A plea from a frozen babysitter

paulineb_2

However, thats something that the parents should hopefully tell the babysitter about before they leave. I know how to work my heating, Id be clueless I expect with anyone elses.

Savvy_Sue

fluffnutter wrote: »

When people babysit my son I tell them not to call unless he's died. Imagine how I'd feel if the phone actually rang... only to hear someone asking how to put the heating on.

That seems a bit extreme! :rotfl: I'd always prefer to know if there was a problem before I got home, and I'd rather be able to reassure a babysitter if necessary "Oh yes he always howls like that for half an hour, honestly don't fret over it."

paulineb wrote: »

However, thats something that the parents should hopefully tell the babysitter about before they leave. I know how to work my heating, Id be clueless I expect with anyone elses.

I tend to be a 'worker outer', but not when I was of an age to babysit!

pukkamum

Ah the joys of babysitting I remember them well.
My worst experience was with a woman I hadn't sat for before, she asked if I was willing to stay over as a taxi fee for me home as well as the pay was too much.
I took pity as she was a single parent and agreed.
Boy did I regret that!
When I went up to go to bed I discovered I was sharing a room with the kids, not a problem in itself only the bed had only a duvet without a cover, no sheet on the bed, no curtains with a streetlight right outside and the bed itself was toddler size.
I lay awake all night, heard the woman and her friends come back when I had to listen to raucous screaming shouting and laughing for the rest of the night.
I went down as soon as it was light to a room full of sleeping men and women, grabbed my money and legged it.
Suffice to say I didn't go again!

Tigsteroonie

fluffnutter wrote: »

When people babysit my son I tell them not to call unless he's died. Imagine how I'd feel if the phone actually rang... only to hear someone asking how to put the heating on.

My babysitting days were well before the era of mobile phones! If I was lucky, I'd have the name of the restaurant where the parents were going; otherwise, my emergency contact number was my Mum back at home!

ellay864

I rememebr once going out and leaving my next door neighbours babysitting...they both came round so they could watch something on Sky (they didn't have it). I sorted drinks, snacks, phone contacts, heating...everything. Then without thinking locked the door as I left. They hadn't noticed until the husband tried to leave as he has to be up very early and was going back home leaving his wife to carry on sitting for my kids. I was out with a new fella and they didn't like to interrupt me so just stayed locked in for another 3 hours!

currantbun

I remember this well from when I used to babysit for my brothers kids. He would regularly say 'we won't be out late' then roll inat 3 am when I had to be at work at 6. His house was always freezing, and he rarely paid me. Don't think he or his wife realised how much I did for them until I moved an hours drive away and wasn't on call 24/7!!

newcook

Do none of you phone/text mid evening?! Whenever I have babysat (even for close friends) the parents have always called a couple of hours after they have left to make sure everything is ok and the kids went to bed ok!

Eliza_2

No, neither of the families I sit for does that. I've known them a while so I assume they know they can trust me. I don't really think they want to know the kids played up at bedtime while they're having a lovely getaway evening out do they? There's nothing they can do about it anyway so why worry them.

I suppose it might help cos I'm a granny, not a 15 yr old, which is again why I wouldn't bother texting them about the heating either. I'll take a blanket and hide it when I hear them coming back. I'm sure I could work out how to set the heating but wouldn't do that without their permission, considering the cost of oil these days!

Interestingly neither leaves me coffee or snacks either, they just wave towards the kitchen and say help yourself! I generally have a coffee but wouldn't take a biscuit or anything else.

aileth

pollypenny wrote: »

Don't patents provide snacks for babysitters now? I always did and remember the son of one of our friends eating everything, six pack of crisps, all the Penguins, all the cake that was left!

I can also remember sitting wrapped in my coat, too. This was before the days if mobile phones.

My mum used to lay out a platter of penguins, chocolate digestives and mini swiss rolls which she decorated the plate with immaculately.

I'm pretty sure she used it as a babysitter gauge, as the one we eventually ended up with only took one penguin, whereas the others who scoffed the plate then left the wrappers everywhere never got a callback :rotfl:

dibuzz

Sneezy wrote: »

full sugar drinks and snakes and things that I didn't like.

I don't like snakes either

It's many years since I babysat for my next door neighbours.
I can't remember what they did with the heating but sometimes stayed out till 2 am so left blankets out and told me to help myself to anything I wanted.
There was no Sky tv in those days, in fact I don't think we even had channel 4 then but I read or used their record/tape player (with their permission) although the youngest had often only just gone down when they came back.