About Guest Blogger
Pop in when you have a few spare moments for a cosy chat. Read about real-mom experiences and contribute your own slices of life at our Drop-In Centre.
Ever wanted to know what the babysitter is really thinking? This month, guest blogger Lizz Bryce shows us the sitter's point of view. This is the second of four posts she'll share with us over the month of February, (the first one is here) so take lots of notes!
I’ve done my job well if by the end of the night if:
- the kids are alive, healthy, and relatively happy
- nothing has burned down or broken, and the house looks the same as when the parents left
- the kids are asleep
I know the last thing any parent wants when they get home from a night out is to go back to work, so that last one’s important. There are exceptions to my bedtime success stories (an inconsolable baby, a sick kid, or the superhumanly-willed child who absolutely must stay up until mom and dad come home) but I’ve got a pretty good record. A big part of that comes from sticking to kids’ routines and the rules of the house.
Sitter secret: Let your sitter know the rules… but be flexible
Contrary to what you may think, sticking to the regular house rules makes things easier for your sitter. When kids know what to expect – and know the sitter knows what to expect – they’ll spend less time testing her to see what they can get away with and more time having fun.
It also makes a sitter more comfortable to know what is expected of her from the beginning. With that said, be flexible. Kids are unpredictable and often act differently with someone new. Kids can skip the bath but not their homework? Just say so. Let her know what the limits are so she can figure the best way to work within them.
Sitter secret: Treating good behaviour is a top-secret mission
Leaving a treat for the sitter to dole out for good behaviour is a nice way to build a bridge, but keep the information on a need to know basis – kids don’t need to know.
If kids think the sitter is “withholding” a treat, the night quickly turns to challenges to authority and cries of “but mommy said…” Give the sitter the option and she’ll sort out what’s best at the time. If things don’t go as planned your kids won’t know what they’re missing.
Sitter secret: No one likes to be the bad cop
“Be good or you won’t get to the party/play-date/super-exciting outing tomorrow.”
I hear that a lot and appreciate the “we’ve got your back” sentiment. Unfortunately, it ends up making me the bad guy. I don’t want to be the reason a kid doesn’t get to go to a party and I don’t want the decision to be looming over us for the whole night when we should be having fun.
Instead, try offering the sitter some effective discipline tips that work well with your kids. You’re the expert on your kids and your sitter is there to make your life easier. Keep things consistent and your sitter will do the rest.
Lizz Bryce considers herself a retired babysitter but still makes occasional house-calls for her best clients, and loves invites to kiddos’ birthday parties (because they have the best cake). She blogs at www.lizzbryce.com and befriends strangers on Twitter as @opinionatedlizz