Why professionally train our kids?

© 2003 Julie Hunt, SmartKids 101

When I began to hire babysitters for my kids I soon found out that while the babysitters I hired were sweet kids they didn’t necessarily know how to meet the needs of my children. I wanted confident, responsible sitters who actually knew how to entertain, keep my kids safe and enjoy them too. I questioned whether they had read books about babysitting, attended classes on childcare, or trained in emergency situations. I was consistently met with no, no and no.

Being a teacher by nature and having a mom’s heart I pondered...why couldn’t I teach these kids how to be the kind of babysitter I desired?

Little did I know, I’d just given birth to the most rewarding career I could ever imagine...Babysitting 101...Your Complete Guide to Becoming the Best Babysitter!’

Why do kids need professional babysitter training? I look at it this way: do kids use training wheels for their first bike ride? When they’re preparing their first box of macaroni and cheese, do they first read the instructions on the box? What about karate or ballet lessons? Are these needed for expertise in the area? See where I’m going with this?

We aren’t born with all the information and knowledge that we’ll ever need. And for that reason, we are continually training ourselves in everyday activity.

This same truth applies to the areas of babysitting and safety. Not only does training teach kids the importance of caring for themselves and another person, it also instills confidence, which consequently prepares them for other career opportunities.

Also, parents want to know their children are prepared. I’ll never forget the first time I dropped off my daughter at her first babysitting job. I had a moment of feeling very vulnerable. Had I prepared her to take care of herself and another person’s child? By the time I rounded the corner, back to our home, I realized that the foundation had been properly laid and not only was she prepared, she was ready!

If we understand and act on the principles of professionally training our kids, we will not only see them become more responsible, but perhaps we’ll also see fewer stories of babysitters who are unprepared and ineffective.