We decided to escape our kids for one recent evening and ventured out into the adult world of restaurant dining and conversation. To take some of the load off the older generation without our household we brought in an 8th-grade babysitter whose job was to entertain a 3-year-old. When we returned home, still stunned from the novelty of a dinner without having once had to say “Alex, let go of her lips!” or “Don’t pull her tail”, the babushkas provided an unfavorable report: “She was on her phone the whole time and didn’t play games with Alex.” When the babysitter’s father showed up there was a discussion about said phone being at only 1 percent charge, thus lending credence to the babushkas’ tale.
Folks: Is there any hope for teenage babysitters in the smartphone age? If you hire one should you make sure to give the young kids their own devices so at least each person can have his or her own screen?
Phones were supposed to replace teachers entirely, 40 years ago, before the teacher unions got involved. Important reminder for silicon valley men dating over 40 that the woman is always paying for a baby sitter & had to go through a lot more hassle than we did.
Most of them will forego the phone if you ask nicely in advance so they can get their affairs in order – it’s kinda like dying for them.
In the old days, baby sitters used to talk all the time on the phone – your phone, so maybe this is better. Kids don’t actually talk on the phone anymore – they use them for everything BUT talking.
It’s not just teenagers who do this. Phone addiction is a major problem.
My babysitter is on her cell phone all the time also. She was fired from her previous job for it, and she does it anyway. It appears to be an addiction.
My baby sitter was holding my infant child with one hand and texting with the other. She’s getting fired after Christmas.
What’s a good technical solution that can make cell phones mysteriously malfunction in the house? Last I checked jammers are illegal in us?
> babysitter whose job was to entertain a 3-year-old.
I thought the function of a babysitter was to make sure the kid didn’t die or do anything particularly destructive. I don’t see how screwing around on a phone impedes that task.
You are expecting too much. You hired a babysitter, not a playmate.
My teenage babysitters don’t live on their phones. You just have to find the right teenagers.
Two things.
1) I read that babushkas were in the house. I assume you mean two of them. Are you paying for a babysitter for realz? tell the grandmas to make themselves useful already.
2) I have babysat for some friends in a case of emergency. Your kids are not precious unique snowflakes, they are horrible gremlins who just happen to be cute enough and under enough strong legal protection that one would not want to just leave them to their fate in the woods. If you want people playing with them you better pay for a pro (paying pro money) not for a neighbourhood kid doing it for extra not-stricktly-necessary cash
If any of your children are old enough to enjoy playing popular video games, next time hire a teenage boy babysitter, not a teenage girl. You’ll end up having the teenage boy babysitter playing video games with your children with the babysitter probably winning big time at the games — a good way to teach your children how to handling losing in life.