Top Six Things that Don't Inspire Confidence in A Babysitter

Mark and I have had pretty good luck with babysitters. Most of them are excellent, they clean the house, leave gifts for the kids, and are very attentive. But, we've had a few odd experiences, so I thought I'd pass them along. (Note, some of these babysitters we still like and use.)

Top Six Things that Don't Inspire Confidence in A Babysitter

6. The last thing you see as you leave the house is her looking down at her phone, texting. "Uh, bye." she says.

5. You get home and the house looks like it's been inhabited by chimpanzees: a bag of Doritos crumbs strewn across the floor, clothes hanging from odd places, toys that I didn't even know we had piled up everywhere.

4. The babysitter calls and asks if you have a cat because there's something scratching on the garage door. "Um, no cat, and really, you're not scared?"

3. As you leave, and when you get home, the kids are watching a movie and the babysitter is reading a book. It looks as though the kids have ruled the nest for three hours.

2. She says, "Fine." When you ask how babysitting went. Really? That's the best you can do?

The number one thing that makes you lack confidence in your babysitter is when you find her asleep on your sofa (not a big deal by itself) at 10 pm. Then, you take pictures because it's so cute and she doesn't wake up. Then you talk loudly so she'll wake up, and that doesn't work. Then you shake her and she finally wakes up, but not really. So, you take her home in a complete daze (she doesn't know who you are and won't remember it in the morning). That really makes you nervous.


Do you have any babysitting stories?