During our high school and college years, it's always nice to have a little extra cash on hand for weekend activities and the occasional shopping trip. Some people prefer to serve food and drinks at restaurants; some would enjoy folding clothes in a retail store. Then there are those of us who would rather make lunches, draw with sidewalk chalk, and clean up messy kids. There is a reason we choose to be babysitters (or nannies if you have a full-time deal), and that is because we love to hang out with little humans who bring out our inner child again. If you're a babysitter, you know your job is the best, and here's why.
1. You never have to worry about impressing anyone.
Unless the kids you're babysitting have seriously high babysitter standards, they don't care how you look when you come watch them while their parents are gone. The only thing they care about is getting to play all their favorite games and persuading you to let them have a little extra sugar than allowed.
Working somewhere that your ex-boyfriend might show up would require making sure you look better than ever, but when you spend all day with kindergartners, you have the pleasure of wearing your most comfortable sweats. It's doubtful they will even notice if you showered that day!
Hanging out with little kids is a no-judgment zone. If you happen to do something super embarrassing, they'll laugh their heads off and think you're the funniest person alive.
2. You're the boss.
While the parents of the little ones you're babysitting are the big boss, you're in charge while they are gone. Aside from activities they want you to do with their children, you have complete control over what you do with your time. There's no one there yelling at you to do your job in a specific way, and it's so much less stressful to not have someone hovering over your shoulder if you make a mistake.
3. Every day is another day to explore your inner child.
Hanging out with kids all day opens a lot of doors to acting like you're eight years old again. Hear the ice cream man coming? You bet you'll be running faster than the kids to get a SpongeBob Squarepants Popsicle.
Hide and seek is a must and if you don't blow bubbles from time to time, you are doing something wrong. Going to playgrounds and teaching them how to pump their legs on the swings will bring back some serious nostalgia from your childhood days.
4. Your creativity expands.
This involves searching Pinterest at least once daily for some activity inspiration. It might sound like a lot of work, but you know you would much rather be finger painting than serving rude customers (and poor tippers) their chicken tenders.
It's never a bad day when you use water balloons as a replacement for baseballs for batting practice. Your kids think you're the coolest thing since sliced bread when you construct a blanket fort and if you end your day with a trip to get ice cream, you become a superstar.
5. It's a self-esteem boost.
There may not be anything better than little kids screaming your name like you're Justin Bieber in a crowd of 16-year-old girls, and tackling you with hugs when you get to their house. It makes you feel appreciated, and it's definitely a bonus when their parents are just as excited to see you.
Not only do you feel like an A-list celebrity, you feel super important for being trusted with the lives of someone else's pride and joy.
6. You learn how to be responsible.
The most important part about babysitting is being super responsible (aside from having fun). The parents expect you to be their replacement while they are gone, which can mean being able to appropriately discipline their kids or it can mean making sure they are at swim lessons, tennis, and soccer practice all on the same day at the right time with extra sunscreen on their little faces.
You also need to know how to handle incidents that involve other people's kids because it's not unlikely that you will find yourself facing a crazy soccer mom (no offense to non-crazy soccer moms). Being responsible can be the most difficult part of the job, but it's also the most rewarding knowing that you can care for lives other than your own.
Babysitting can be extremely difficult when you're dealing with rotten kids or parents who don't realize that they are expecting someone else to keep their kids alive while they are either at work or going out for a night.
However, when you work for a family (or families) that you never want to leave and spend yet another summer working for them all day, every day, instead of getting an internship or a job that will help you in your future, you know that babysitting is truly the best job ever.
