I've been babysitting since I was old enough to stay home alone. It was a rocky start at first, I had my fair share of baby drops, but throughout the years, I've become more in-tune with my babysitting skills. I have babysat children of all ages from newborn to fifteen years old. I have always loved working with children, but it wasn't always easy. Sometimes I'd find myself only 15 minutes into babysitting and already wishing the parents would come home. Or even waking up one morning and praying that the family cancelled for that night. Other days, however, I couldn't wait to see my kiddies because they would be the highlight(s) of my day. Babysitting taught me a lot and I just want to share a little of that.

One of the things babysitting has taught me is to always have a contingency plan set in place or know how to spontaneously make one. Things may not and will not always go your way. I always had to have a back-up plan if the park is closed or all the swings were taken. Having a Plan B saved me from countless tantrums. I was so used to having to create a safety net for every activity, whether pre-planned or on the fly, that it started happening in my daily life. I'm not so controlling that I have to have back-up plan for every single thing that I do, but if there is room or need for a contingency plan, it's never hard for me to think one up. It may get difficult sometimes, like when it has to be an on-the-spot thing, but I've always been able to think something up.

Patience is one of the biggest things I've learned from babysitting. Seriously, if you ever need someone to help you work on your patience level, just surround yourself with children, you might only even need one depending on the child. Children are cute, and they can be pretty awesome and funny, but they can also be pretty difficult at times. They almost never do anything you tell them the first time you ask, or the second, or the third or ever. Even when they do finally decide to go brush their teeth or whatever you instructed them to do, they take triple the amount of time necessary. Rushing them proves to be pretty useless most of the time so you learn how to be patient with them no matter how much they're testing you. A lot of the time that's what is, them testing you to see what your breaking point is. The patience I've gained from my kiddies has definitely helped me in dealing with "fully grown" adults on a day-to-day basis.

Speaking of being an adult, my absolute favorite thing that I have learned from babysitting is how to look at the world through the eyes of a child. There is so much going on in our world today it's sometimes hard to step back and see the beauty like children do. When I babysit I find myself more excited about life because everything we do from drawing pictures to playing in the park is a new adventure. I love that the children I babysit are able to so easily share their joy with me because every night I come home with a little more joy in my heart. Babysitting has taught me so many things, and if I really sat here and wrote about every single concept then I'd probably end up with a book. I am truly grateful for every opportunity I've had to babysit for a family because each of the children I have cared for has affected me and I will always carry them in my heart with the joy and lessons that they have given me.