When I was a kid, one of my primary sources of income was babysitting. I bought lots of books and sheet music with that money. When my children came along I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal to find a babysitter (this was prior to learning about Autism and everything else). But where were all the teenagers? I looked high and low for teenagers to babysit. Occasionally I would find one of those very rare elusive people. What happened to all the teenagers?
Now teenagers are too busy with sports and other worthy things to be bothered with babysitting. Their parents give them the money and items they need and want. There is no need for them to spend a couple hours playing with kids, eating some pizza and then spending the next few hours watching tv while the kids are in bed for a few bucks.
I wonder however if we are doing them and our communities a disservice though. While the parents pay for the babysitting, it truly is a service to the community at large to provide those babysitting services. It helps produce happier marriages, happier people, saner mothers.😉 Kids learn that working is important. They learn the value of money. Kids get to practice their parenting skills to begin to figure out what works. This all benefits the community at large.
My daughter isn’t old enough yet, but when she is, one of my goals is to make sure she isn’t too busy to help out a stressed out mother and earn a little money by babysitting.
