When people would ask me what I did for work, I used to be slightly ashamed that my answer was mere "babysitting." I felt as if it wasn't a real job, and that people would judge me for not ever having had a real job. After six years of babysitting being my only job, I no longer care what others may think because I've experienced things that only other babysitters would understand.
1. The first day will be a circus
There are (stereo)typically two kinds of families that a babysitter will encounter. There's the kind that shows you where everything is in the house and leaves a detailed list of emergency numbers, and there's the kind who just leaves you to figure it out by yourself. As I assume many others do, I prefer the first kind. Regardless, the first day with a new family is always going to be a circus. Whether the kids are well behaved or not so well behaved, they still will be going slightly crazy as everybody adjusts to having a new babysitter.
2. The kids might be insane
Often times, you never really know what you're getting yourself into when you start with a new family. In some cases, you may meet the family beforehand, but in other cases, you're going in blind. Meeting the family beforehand isn't always the greatest thing though, becomes sometimes first impressions can be deceiving. You might meet a child who seems too polite and well behaved for it to be true, so don't be surprised if that indeed is too good to be true. In other cases, you might not meet the child beforehand and it will turn out that they are crazy. In this case, you are only going by what the parent tells you about the child, and let's be honest: what parent is going to tell you that their child is absolutely nuts?
3. They will require your constant undivided attention
I'm not saying that all kids require constant undivided attention, but more often than not this will in fact be the case. I do have a few families in which the kids are rather self-sufficient, but the majority of children will need your 24-7 attention. When you sign up for this kind of thing, you know that your job is to watch the child (and do everything that comes with watching a child), but you aren't always aware that these children can be quite needy. I don't mean needy in terms of normal things that a child needs, but more so in the aspect that these children need you to entertain them every second that you are with them. Also, they probably last a maximum of 15 minutes entertained by one thing before they become cranky and demand something new. Don't be afraid to charge a little extra when watching these kinds of kids.
4. You will watch the kids grow
You might start babysitting a family when the kids are infants or toddlers and continue to babysit for them until they are pre-teens. Even if you're not actually babysitting the kids anymore, they still remain in your life somewhat and you are able to watch them grow up. So far in my experience, the first kids I ever watched as infants are now six years old. That's still rather young, but to think you've been in their lives for six years and have watched them grow up so far is super cool. You might not think much of it, but it's amazing to watch these kids turn into small little people. It's also pretty cool to think that you've shaped them somewhat since you've been in their lives for so long.
5. You are still the boss
It's very likely that the child may decide that he/she is the boss. It happens, but it's better if you squash the bug before it starts crawling. From the start of a babysitting job, it's important that you're nice, friendly, and caring, and establish a good relationship with each child, but you also have to make sure that the children know that you're the authority figure when you are there. Bad behavior comes with a consequence, and there's no exception. If you don't establish your authority, they'll walk all over you and think they can get away with anything. Trust me, it's a lot easier to just make rules from the getgo.
6. They will become your family
Not every family that you babysit for will become like family to you, but there will be those few that becomes your actual family. You might become something more like a friend to the parents and an aunt or uncle to the kids, which is completely okay. There are two families that I currently am very close to, and it's honestly really great that they feel like family. Sometimes I get invited to family events and it's just super normal for me to be there. Usually you're able to gauge the type of family you're dealing with: with some families it's better to remain professional and with others it can be more of a casual thing.
7. It will start to feel less like a job
Eventually, you'll get so used to the kids, and they'll get so used to you that it will start to feel less like a job and more like you're just hanging out with the kids. Granted, in this case you still are the authority figure and you have to make sure that is known, but it's just easier and more fun to watch the kids when everybody gets along and listens. At this point, the whole concept of working becomes more enjoyable because you're literally getting paid to hang out with kids you really like spending time with.
8. The parents might try to take advantage of you
This doesn't happen with everybody, but there are some families where the parents don't always treat you the best. They might give you a time that they'll be home and then not show up until four hours later. It might become habitual to cancel on you last minute. Or they may simply just not be paying you what you deserve. If any of these situations mirror what you're going through, you need to "break up" with this toxic family you babysit for. Take it from me, I've become used to it all because I kept letting it happen. It's healthier to call it quits and find a family that treats you better.
9. It requires more than you'd think
Babysitting doesn't just require you to watch a child; there's a lot more to it. While you're watching the children, often you'll also find that you're responsible for cooking, cleaning, bathing and bedtimes. This doesn't mean you have to cook five-star meals for the kids, but you should know how to cook chicken nuggets, pasta, mac n cheese and some sort of vegetable without burning the house down. You also need to wash the dishes you make, clean up the mess (whether it's food, dirt or toys), bathe the children, and put them to bed. It can be a pretty exhausting set of things to do. That's why if somebody is harassing you about just being a babysitter, you let them know who's boss.
10. It will change your life
When I started babysitting, my only thoughts were about liking kids and earning money while watching them. I had no idea what this kind of job would do to me, and how it would change my life. After years of babysitting, you really start to realize how much of a role you play in these kids lives, and it's a really great feeling. You are essentially one of their role models, and they will look up to you. As they get older, it's really amazing to see the people they are becoming as compared to the babies they once were. You also become close to both the kids and parents and they sometimes become family. You form relationships with people and make connections with others. In the end, you have a network of people you babysit for, each family being different from the rest. Going into babysitting, you don't realize how much it will change your life. Don't worry though, you will soon enough.
I love the kids I watch and couldn't ask for better families to be working for. Babysitting isn't as easy as it seems, and it's time for people to recognize that. It requires a lot of patience, and really prepares you for having your own family one day. Not everybody can successfully be a babysitter. I just lucked out.
