I have been babysitting since I was in ninth grade. In my opinion, it is the best possible job for a student, and should by all means be taken advantage of by our young adult generation. Being a babysitter teaches patience, responsibility, and how to deal with the weirdest situations ever (kids do some wacky things). Here are what I think are the main selling points of nannying a couple kids during your time as a student:
1. GOOD Pay
At this point, none of us have college degrees. This immediately means that we are going to make much less because the jobs we have available to us are unskilled and pretty basic. However, with ~babysitting~ parents will pay a whole lot to get one night out on the town away from their little bundles of joy. They will pay extra well if it's a weekend night, if they found you last minute, or if they know that their children are especially...exciting.
2. It is literally just hanging out with a kid or two
For the most part, kids just want to have fun. So, a lot of babysitting is just keeping the kids occupied and making sure they are having fun. Sometimes, you can even have fun, too!! Kids love water balloon fights, coloring, and watching movies. I am not opposed to any of these activities. I am especially not opposed to these activities when I am getting paid cold hard cash to do them. This brings me to my next point.
3. Most innocent form of tax evasion
Unless if you are a regular nanny, and the parents are very morally upright, responsible Americans, you will never pay a dime of taxes on your babysitting. Most of your little weekend and small jobs are here and there and not super consistent. Parents typically pay with cash, check, or Venmo. AKA, you can easily make a living off the double-digit per hour pay, and you don't pay taxes. Sneaky. I'm not sure if this is consitutional, but is anyone ever really going to come after the teenage babysitters?
4. (Usually) free food
Another killer perk of being a babysitter is the snacks. At almost every house I've ever sat at, as the parents are running out the door they flippantly shout behind them, "Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge!" I am a broke, hungry college student that has not gone grocery shopping since it was warm outside. Don't mind if I do. (disclaimer: don't go too crazy. Proper etiquette is important: don't eat the last of anything in the fridge, don't open anything that is brand new, and NEVER eat the chocolate the mom has hidden on the top shelf of the pantry.)
5. Downtime
Most of the time parents hire you for two reasons: to make sure that their kids stay alive (if they're little) or to make sure that their kid doesn't burn the house to the ground (if they're old enough to take care of themselves, but not quite old enough to be trusted). For younger ones, either due to a nap or an early bedtime, the kids will be asleep at some point during your hang with them. That means time for you to cozy up on the parents' comfy couch and do some homework or watch a movie (on the quietest volume of course).
If the kids are old enough to be awake for your whole stay, they still will probably not want to spend every single second with you, they'll want to do their own thing, maybe reading a book by themselves or playing a video game at some point. Regardless, you're going to have some chill time where your job is just to periodically make sure that the kids aren't getting themselves into trouble.
6. Kids are hilarious
Kids are the greatest comedians. They are totally unaware of this, but they're absolutely hilarious. They are so small and have no idea what is going on half of the time. It is so fun just hanging out with them and witnessing the stories they tell, things they get excited about, and little misunderstandings.
One of my favorite stories was with an adorable little four-year-old boy. I was explaining to him that I no longer live with my parents because I am in college. I now realize that this is an earth-shattering notion, as he had never considered the fact that he wouldn't live with his parents forever. He had tons of questions about my living situation and finally ventured into the subject of college, so I told him that college is just a fancy word for school. He immediately turned away from me and stared into the distance with the most sorrowful face I've ever seen on a four-year-old. "My mommy and daddy are sending me to school next year." It took me a couple of minutes to explain that there is a huge difference between my parentless lonely school and the kindergarten school he would be going to soon, that he still had a great deal of time with his parents before they would be sending him out on his own. I did my best to convey this to him, but I'm pretty sure the damage was already done. Poor guy will never be the same.
7. Forming relationships with kids
Spending all of this time hanging out with kids, teaching them about the weird world we share, and watching them grow up is so meaningful. You create bonds with them and can't wait to see all of the cool things they do with their little lives.
