What the heck ever happened to teenage babysitters?
I was thinking about that this weekend before calling my mom to see if she would babysit (for the millionth time) so that Marty and I could go and see my friends' band. We have been trying to go and see them play for weeks, and it just never seems to work out. This time was no exception, as Colby got sick as a dog on Saturday morning, running a high, stubborn fever.... but i digress...
Back when I was a teenager, locking in the good babysitting jobs was crucial. The competition was fierce. There were tons of girls my age that babysat on the weekends. For me, it was critical. My parents would buy me the necessary clothing, but off of the clearance rack at walmart. If I wanted to dress better than that, I had to buy my own clothes. I babysat every weekend for 2 months to buy a pair of Guess Jeans that I ended up wearing until the whole leg ripped out from dryrot or something when I sat down at lunch one day.
I never found a "perfect" babysitting job. Contrary to what the media presents to us, parents know when their kids are absolute shits. The worse the kid, the better the pay. One couple that I babysat for once a month had two kids that were absolutely impossible. They would lock themselves in the bathroom, kick me when I tried to make them mind, and on occasion even cussed at me. They would barricade themselves on their beds and throw sharp objects at my head when I would plead with them that it was bedtime. The minute their parents walked in the door, they would start sobbing and hugging them. The parents always paid me $75... no matter how long they were gone. It was worth every bruise. You always knew the Golden Rule of babysitting too: When the mom asked, "How were they?" you would smile, wipe your bloody nose and say, "Awwww! They are such sweethearts! We had the best time! They really played hard though, so hopefully they will sleep well for you!"
Then there were the jobs where the kids were perfect angels. They would cuddle with you at bedtime while you read them stories, and sit in your lap quietly while they watched Sesame Street. And their parents knew they were angels and would pay you $20 for 12 hours.
If another sitter tried to horn in on your good job, you might drop a hint the next time you saw the parents that they got caught doing something horrible in school. Or you might recommend them to the Angel parents so that they would be tied up the next time the Devil Spawns needed a sitter.
I babysat from the time I was 14 until I was 8 months pregnant with Elizabeth when I was 25. Obviously I had a "real job" by then, but I would keep the kids I really liked, and not worry about the money.
But somewhere, they all disappeared. I know lots and lots of teenagers, and none of them have ever babysat anyone but their own siblings. I wonder why that is? Part of me thinks it is because they simply don't have to. Because none of the teenagers that I know WANT for anything. They have all the cds, and cell phones, and cool clothes.
It kind of sucks. So I guess I will keep asking my mom, every time. You would think with 4 grandfathers and 3 1/2 grandmothers, we would have plenty of sitters, but that is SO not the case!!
Of course, my kids are Angels. And I would pay really, really well for a good babysitter...
4 comments:
LOL at this entry. I babysat, too as a kid and I have often wondered this same thing. We have neighbors with teenage girls in front of us and on both sides. Never have they asked us about babysitting. If it had been me and I had a neighbor with a little girl, I would have begged to babysit!
Oh, how I would love to go to dinner and a movie and/or go to Barnes & Noble and browse at night.
But we have NO night sitter, so I feel your pain, sister!
I feel your pain. I have tons of family, but since I have 2 @ the same age, no one offers. LOL All they ever say is "I don't know how you do it"
I would love to go out with my husband. Too bad we all didn't live closer I could watch your kids and you could watch mine! LOL
I totally relate. I had 3 families I babysat for on a regular basis. My weekends were always booked. And I started babysitting so I could have Levis and Nike shoes b/c the parents couldn't afford them.
Now, with 3 kids of my own, I rely on my mother, or my ex-husbands, or my social life revolves around the kids schedules with their dads.
But really, would you want today's teens babysitting your kids? They don't seem to be half as responsible as we were at that age. I did dishes, and picked up the kids toys, gave them baths. What teenager these days does those things?
I never had competition babysitting growing up.... All I had to do was be a teenage girl at my brothers' little league games, and I had more babysitting jobs than I could handle.
We had our first 16-year-old babysitter a few months ago, and she was just fine. Of course, Ben was asleep the whole time, so it wasn't that hard.
My favorite babysitting job was in college. A woman with 3 kids hired me for a few hours on Friday afternoons while she went to her prenatal yoga class. I had fun playing with the kids (it was a nice change of pace from studying), and I started out the weekend with some cash in my pocket.
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