Families depend a lot on babysitters. This is because they are helping to raise our children into young adults. We want the best for our children and they expect the best from us. We need to know and understand what is going on when we are not around. Who better to ask then our children?

If your children are anything like mine, they could tell you things from the time they were three years old. People think that children that age don’t comprehend what is going on. The truth is they know more than we ever thought was possible. Because of this, I learned to ask my children questions a long time ago and take into consideration what they had to say. This is especially true when it came to babysitters.

I do this because why would I want to keep a babysitter around that my children do not get along with. I want my children to be happy in all situations. If your children are unhappy with there surroundings, they will find ways to let you know. They could act out and not listen to you or they could start throwing tantrums when they never have before.

I myself have learned this from experience. When my girls were three and four years old, I had a young babysitter. She had younger siblings of her own whom she had watched all the time. According to other people, she was a very responsible girl. So, against my better judgment, I agreed to let her watch my children on the weekends. After a few weeks I started to notice changes in my girls. Needless to say they weren’t good changes. It was harder to get them to bed and put there toys away. I just thought it was a stage they were going through.

Then one night at dinner, the girls started telling us they **** their babysitter. What? They are too little to **** anyone. From listening to my girls I found out that the babysitter would make them play in their rooms all night by themselves. She would have no interaction with them what so ever. Pretty much they would play until they feel asleep then she would go up and put them in their beds.

Another experience we had was when we used a co-workers friend as a babysitter. One time when my girls were over there, the two younger girls came home with a bruise. At first you think it is from playing. Having a talk with the girls I learned that one was pushed into the doorknob of a kitchen door and the other was dropped. Be this by accident or not, the babysitter refused to talk to me about what truly happened. Needless to say, my girls no longer see this babysitter.

Not all of the things you learn are bad. We have found a wonderful part time babysitter that my girls adore. She plays with them and is interested in what they have to say. My girls tell me that she doesn’t sit and watch TV the whole time. She draws with them and they make cookies and treats together. Whenever I mention this babysitter’s name, the girls are ecstatic. They are always excited to have her around.

So what is the point to my examples? Talk and listen to your children. They are the ones that are around the babysitter the most. Remember not to jump to conclusions. After talking to your children, if there is something wrong, be respectful and get the babysitters side of the story. There are those occasional times when the children get mad because they didn’t get their way. Always listen and use your best judgment to find the perfect babysitter for your children. Also remember to let your babysitter know when they are doing a great job. Everyone needs that little boost of confidence once in a while.



By: Michelle Buee

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