Comments on ann's rants: Babysitter Interview: Myself as a Twelve-Year-Old

You are so right. I remember my first babysitting ...

2010-03-28T19:31:49.243-05:00

You are so right. I remember my first babysitting job. I totally made lots of calls. But I made more than 2.50 I made 3.00 dollars an hour starting out. I remember all the bad kids and then I said pay me more.

Oh, my goodness, this is so funny. I also babysat...

2009-09-11T19:31:55.335-05:00

Oh, my goodness, this is so funny. I also babysat (for an infant!) when I was twelve, and now I look at 16-year-olds, and have to think at LEAST three times about letting them babysit my little guy - and he's almost 2 now!

Makes me want to stock up on sugared cereal and ma...

2009-07-12T21:40:12.238-05:00

Makes me want to stock up on sugared cereal and maybe even get cable again, just so that we can get a babysitter who is as qualified as you were. (I promise, I was not nearly so qualified). Or maybe just get one for only 2.50/hour? Hmmm...

You are ME 20 years ago.

2009-07-12T18:11:15.389-05:00

You are ME 20 years ago.

I love it and you are HIRED ... i need you at 6 th...

2009-07-12T00:47:35.751-05:00

I love it and you are HIRED ... i need you at 6 thanks.

This was so funny; great idea.

2009-07-10T08:10:29.256-05:00

This was so funny; great idea.

Funny!

2009-07-09T20:44:49.952-05:00

Funny!

I remember my parents leaving me at home to babysi...

2009-07-09T14:29:53.013-05:00

I remember my parents leaving me at home to babysit for my brother and sister when I was seven. SEVEN! What the hell were they thinking?

12 - 13 1/2 is the optimal age for babysitting. Fo...

2009-07-09T12:57:29.016-05:00

12 - 13 1/2 is the optimal age for babysitting. For me anyway, it was downhill on the responsibility scale after that. Sparkle is 13 yrs. and 3 mos. and I'm encouraging her to take full advantage of her baby sitting prime time. Funny post! PS- if you don't want sitters to spend their whole time on the cell phone, you might want to mention that - not that I ever asked ... both my girls now tell me most of their baby sitters totally ignored them and texted, talked, or played games on their cell phones the whole time. My 13 plus year old self would have been right with them, typing away with my thumbs and avoiding eye contact.

It was a great job to have wasn't it?

2009-07-09T09:48:45.426-05:00

It was a great job to have wasn't it?

What???

2009-07-09T07:09:52.395-05:00

What???

MTV! We didn't have it at home and I loved ba...

2009-07-08T23:23:13.252-05:00

MTV! We didn't have it at home and I loved babysitting for anyone with MTV. The eighties.

I felt that "refrigerator contents" was ...

2009-07-08T21:34:59.324-05:00

I felt that "refrigerator contents" was high on the list of what made a babysitting job attractive. I talked on the phone the whole time so a phone in close proximity to the refrigerator was a plus (this was in the stone age when most phones had cords)

I used to babysit for our next door neighbors. Th...

2009-07-08T21:06:59.622-05:00

I used to babysit for our next door neighbors. The boys were terrible. But they had a box full of Twinkies and HoHos and girly mags it only took me about fifteen minutes to find.

And it they came home REALLY drunk they just gave me whatever was left of their cash. Sometimes, JACKPOT.

I wish I still had that job.

Oh...the good old days. So fun to remember. By t...

2009-07-08T20:30:37.822-05:00

Oh...the good old days. So fun to remember.

By the way... I'm going on a bear hunt... Our children are seriously adorable aren't they. I mean I know we are probably biased and all...but when they came out wearing the ever so fashionable paperbag vests and toiletpaper roll binoculars...seriously, my heart melted. A5 is so damn cute! You done good girly! I tried waving from afar, however...easily missed among the masses. HUGS, Mel

do you ask the same questions when you hire a sitt...

2009-07-08T18:51:16.621-05:00

do you ask the same questions when you hire a sitter?!

About as much as most people know when they become...

2009-07-08T15:10:31.820-05:00

About as much as most people know when they become mothers themselves, I expect. Minus the $2.50 an hour.

This is great, although I would've have asked ...

2009-07-08T14:54:35.809-05:00

This is great, although I would've have asked if they had any cheese products in the house as that's all I knew how to make- Grilled Cheese, Mac and Cheese... Cheese and Crackers... Etc

You and I might've hung out... Pearl

2009-07-08T13:52:06.726-05:00

You and I might've hung out...

Pearl

I think I hired you... where were you around 1995?...

2009-07-08T13:42:16.052-05:00

I think I hired you... where were you around 1995?

I remember those rides homw with the Dads. Creepy....

2009-07-08T13:37:55.712-05:00

I remember those rides homw with the Dads. Creepy.

Too funny. So what is the criteria for you hiri...

2009-07-08T12:48:30.057-05:00

Too funny.

So what is the criteria for you hiring a sitter?

Once a babysitting client, after I had already spe...

2009-07-08T09:34:01.934-05:00

Once a babysitting client, after I had already spent 6 hours with her devil spawn children informed me that while I had told her I charged $2.50 an hour, she only paid fifty cents an hour. That was the last time I ever babysat for her, and she had the nerve to ask my mother why I wouldn't sit for her anymore. Mom, bless her heart, told her the truth - "Your kids are awful and you don't pay enough."

What a clever way to do this! I think it'd be ...

2009-07-08T09:15:40.651-05:00

What a clever way to do this!
I think it'd be really scary to go back and actually interview my 12 year old self.

Isn't this all the truth? Lord help us!! Hila...

2009-07-08T08:35:46.157-05:00

Isn't this all the truth? Lord help us!! Hilarious.