I’ve always been very good with babies. The family across the street had me babysit quite a few times. I didn’t look for it but there 3 year old son loved me for some reason. I used to mow their lawn and he would follow me around. He didn’t want to be watched by anyone else. His 1 year old sister hated me. But she was going through a I hate everyone but Mommy phase. She was usually in bed by the time I got there. I didn’t have any other customers. This was more of a favor than a business though I did get paid. This was in the 80s.
I babysat occasionally when I was in my teens, though never for money.
Well, scratch that. I once agreed to mow the lawn of a friend of my parents, and afterwards stayed with the couple’s kids while they went out for dinner. I thought of it as being paid for the lawn-mowing, though, but that was probably just a vain need to feel manly.
As an adult I’ve sat with friends’ kids.
When I was in high school (in the early '60s), I babysat for my 3 cousins (they are now in their 50s :eek:).
I’ve never hired a male babysitter for my son, and I probably never will. It’s not molestation that is my biggest fear—although it’s certainly there in some small measure—it’s aggression. I think a boy would be much more likely to raise his voice to my kid, maybe slap him, maybe swat him.
John Travolta did it for Kirstie Alley back in the late 80s.
I had a male babysitter a few times when I was like 8-10 or so, in the early 90s I think. Cool guy, we’d play video games.
Huh! Never would have guessed it was so common. So from the replies, it seems that a lot of the male babysitters were asked to do so for friends of the family or neighbors or people that already generally knew the male in question (not all, but many); so this is sort of a side question, having to do again with the possibility of stereotypes…if you had a child that needed babysitting, and had the choice of a male or female babysitter, exact same age (let’s say 20), qualifications, hourly rate, etc., would you choose the male or female? Assume that both, when interviewed, provide good responses as well. My own prejudice would be to hire the female, moreso because I have some odd belief in some kind of maternal instinct than any fear of molestation. I know this is irrational, but then again, it’s hard for me to be rational when it comes to protecting kids.
I think that some of it may be that the largest maturity gap between boys and girls happens in the prime baby-sitting age range, 14-16. That’s the age where a girl is often mature enough to watch a couple school age kids while their parents are out, and she’s willing to because she doesn’t have anything better to do. Around 16, the ones that really need money get more steady jobs, and the ones that don’t really need the money suddenly have complex social lives on the weekend that are more attractive. Boys in this same age range are often noticeably less mature than girls–physiologically, their puberty starts later, and they are still wandering around in a haze of distracting hormones. I don’t think this makes them more likely to molest a kid or anything, but puberty doesn’t just make you horney. It makes you absent-minded, easily frustrated, and illogical. The boys tend to catch back up around junior year, but by then the prime babysitting era is over.
I would always hire a female babysitter - and yes, it is because I am concerned about the risk of sexual abuse.
Not all males are pedophiles, of course, but the majority of pedophiles are male.
Yes, the most likely outcome is that if you leave your kids with a 20 year old guy everything would be fine - but I feel that even a small increase in the risk of my kids being victimized by a sexual predator is unacceptable. For that reason, I WILL avoid leaving them in the care of people from a population that has a higher number of sexual predators among it when given a choice.
I would not hire someone I didn’t know to watch my kids, unless it was in a daycare-type setting where there was more than one adult around. Male or female.
All things being equal, if I had a choice between a woman I know and a man I know, I’d hire the man. I have two boys and they would prefer a guy.
My brother’s misogynistic personality manifested fairly early, so my parents got male babysitters for us. The only trouble I recall was one let us watch TV shows we weren’t supposed to watch.
I know several teen boys that babysit now (within the last five years) for families. Especially ones with pre-teen boys, who love to spend the evening with someone who’s willing to play Halo or Guitar Hero for hours. They don’t tend to cook or clean, like my daughter would, but they’re good solid boys.
When I was a kid my favorite babysitters were guys. I was a little girl and we were alone out in the country, but my parents didn’t assume there was any danger in hiring a teenaged boy. In fact, it was easier to get them, because we were so far out and some of the girls’ parents didn’t like them sitting for a kid alone out in the middle of nowhere.
I would hire the female too, because I was touched inappropriately by a male babysitter. I would probably be worried about any sitter, but more so a male.
I had two male babysitters (just once in awhile, and not nearly as often as the female ones.) I was probably 6 or seven (brother 15 mos. younger) and they were in their earlier to mid teens. We always had a blast with them. They weren’t quite as particular as the girls and were more likely to suggest a more active activity.
May I ask a slight hijack? What about in a daycare setting? Let’s say there’s two classes, one with a male teacher and the other, female. Would you be upset/disappointed/worse off if your child was assigned to the man’s class?
It’s scary how someone who’s never met me knows me so well!
My cousin Timmy used to babysit for me sometimes. (Early '80s) (Although more often it was his sister Nancy). I was only a toddler, so all I remember is playing Candy Land and teasing me because I kept trying to look at the cards. When my sister was born, Timmy and Nancy were her godparents, and we’re still really close with him and his family. In fact, Baby Sis and I used to babysit for Timmy’s kids when they were younger.
So I don’t see the big deal. (As far as the molestation angle goes-I feel for people who have been molested-I truly do. BUT…to demonize all males as being pedophiles isn’t right)
When I was a teenager during the last century, I babysat all ages when I was in high school. I changed diapers. Not a lot of work, but nice to pick up some pocket money. I had training from a local recreation department and boy scout first aid training.
I hate to admit it but I would never let any male outside of my father or my brothers babysit my daughter. I’m just too paranoid about what can happen. Not that long ago I saw a story on the news about a family who hired a male nanny for their six year old daughter and he ended up using her for child pornography videos. That’s just not a risk I’m willing to take in order to be more ‘open and accepting’ of male child care takers.
Heck, when I worked in daycare years ago there was only one man working there watching the children and he wasn’t allowed to change diapers because the parents wouldn’t feel comfortable with that.
What if I put the question like this: all other things being equal, would you hire a white or black babysitter? After all, it is more likely that the black babysitter would be a criminal. (You certainly have the right to prefer women, but I’m just showing why that example is not fair.)
Valete,
Vox Imperatoris