Adventures in Babysitting

We all knew it was only a matter of time before I whipped that title out, right?

Anyway, I have been officially (or unofficially if you work for the IRS) employed as a babysitter for one week, and already, I've had a veritable roller coaster of ups and downs.  Overall, though I am absolutely loving this, and wondering why it took me so long to realize that babysitting is a perfect fit for me.

It combines my love of children, flexibility, and money, and all of my favorite parts about working in a before and after school child care program with none of its drawbacks.  I literally play games and cuddle babies.  For a living.  And being that we're talking about a ratio of 1:1 or 1:2 instead of 1:15, I spend much less time dealing with discipline issues.  The best part?  If I really end up disliking a bratty kid or a parent, all I have to do is tell them I'm busy every time they call. Brilliant!

So far, my client list includes two friends kind enough to hire me on a few occasions, one regular nannying job for an infant and toddler sibling set, three families who have interviewed me and said they will schedule occasional jobs, and a sitting service based out of Charlotte that organizes child care for group events in the Carolinas.  Since November 2nd I've managed to rack up 32 hours of work.  I don't think I'll be able to aquire that many hours on a regular basis, but I definitely feel like I'm off to a good start.

Of course, not everything has been perfect.  This weekend I was hired to work for the service I mentioned earlier--the same one that gave me 15 hours of work last weekend.  I showed up at the hotel where the conference was being held at the appointed time, and there was no one else around.  I found the room full of toys, labeled with the name of the conference, so I knew I was in the right place, but after 30 minutes of waiting and an unanswered phone call to the organizer, I grumpily headed back to my car and returned home.

Later that night, I got an email from the service saying that they apologized, but a lot of families had cancelled so they wouldn't need my services on Sunday.  In a wine-fueled fit of frustration, I wrote a strongly worded (though even upon sober review, respectful and firm) email detailing my disappointment in how this job had been handled.  Of course, they were also offering another 13 hours of work for next weekend, so I kindly asked to please be signed up for that.  I might be annoyed, but the money is still good and I've got a baby to buy.  While I was out for my run last evening, I received a very apologetic voicemail from the organizer of the event asking me to call her back so that she could talk to me.  So we'll see how that goes when I call her back later today.

But as for the good parts, I'm so excited about my weekly gig hanging out for a few hours twice a week with a teensy infant--seriously teensy, he's only 3 weeks old--and his precious two-year-old sister.  The little girl is super well behaved and so easy to entertain, and the baby is just... oh, be still my heart.  I was a little worried that working with an infant would be hard on me, but instead I find myself looking forward to my time with him, and spoiling him rotten with cuddles and hugs any time he opens his mouth to bleat.  I spent an hour last Thursday with the little girl playing on the floor at my feet, the baby sleeping on my chest, and the Muppets on television.  Heaven.

So anyway, that's a whole lot of words to say, in a nutshell, there are certainly some downsides to working a job with no set or guaranteed hours, but I'm so in love with what I'm doing, and it's incredible to have a job that I actually look forward to!  And babies!!  GAH!!!

Comments

[Becky]

Yay! Glad it is working out so well. That baby is so precious. I can see why you are enjoying him so much. :)

[Becky]

I guess all I can say is "You spiked your mom's Tab with Draino?!"
:)
In all seriousness, I am happy you found a great fit for you! My cousin is going to be done babysitting next May and the thought of trying to find someone is filling me with dread - there are not enough amazing people out there like you who watch children! I think you'll be surprised how quickly you do find hours. I just wish you lived in St. Louis... :)

[Kristina]

Ummmm, I second Becky when I say that I wish you lived in the STL area. I'm always looking for a good sitter! So glad you've found something you love!

[Melissa]

So fun! Maybe i should get back into babysitting. I did it for YEARS (taught preschool, worked in a daycare, at a summer camp & then nannied), but finally got a boring cubicle job that paid more & had benefits. But if i get on Brad's insurance (which we are planning to do), then maybe. I sure miss it!

I may be the same as you with pregnancies being hard on me but not babies? I have the hardest time finding out friends are pregnant or seeing pregnant women. And sometimes strangers with babies. But yesterday i was at my husband's aunt's house & his cousin came over with their baby boy, Cayde Jackson & oh my heavens. I had not met him yet. He's 2 months old. I held him. I was even excited about getting to change his diaper. HA! :) SO SWEET. It was definitely good for my heart!

[Elle sees]

Babies! I'm giddy for you. I love hold em every chance I get.

[Julie]

Seriously, so far my favorite part of having a baby is that 'sleeping on my chest' bit. So sweet and snuggly. And it's the perfect angle for me to keep sniffing and kissing his head while he snoozes. :)

[Jessica]

Yay! So glad to hear it's been working out so well. Glad you wrote that strongly worded email, they needed to know that wasn't a good way to handle notifying you about not being needed.

[Elizabeth]

I'm glad this is working for you, and that being around little ones isn't too hard on your heart.