...of babysitters. So, I have struggled with this from the first time I paid to have my children looked after. Maybe the solution is as simple as refurbishing the word "baby-sitting" to include "house-sitting?"
Let me give you some background. When I was 12 years old I started babysitting. I really liked doing it and found so much pride in making sure that not only were the kids well taken care of, but that the house was in better shape than when the parents left. If there were dishes - I would do them (even if I didn't dirty them.) If there were toys strewn around - I would pick them up. I liked having the house neat and tidy when the parents came back!
Fast forward 20+ years...Today my brother and I were discussing his most recent babysitter. He tells me that from now on he will have 2 pay-scales for his future babysitters. The first tier will be paid based on the kids still being alive, without serious injury (the basics.) The second tier will be paid at a higher rate if the kids are still alive, without serious injury and the house is in as good a shape or better, when they get home as it was when they left (extra $.)
I told him to forward me the "memo" he plans on leaving with future babysitters - I just might use it!
Monday, November 17, 2008
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4 comments:
I want the memo also, I think its this generation because when I babysat 8-10 years ago I always picked up the house. I still do it when I watch my friends kids at their house! Kids these days, what are they being taught?
Forward that memo to me! We had had a whole spectrum of sitters. Kimy form your neighborhood was the best. She would do dishes and pick up and write down what they did and when they went to bed! No one has measured up since, she ruined it for all future baby sitters! It is hard to find a good one...you are not alone!
You and I are SO much alike. When I was a babysitter, you fed the children, bathed them, cleaned the house, and did all dirty dishes by the time the parents came home. Now, I'm lucky if it only takes me 2 hours to clean up after I get home. I guess we have the "best" toys, because they end up all over my house.
I guess that is why I hardly ever get babysitters. It is easier to take my children with me!
Love, Chantel
Deja Vu! I think this everytime I come home after leaving the kids with a sitter. I remember cleaning wasn't something I thought of as extra, I assumed it was kind of expected when I babysat. I hope I make sure to pass that on to my kids, so when they are old enough to babysit, they do it right.
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