5 Characteristics Every Babysitter Should Have

The cost of being a teenager is expensive today. Most teenagers insist on the nicest clothes, some teenagers want video games and of course they all have to own a cell phone. Unfortunately not all parents can afford these things. Some teenagers will have to get a job if they want all those things and the classic teenage occupation is a babysitter. For any teenager looking to get a job as a babysitter these are a few skills and characteristics they must have.

Patience
Patience is probably the most important characteristic of being a babysitter. Some times kids are a complete joy and extremely cute but there will be a time when they will get on the babysitter's nerves. Kids will ask a lot of questions, sometimes they won't obey the rules the first time they are explained and sometimes, well, they're just really loud. A lot of the times the child just doesn't know better, or maybe their parents just don't discipline them well. Either way it's not usually the child's fault. Try to keep that in mind when they are a little annoying. It also helps to remember all the sweet or fun times with the child. If the child is caught writing on the wall with crayons then that memory of when they drew a sweet picture will help the babysitter to not get too annoyed.

Sense of Humor
As the saying goes, "kids say the darnedest things". Children don't really know what is appropriate to say and what isn't. Is someone a little overweight? The child might say so. Did someone forget to put on deodorant? A child might say that person stinks. They're not mean, they just don't know better. It's best to have a good sense of humor and be able to roll with the punches. If a child calls you fat and your response is, "well you're dumb", well, you're probably not going to be babysitting for long. It's also important to be playful because a lot of children want to play and if the babysitter doesn't play along then the child will be bored. If the child is bored then that means they are more likely to misbehave.

Punctuality
Most of the time when two parents need a babysitter it is because they need to spend time together. Maybe they have reservations for a romantic date or maybe they are trying to catch a movie at a specific time. Either way the parents must be on time and for them to be on time the babysitter must be on time. If the babysitter shows up thirty minutes late then it could possibly completely ruin their night. If the babysitter has an emergency and can't help being late then be sure to call the parents and tell them you'll be late.

Communication
It is very important for the babysitter and the parents to communicate. The babysitter should know exactly what schedule to follow if the child has a certain schedule. The babysitter needs to know what the child can eat or can't eat, what time is bedtime, whether the child can go to a friend's house or not. Is the child allowed to watch movies or play video games? Most of the time parents will give the babysitter the guidelines but if there is any questions then ask. Never feel like any question is too silly, it is better to be too careful than to not be careful enough.

Disciplinary
Disciplining a child is the most difficult part of the job for a babysitter. It is always difficult to decide what the child can and can't get away with. The babysitter can't just let the child do whatever they want and misbehave but they also don't want to be too hard on the child either. A babysitter certainly should not spank a child unless the parents have told them otherwise. Try using a stern voice and if that doesn't work then try timeout or taking away a toy or early bedtime. There is always a possibility of a child crying and that can be difficult to hear, but they will probably be over it the next day.