#281 ·
Anthony Nguyen81 said:Babysitters can be a decent fix, but there are two big drawbacks. 😁
My brother-in-law and his wife used them once, and they were being pretty "subtle" signals to her to get back to work after a six-month break.
The thing is, their daughter has never truly forgiven her for that. 👎
Basically, the first issue is finding someone you actually trust.
These folks hired this sweet old lady, only to find out after a few times that she’d been teaching her oldest nephew how to headbutt people.
They had to let her go, and while things were fine after that, every sitter seems to have some kind of catch.
For instance, my kids are constantly trying to ride me like a horse 🤣, basically using me as a climbing frame since I'm tall enough to give them a better view of the world.
Babysitters tend to be strict, though; you don't get that kind of leeway with them, as they usually stick to a much tighter discipline.
That has its perks, sure, but it also has its downsides.
The second issue is the cost. You're looking at an 8 or 9-hour workday, and by the time you pay them, it’s basically hitting minimum wage levels—it follows that rule where you get exactly what you pay for.
Plus, you often have to wrap things up early because the sitter has other commitments.
So, realistically, it ends up costing as much as daycare.
There are private preschools too, which cost extra, and you might get better service there, but...
In the US, if you want a standard public daycare, you're expected to be vaccinated. For private ones, maybe not.
Which means, theoretically, they could become breeding grounds for all sorts of germs and anti-vaxxers.
That said, my best friends have a kid in a private preschool and they say everything is fine—that most parents are well-off, there aren't any creeps, and so on. 😁
Man, when it comes to raising kids, there are endless possibilities, but also endless ways to mess up.
If you can avoid infant daycare centers, I'd recommend doing so.
If you can't, well, life happens.
Bebot is going to be the king of his preschool; I think that’s pretty much a given. 😁
Everyone who used a babysitter did so based on a recommendation, and they were either satisfied or absolutely thrilled. I agree that you can't just leave a little one with a total stranger, no matter how charming they seem during the interview. And the price? That's a hurdle; whoever can afford it, will pay it.
Back when I was in college, I babysat for two different families. They would set up shifts, and I’d cover the middle slots. With the first family, I actually made more than some people working full-time. But kids are exhausting, so I bailed after the second year. With the second family, the pay was lower, but the little girl was an absolute angel after that first stint.
Every daycare is a hotbed for viruses, colds, and God knows what else. That’s probably the biggest downside to both public and private daycare. A lot of parents tell me their kids spend more time at home than in school, and more often than not, Mom is the one constantly taking sick days.
