A: Through my life I have had to take on many jobs, including babysitting. You could even say that I’m babysitting once again when I have to look after my mother occasionally when her home healthcare worker is gone.
1. Energy — Need Some!
My first bit of advice would be to consume large amounts of sugar or some other stimulant. Kids are little balls of energy and you need to keep up with them. Sodas work well for this. You can get them in your system quickly for any emergency boost you might need. Jelly doughnuts are good since you can lift the box while getting your sugar fix and keep those biceps ready for anything. You can read about using doughnuts to help your workout here. Just make sure you bring extra jelly doughnuts. Children believe you owe them a piece of whatever you have and could make a serious dent in your sugar supplies.
2. Stand Firm!
Second, don’t give in to the kid’s demands. If my mother had her way she would have a constant fountain of beer to guzzle. I have to deny her a beer every once in a while to keep her from drowning, or worse putting us into so much debt that we have to sell the house.
3. Drill, Baby, Drill!
Third, some kids can get out of control, especially after eating a couple of jelly doughnuts. This is where the job can get difficult. I am lucky in the sense that my mother can’t get out of bed. So, when she gets argumentative or nasty I can just walk away until she settles down and I hear her angry grunting diminish. It’s unlikely the children you babysit are quite so stationary. Order them around and treat them like your little soldiers! As any drill instructor knows, a well-trained recruit is a controllable one. Eventually, you’ll be able to just order them to their rooms. Barring that you’ll have to use your imagination as I don’t want to make any legally actionable suggestions in print.
4. Stress is Your Friend!
Finally, some people will tell you not to stress out. That’s terrible advice! Someone is putting the safety and well-being of their children in your hands! If that person’s little brat gets injured, or dies, you could be in a lot of trouble, or even worse, you might not get paid! So, stress out and hype up on sugar. You should be such a manic, terrifying figure that any kids in your care will be too afraid to do anything stupid.
Good luck with your new job!
