Is Yours an Honest Babysitter?
If you are a parent, you will know just how difficult it is to find a responsible babysitter who will respect your house and that you can trust your kids with. If you're like me, you have been through several avenues in order to find one. Firstly, I would like to say that I found one fantastic babysitter who is 15 and with whom we have had no problems. She is lovely and responsible and we're so glad we found her!
However, I thought that I needed a back up babysitter. I knew that at some point my regular babysitter would be doing exams, or needing to compete in sporting events, etc. So I thought it best to find an alternative that I could use in this event. Oh boy was I lead a merry dance! I advertised on the internet (the responses that I had never actually turned up for appointments that were made). I asked everyone I knew. And then, I advertised in the shops in town for a local person who was responsible and experienced in babysitting. One person didn't show up - am I getting old, but does no-one feel the need to be courteous and let you know if they can't make it anymore these days?
Then I got a reply from my ad in town from a 19 year old who had done babysitting for the local hotel. I arranged to meet her and she turned up for the appointment on time and looking keen. She gave me a reference and I told her that we would arrange for her to babysit in a couple of weeks. I was feeling very pleased with myself for having finally got my "spare" babysitter! I should not have relaxed!
I telephoned the hotel and spoke with the manager who gave her a good reference and also said that her mother worked at the hotel and was a good worker too. I was happy, but there was one mistake that I made that I will elaborate on in a minute. She arrived to babysit as arranged and on time. I showed her how to use our telephone and showed her the two mobile numbers that my husband and I could be called on if she needed to contact us.
We went out, had a lovely meal and were back quite early. I dropped her back home in my car and paid her for her time. Everything seemed fine. I checked on the children and was unhappy to see my 2 and a half year old outside of the covers which indicated to me she hadn't checked on him as instructed (once you cover him up again - he stays like that until morning!) But I was prepared to let it drop and just impress on her the need to check on them next time she came to us.
Later the next day, I went to use the telephone. Our telephone is a cordless model that stores previously dialled numbers on it, like a mobile. I scrolled through the previously dialled numbers as I wanted to phone my father in the UK and knew I had dialled his number the day before. I was horrified to see a load of numbers that were not dialled by me. I checked with my husband who confirmed he hadn't used the phone at all the day before. I saw that out of six unknown numbers one was an international mobile number. I contacted my phone company who told me the time of the calls and the cost came to approximately 7Euros.
I immediately phoned the babysitter who said she had been meaning to tell me... oh and the other excuse was that she had called the numbers by accident, she hadn't meant to, blah blah blah. I told her in no uncertain terms that if I couldn't trust her with my telephone, I couldn't trust her with my kids and that I now have no idea what she was up to in my house whilst I was out. She could have had her boyfriend round or anything. I told her she had messed up what could have been quite a cushy number for her as we pay higher than most for a babysitter. We weren't going to use her again and I would not be keeping quiet about what she had done.
Perhaps it seems that I overreacted to a few phone calls. Perhaps you would have dealt with this differently. However, my children are my life. It is so difficult for parents to trust people these days with the horrible things happening all over the world to children. I need to know that I can trust my babysitter with my childrens lives and welfare for the few hours they are in their care. If I lose trust in one aspect, I lose all trust.
The one mistake I made when checking out her references was that I didn't check with the Gardai. I have now heard that both her and her family have been in trouble with the police before. In future, I will be phoning the Gardai first, before any other reference I am given. I just thank God that my kids are okay and it was only a few euros that she took.
Take this as a cautionary tale and do your homework...
However, I thought that I needed a back up babysitter. I knew that at some point my regular babysitter would be doing exams, or needing to compete in sporting events, etc. So I thought it best to find an alternative that I could use in this event. Oh boy was I lead a merry dance! I advertised on the internet (the responses that I had never actually turned up for appointments that were made). I asked everyone I knew. And then, I advertised in the shops in town for a local person who was responsible and experienced in babysitting. One person didn't show up - am I getting old, but does no-one feel the need to be courteous and let you know if they can't make it anymore these days?
Then I got a reply from my ad in town from a 19 year old who had done babysitting for the local hotel. I arranged to meet her and she turned up for the appointment on time and looking keen. She gave me a reference and I told her that we would arrange for her to babysit in a couple of weeks. I was feeling very pleased with myself for having finally got my "spare" babysitter! I should not have relaxed!
I telephoned the hotel and spoke with the manager who gave her a good reference and also said that her mother worked at the hotel and was a good worker too. I was happy, but there was one mistake that I made that I will elaborate on in a minute. She arrived to babysit as arranged and on time. I showed her how to use our telephone and showed her the two mobile numbers that my husband and I could be called on if she needed to contact us.
We went out, had a lovely meal and were back quite early. I dropped her back home in my car and paid her for her time. Everything seemed fine. I checked on the children and was unhappy to see my 2 and a half year old outside of the covers which indicated to me she hadn't checked on him as instructed (once you cover him up again - he stays like that until morning!) But I was prepared to let it drop and just impress on her the need to check on them next time she came to us.
Later the next day, I went to use the telephone. Our telephone is a cordless model that stores previously dialled numbers on it, like a mobile. I scrolled through the previously dialled numbers as I wanted to phone my father in the UK and knew I had dialled his number the day before. I was horrified to see a load of numbers that were not dialled by me. I checked with my husband who confirmed he hadn't used the phone at all the day before. I saw that out of six unknown numbers one was an international mobile number. I contacted my phone company who told me the time of the calls and the cost came to approximately 7Euros.
I immediately phoned the babysitter who said she had been meaning to tell me... oh and the other excuse was that she had called the numbers by accident, she hadn't meant to, blah blah blah. I told her in no uncertain terms that if I couldn't trust her with my telephone, I couldn't trust her with my kids and that I now have no idea what she was up to in my house whilst I was out. She could have had her boyfriend round or anything. I told her she had messed up what could have been quite a cushy number for her as we pay higher than most for a babysitter. We weren't going to use her again and I would not be keeping quiet about what she had done.
Perhaps it seems that I overreacted to a few phone calls. Perhaps you would have dealt with this differently. However, my children are my life. It is so difficult for parents to trust people these days with the horrible things happening all over the world to children. I need to know that I can trust my babysitter with my childrens lives and welfare for the few hours they are in their care. If I lose trust in one aspect, I lose all trust.
The one mistake I made when checking out her references was that I didn't check with the Gardai. I have now heard that both her and her family have been in trouble with the police before. In future, I will be phoning the Gardai first, before any other reference I am given. I just thank God that my kids are okay and it was only a few euros that she took.
Take this as a cautionary tale and do your homework...
posted by Minxy Luna @ 11:04 a.m.
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