1. It’ the only practical cure for my baby fever.
I know my friends are tired of hearing me talk about how much I want a baby. Realistically, I know that I can’t and won’t have a child of my own until I’ve obtained a BA and probably a MA, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to be a mom. Babysitting allows me to postpone that phase of my life until I am actually ready for it but still be able to cuddle tiny babes.
2. I make more than half of my weekly internship salary in one night.
3. Watching kids during the day means trips to the zoo, movie theatre or a restaurant all on the parent’s dime.
The girls I used to babysit had me to take them to see Cinderella when it came out in 2015, and it is still one of my all time favorite movies.
4. It’s practice for when I actually have kids of my own.
I’ll never forget the time I babysat for a couple, and as the mom handed me her 5-month-old, she asked if I had ever watched a baby before. I was flustered, because of course I had. I wouldn’t take on a 5-month-old if I was a rookie. But her justification behind the question was that she had never watched a baby until she had one of her own.
5. Parents would rather hire college kids than high schoolers and middle schoolers.
As soon as I got to college, I had an influx of babysitting jobs. It’s like I was immediately considered more trustworthy because I was an "adult."
6. I'm never out of work.
There are always more babies being born to parents that need to hire a sitter.
7. Parents usually pay in cash.
You no longer have to feel guilty about running to the ATM and withdrawing money from your account because you have an overflow of cash in an envelope in your bedroom.
8. It’s a great way to get out of a social event that I don’t want to go to.
Getting ready to go watch Dinotrux for hours on end takes a lot of emotional preparation.
9. But I am also in control of my schedule.
I never feel guilty for turning down a babysitting job because my family is coming in town from St. Louis or it’s my friend’s twentieth birthday.
10. Being someone’s favorite babysitter is one of the most rewarding feelings.
One of the special needs boys that I watch on a consistent basis always gets super excited and says my name over and over again when his mom tells him that I’m coming over. It warms my heart.
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