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| Q |
I
am very shy and have a hard time
with new clients. How could I get
out of my shell? |
| A |
Difficulty
in talking with adults is a
lot more common than you think,
especially when meeting them for the first time.
Remember that they understand that some people are
more quiet or less outgoing than
others. It is important to just
be yourself. However, in order to
reassure the person that you
are a pleasant person and that
you are paying attention, you
need to do the following: |
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Smile -- at the parent and the children! |
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Call the
children and adults by name
and greet them as soon as you see
them. You could say, "Hi
Mrs. Smith, I'm looking forward
to playing with Tiffany. To the
child, you could say, "Hi
Tiffany, I'm (your name), your
babysitter today." Be sure
to look the person you are
speaking to in the eyes. |
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Ask the parents the important numbers
and the questions about the four
routines. This gives you
something to talk about right
away and it lets them
know you plan to do the best
possible job babysitting. |
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Start
playing with the child or
children (or pick up the child)
even while the parent is still there. It's easier to talk
to the children than the adults. Paying attention to
the children lets the parent
know you like their children even if
you are a quiet person. |
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Have fun
and enjoy the children! |
| Q |
How can
I get babysitting jobs? |
| A |
This is a
question most new babysitters face. Babysitting
for relatives (younger brothers and sisters
and cousins) is a good way to start. If family
is not a source of babysitting jobs, the
following tips may be helpful. |
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 Ask your parents to suggest
your name to their friends and the people
they work with. |
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Tell your teachers and other
adults who work at your school that you
have started to babysit. |
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Ask your friends or an older
brother or sister to give your name as a
substitute when they are not available.
(Remember you still need to check
references.) |
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Take a flier or letter and
pass it out to people you know. Include
(1) your name, (2) telephone, (3) hours
you are available to babysit, (4) curfews
on school nights, (5) some of the things
you learned in your Safe Sitter® class.
You may want to offer one hour of free
babysitting . If you distribute fliers,
it is always better to deliver them in person rather than just putting them in
mailboxes. By personally handing them
out, it gives the adult a chance to ask
you questions. If their children are
present, be sure to smile and call them
by name. |
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Do not post your
flier in a public place or on the Internet.
You
should NEVER babysit for
a person you can't check references on. |
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Volunteer to babysit in the
nursery at your church. When parents pick
up their children, they will have the
opportunity to see how you interact with
their child. Showing how much you like
the children is the best way to get a
parent's attention and a babysitting job. |
| Q |
When you are
babysitting and the parents are working in their
office at home, what do you do if the children keep
bothering them? |
| A |
It's
always hard to be in charge of children when
the parents are available. Children naturally
want to bypass the babysitter and go straight
to mommy or daddy. If
you are expected to keep children away from a
parent working at home, ask the parent to
remind the children that you are in charge and
the parent does not want to be disturbed. The
children need to be told this in front of you
at the beginning of the job. The parent needs
to be firm about not being interrupted.
Without the parent's consistent support of
your refusal to let the children interrupt,
the situation will be impossible for you.
If the child asks
to see the parent, you need to say "no" and remind the
child that you are following the parent's rule. If the parent is
willing to break from work after a few hours to spend 15 minutes
you should find out exactly when the parent will be available
and then plan activities that will help pass the time. Even if
the parent feels is is better not to "visit" with the
child, you need to be creative in your attempts to entertain the
child. By distracting the child with games or active play, you
will help the child forget the parent is home.
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Safe Sitter® is a nonprofit, 501 (c)(3)
organization. Copyright © 2008 by Safe Sitter, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This page was last updated
01/10/08
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