5 Crucial Qualities Of An After-School Babysitter

School is back. For a working parent like me, it’s time to find an after-school babysitter. At a glance, it seems like an easy task.

Surely, there is one teenage kid out there willing to babysitter after school. That was how it was years ago when I was a kid.

Well, nowadays, it’s a lot different. An after-school babysitter is not just someone who can come over to keep the kids company. In my case, I want an after-school babysitter who can do more than just keep my kids company while I am at work. An after-school babysitter should be able to care of the kids in my absence.

Back-to-school is not just stressful for us, parents. It’s also stressful for our kids.

Back-to-school is not just stressful for us, parents. It’s also stressful for our kids. That is something we, parent, tend to overlook.

According to Creativechild.com, the home should be a safe environment for the kids to unleash after school. School is stressful, and children’s developing brains aren’t yet fully equipped to handle it.

Hence, it’s crucial that when the kids get home from school, they have all the support that they need to ease the stress of school pressures. How can a home be a safe environment if there’s no after-school babysitter who can provide support for the kids?

Clearly, finding an after-school babysitter is not as easy as it seems because she needs to be a heck of a professional childcare provider. Here are the 4 crucial qualities of an after-school babysitter.

5. An After-School Babysitter Should Be Able To Listen

When the kids come home, they have stories to tell. These stories may be happy or sad. Some may even be downright funny. The point is, an after-school babysitter should be able to listen and empathize with the kids.

She shouldn’t just come over to watch tv or worse, do her own homework. She should take some time to listen to the kids when they get home. If she could pick them up at school, better.

She shouldn’t just come over to watch tv or worse, do her own homework. She should take some time to listen to the kids when they get home. If she could pick them up at school, better.

That’s the reason why an after-school babysitter is not just someone who can come over and keep the kids company. She should be a professional childcare provider who knows how to listen and empathize with kids. I know that’s a lot of work because as a parent, I struggle to listen and empathize with my kids. A professional after-school babysitter should know how to handle that.

4. She Should Know How To Roll Out House Rules

Another crucial quality of an after-school babysitter is the ability to roll out the house rules. I don’t want someone who will ignore or even worse, violate the house rules.

An after-school babysitter should be mature enough to be able to roll out the house rules.

An after-school babysitter should be mature enough to be able to roll out the house rules. At the same time, she should be professional enough to be able handle the situation if in case, she gets some contradicting reactions from the kids. Related read: Save Money On Sittercity

I wouldn’t want someone who will yell at my kids. A professional after-school babysitter should know how to handle the situation and at the end of the day she should be able to tell me about it.

3. She Should Know How To Make Use Of Time

This is one precious quality that I always look out for an after-school babysitter. She should be able to know how to make use of time.

A good after-school babysitter should know how to balance play and study time.

A good after-school babysitter should know how to balance play and study time. The kids are usually stressed after school. As a parent, I would really appreciate it if the kids spent some time relaxing.

Nonetheless, I would also appreciate it if the after-school babysitter made sure that the homework is looked after as well. If she could also help the kids with it, then it’s even more appreciated. Only a professional after-school babysitter would know how to sort this out.

2. She Should be Able To Deal With After School Activities

For me, an after-school babysitter should be open to the fact that she will be dealing with some after school activities. She shouldn’t be closed-minded on just staying home. At some point, she would have to attend to some after school activities, most especially if I can’t make it.

1. She Should Be Able To Give Me An End Of Day Report

The reason why I prefer a professional after-school babysitter is because she knows the importance of providing a parent, like me, an end of day report.

An after-school babysitter should make it a habit to keep me in the know.

An after-school babysitter should make it a habit to keep me in the know. She should be able to relay to me the stories and the activities of my kids. That way, we could both be able to provide the support the kids need to keep up with the stressful demands of school.

As a working parent, these are the crucial qualities of an after-school babysitter. I know it’s a lot to ask for but I have been very luck to find after-school babysitters who have all the 4 qualities that can give me peace of mind while I am at the office.

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Gigi Hernandez

It used to be the case that I would babysit for families. These days, I’m the one hiring sitters to watch over my little girl. LOL! How time flies. My mission now is to share some of my insights so that other moms get to benefit from my experience with babysitting. Read More