Like the majority of tweens, I sprung into the babysitting circuit in my town to make some easy money. I probably started around sixth grade, with some kids on my street. There were three boys in particular that I babysat a lot because they lived right across from my house, and although they were a handful, I enjoyed it. Why? Because it was basically having extra people to entertain me other than my siblings and friends (which, admittedly, got a little repetitive sometimes), and most importantly, I still had authority over them.

So I bounced around to different families while I was in middle school, but by the time I was a high schooler, my entire street had been refreshed and gotten a new batch of families, chock full of young kids--a babysitter’s dream come true! I still remember the day I met one family in particular, who has been a big part of my life for the past four years. I noticed they had two adorable little girls, and I was going to go across the street and introduce myself, but they beat me to it. The father rang our doorbell, introduced himself, told me about his daughters, and invited me over to meet them. And that started my four years (and counting) of spending time and getting to know this wonderful, charming family.

It always takes a while to adjust to a new family--making sure the kids like you is obviously the main priority, but there’s also the interactions with the parents that you cannot mess up. I mean, they are trusting their children with you, right? Without the goal of seeming cocky, I will say that children generally like me. Maybe it’s because I’m pretty much still a child at heart--I’m always down for some coloring, watching Disney channel and playing tag in the yard. So, as I got comfortable and started babysitting for this family regularly, I quickly grew very fond of both the two girls and the extremely nice parents. With two years under my belt, I was confident in my relationship with the family, because babysitting is so much more than just sitting there passively watching kids, and I always kept that in mind.

Over the years I had built a comfortable bond with this family. I had countless life chats with the parents about my high school life, college process, etc. Both adults had sage advice to offer me and it was always greatly appreciated, because that confirmed the fact that this stopped being a cut and dry babysitter/employer deal a while ago.

The actual babysitting is usually pretty easy, except when it’s not. Sometimes they try and take advantage of you and want you to let them do things that their parents would not allow, and that can be tricky to detect. Also, there are those times when the kids cry for their mom and you comfort them the best you can and talk to them about how if they fall asleep, they’ll see the parents faster. Sometimes it goes beyond that and I try my best at being a child’s therapist, and after a lot of talking, they get distracted long enough to fall asleep.

Most of the time, however, it goes quite smoothly. Watching some Disney channel or Nick Jr. is always a good time, but as is playing Twister, reading books aloud, or making Imovies on an Ipad. I love just being able to forget about any stress in my life and devote my hours of babysitting to making sure the kids have fun. It’s a pretty great form of stress relief, if you ask me. Being around children means you automatically have to smile, be playful, sensitive, and appropriate (mainly language), and for me it automatically puts me in a cheerful mood. And besides, what kids want a babysitter in a bad mood?!

Babysitting kids is truly a rollercoaster ride, because you never know what’s gonna happen--go right or wrong. It’s extremely important, because you are responsible for someone else’s children, but it is also important because you are another role model for the children. They look up to you and watch the things you do and say, and learn from it. It’s almost like a trial run for being a parent, though it is not a 24/7 job like real parenthood.

I love it because I get the chance to interact with adorable children, keep them safe, be a role model, and all while having a great time. Though some people may overlook babysitting, and not consider it all that important or not a “real job,” I take lots of pride in it and value the multiple relationships in my community it has allowed me to form.