There has to be a better name for babysitter, because babies don’t like that
The fastest way a woman can age herself is to share what she made per hour as a teenaged babysitter.
$2.
What a bargain!
For a mere $2 an hour, neighborhood parents secured the health and safety of their children for a childless Friday night on the town. The $6 to $8 they shelled out bought many things: Popcorn scraps ground in to TV room carpeting. An educational viewing of The Dukes of Hazard. Children in bed 20 minutes later than specified, but nevertheless in bed upon their return home. Everyone alive.
I was usually asked back, which was gratifying for young teenaged-me. The few times I was never called again to babysit I blamed on things like failing to wash the dinner dishes of the family, even though I hadn’t eaten with them. I was there to babysit, not meatloafpansoakandscrub.
I babysat the children of several families for years, growing very fond of my little charges. I fed bottles to the babies and changed their diapers. I played Candyland with them as they grew into preschoolers.
And then, abruptly, I decided I didn’t want to babysit any more. I was too old. It was getting boring having to play Wall Street Barbie or Thermonuclear War (“I get to be Ronald Reagan!”). I turned down many moms when they called, with insufficient sympathy and zero empathy. I offered my sister, who is 3 years younger, as a good substitute.
“Hold on!” I’d tell the mom, putting the phone down to fetch her from the backyard where she was probably cooking herself on a beach towel. Baton, consider yourself passed.
I moved on.
I could make $2.25 at the local amusement park or maybe even $3 an hour at the mall. More glamor. The boys could drive actual cars, not just ones with Hot Wheels stamped on the bottoms.
My daughter has reached the age when she can take the Red Cross’s babysitting course. She is excited by the prospect of earning money while playing with kids for a few hours. I think she’ll make an excellent babysitter. Times have changed so much, however. The world seems more dangerous and it’s harder to trust others—for the parents who hire her and for me. I won’t let her watch the kids of just anyone.
But, I feel she understands the responsibilities and challenges. Most importantly, she knows babysitting isn’t something she literally must do.
These days? You can’t guarantee everyone will get that part.
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And she can charge $10 an hour. That seems to be the going rate, esp for multiple children.
My stepson is also of age to take that course, and we’re just going to let him watch my 8 yo daughter on occasion, like when I go to the gym. I’d rather pay him $10 than pay the gym $10. He’s not mature enough to watch other people’s kids yet, but maybe in a year.
I had to laugh at your transition of being too cool to babysit. I went through the exact same thing. I was always a sub-par babysitter at best. I was just in it for the food and TV. :-)
Hilarious, Gretchen! I never caught the baby-sitting bug. I started working young (12?), and only in the summers, wherever brought in the most *cash* – fruit stand at the local swap meet, Chinese Restaurant bus-girl and when I actually became legal (14) I became an admin asst at the County Clerk’s office! Movin’ on up! ‘Course, never having any experience with babies made having one of my own even scarier when the time came!
Today though, baby-sitting seems to bring in as much cash as working the register at Burger King, and no tax-deductions either! So, I may encourage my little girl to get her baby-training in early!
I’m with Amber!
One time when I was sitting, little Danny (8 yo) flushed his Hot Wheels down the toilet and created a big mess. I had to call my dad over to help out.
I was not invited back, and that was FINE WITH ME.
I, too, was a babysitter, but unlike you, I babysat all through high school and even did a gig in college for one of the professors — she brought her baby to the college with her, and I would watch him in her office. Her schedule coincided with mine, so it was nice. She paid me more than $2 an hour.
I never got the memo about it being uncool. I also got paid $2 an hour when I was younger, unless I was babysitting for my mom, in that case, my “pay” was room and board. Ha.
As the oldest of 4, it was assumed that I was primary caregiver when my mom wasn’t home, and that got old fast.
Also, She didn’t want me to charge my relatives, so I did a lot of free sitting, and they found ways to pay me under the table.
I had to pay for my own gasoline AND part of the car insurance. That eats into the $2 quickly.
When I was in High School, my mom allowed me to sit for a family every day after school. I’d do my homework there after I made dinner, got the kids in bed, etc.
The most exciting was the summer I spent babysitting every day for a family with two boys who literally tried to kill each other every day. I never did get hazard pay.
You brought back all kinds of memories! (I should stop before this turns into my own blog post.) :)
Very funny, Gretchen. You mentioned most of the reasons I never babysat… sure I tried a few times but I never loved the idea of playing games, putting kids to bed, cleaning up their mess and doing it all for less than it would cost me to go to the movies. It didn’t seem like a fair trade.
Now today, we don’t go out much becuase I refuse to pay a sitter a humiliating hourly wage! So I guess the joke is on me. But seriously, when the safety (is LIFE too strong a descriptor?) of my children rests with a teenager, I better be paying them well. They in return should understand what the expectations are (which, PS., does not include doing the dishes… but the ones that do will definitely be asked back!)
Funny. How is our night of marching around to Lean On Me did not make it into this story? I assume you weren’t called back by those folks either, although I have to say, that experience has been the most indicative of any babysitting experiences I’ve had of what actual parenting is often like, except usually you don’t get to go through it with your closest friend.
I was a sitter for a minute. I don’t recall exactly why I stopped or where I moved on. I do know that I didn’t necessarily feel as though it was “for me”.
I love the sitters I have had thus far for my kids. I’ve even had some mom-helpers. Since we have a child with special needs, we are even more careful. In reality, our best sitters have come way of his school. First his Preschool teacher, who still does sitting for us; then the college daughter of his Kindergarten teacher (who is also studying elementary ed). Honestly, these have been the BEST for us. They already were familiar with him, with children, they’re adults, responsible (mostly). It works….now if I could just get them for $2.00 an hour, life would be good!
I love these stories!
Amy mentioned one night where we babysat together. I don’t know how we convinced the mom to let us both watch her ONE baby, but I’m glad we did because that little guy was the toughest kid I/we ever watched.
He was 5 months old and thoroughly kicked our butts. He screamed. He wouldn’t sleep. There was no cable.
I wonder what that baby is doing now?