Don’t Use up the Babysitter
A little thoughtfulness can go a long way.
Cherylyn Feierabend
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Don’t Use up the Babysitter
Hey there! You’re listening to the Mighty Mommy with some quick and dirty tips for practical parenting.
I’ve heard people say that being a parent is a thankless job. I don’t necessarily agree. Some of the people who appreciate us the most are our friends and relatives. I think they show their appreciation when they offer to babysit for us. These people love us and want us to get a break now and then. You do want a break now and then don’t you? I know I not only want one, I need one.
My quick and dirty tip for this week is simple. Don’t use up your babysitter. I’m not talking about the teenager you hired for those emergency occasions or the daycare provider who watches your kids on a schedule while you are at work. Those people should be appreciated, but you are paying them for their service. I’m talking about Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie, and your best friend who is always there for you. These are the people who offer to babysit without any expectation of compensation. They just want to help you and they enjoy spending time with your children.
When you are the lucky recipient of free babysitting, you must appreciate it and treat your sitter with respect and love and above all else, do not take this person for granted. If you do, you will regret it. Your loved ones will not appreciate being asked to babysit every Saturday night for the next three years. I guarantee it. Did it ever occur to you that your mother-in-law might want a night out for herself? If you do take her for granted, she will eventually start saying no when you ask her if she can watch the kids.
So, how do you keep your free sitters happy? That’s a great question. I have some suggestions. For starters, keep track of how often people are babysitting for you. Keeping a calendar handy will help you figure out if you are over-using one person. It’s great if you have a few people with whom you can trade babysitting. If you can get into a babysitting co-op with your friends or any type of parenting group you’ll definitely have more options. I know it is difficult to find someone you feel you can trust to watch your kids, so when you do, you’ll want to treat that friendship with the utmost respect and appreciation.
My mother-in-law is my greatest resource for babysitting. If I had my choice she’d always be the one to watch my kids when I need that time away. I cherish the fact that she is so willing to help out. I try to balance things out once in a while and this is something you might want to do if you have someone who helps you out a lot. We try to take turns watching the kids so that we all get a chance to go out. Sometimes, I will stay home with the kids so that my husband can take his mom out to the movies and sometimes she and I will go out while he stays home. This is great because everyone gets a chance to go out and have some child-free fun. It may not be your mother-in-law; it might be your friend. Have the husbands stay home one night with the kids and then switch and let the guys go out while the moms stay home. You get the idea. Switch it up and make sure everyone has some fun.
Finally, if one of your trusted sitters says she thinks you need a night out with your spouse, and she’s totally cool with hanging out at your place watching SNL while you two go see a movie, thank her for her generosity and bring her back a chocolate shake or something else you know she’ll love. She may not expect compensation, but a little thoughtfulness can go a long way.
That’s it for now.
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Babysitter image courtesy of Shutterstock