and fro her jobs which is another plus for parents. Maybe that would be a good job for me...

    ReplyDelete
  2. It can be a dilemma. You are really putting your most important and valued cherubs in someone else's decision making care. can be scary. But if you are confident in your choice, then it is so great to go out and be with adults for a bit. I guess the moral of the story is...choose well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lin,
    This was great. You know, I read this and remembered the chances I took as a babysitter that I wouldn't take with my own child. The arrogance of youth! Guilty. When my turn came to need a babysitter, I found people who helped my daughter grow past me a bit. That is so important. A blessing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the photos..I think I earned a dollar an hour, but also had my younger sister and baby brother to watch......

    ReplyDelete
  5. My kids hated having a sitter so when we got Edo, Dina's (of Jerusalem Hills Daily Photo) son to watch the kids, it was fabulous. They loved him. It made all the difference.

    ReplyDelete