# Boy babysitter **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 11, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-babysitter/581586 "2011-05-11T23:41:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-babysitter/581586/21 "2011-05-13T18:25:45Z")
> [@Palo\_Verde](#): > > The best way to reduce the likelihood of your child being sexually abused is to never let a relative babysit. The child is far more likely to be molested by a family member than anyone else. So if you chose to have that nice neighborhood boy babysit instead of your sister, the kid is statistically much safer. When I had my first child, I went to a new moms’ group at the hospital. The nurse running it clearly had an agenda when it came to babysitters and went on this long rant about not hiring boys to babysit our babies. (Really awesome…because new moms are generally so relaxed and anxiety-free to begin with…) All 6 of us in the group happened to have male partners and were like, “Um…we chose males to have babies with. Why would we assume men could not be trusted to babysit?” It was bizarre, and I think one of the moms ended up complianing to someone about it. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-babysitter/581586/22 "2011-05-13T18:30:26Z")
Another male former babysitter checking in. As a teen, I did a fair bit of babysitting to earn some extra money. No one ever complained about my services and I was (I believe) generally well-regarded as I received plenty of referrals and repeat business. I also like to think that it was some of what I learned as a babysitter that helped me when I became a father. Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-babysitter/581586/23 "2011-05-13T18:36:17Z")
> [@lavenderviolet](#): > > Being a good parent means putting your kid first, above the feelings of that nice neighborhood boy offering to babysit, and also above the parent’s own ego (in other words, the warm and fuzzy feeling that you get from being able to feel Oh-So-Tolerant and Oh-So-Open-Minded for letting a male babysitter watch your kid). You shouldn’t pick a male babysitter because you want to bolster his (or your) self-esteem. You should pick one if he’s the best babysitter for your kids. The problem is that you’re letting your fear of one specific incredibly unlikely nightmare scenario completely overpower your reason. Like the people who drive instead of flying because they’re afraid of the airplane crashing. There are _so many_ other more important criteria to consider when picking a babysitter. If you’re categorically eliminating half of the population from consideration, it’s pretty likely you’re actually _not_ picking the best one. ---
**Author:** ![jacobsta811](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jacobsta811/32/2893_2.png) [@jacobsta811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacobsta811)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-babysitter/581586/24 "2011-05-13T19:34:33Z")
> [@Palo\_Verde](#): > > The best way to reduce the likelihood of your child being sexually abused is to never let a relative babysit. The child is far more likely to be molested by a family member than anyone else. So if you chose to have that nice neighborhood boy babysit instead of your sister, the kid is statistically much safer. Thats a mis-application of the statistics. That you are more likely to be abused by a relative does not imply that given a similar amount of alone time with a child your relative will abuse you more often than a stranger of similar background. What is _does_ imply is that most people spend far more time alone with relatives than strangers and thus it is much easier to be abused by a relative in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-babysitter/581586/25 "2011-05-13T20:33:34Z")
> [@jacobsta811](#): > > Thats a mis-application of the statistics. That you are more likely to be abused by a relative does not imply that given a similar amount of alone time with a child your relative will abuse you more often than a stranger of similar background. Well, to be fair, **Palo Verde** was responding to **lavenderviolet** ’s assumption that boys would have a difficult time controlling their horny urges around kids which is a misapplication of…something. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-babysitter/581586/26 "2011-05-15T20:08:19Z")
When we had a ephebophile problem at our church (Youth Pastor & Teen Boy), we had a Church-employed specialist come in to help put in a bunch of Child Safety policies, mostly regarding instituting background checks & tightening security around areas where the kids were. Good sensible stuff, for the most part. But one thing I found insulting was her caution about letting ANY teen boys around the little kids. Fortunately, after she helped put everything in place & left, that caution was pretty much ignored. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-babysitter/581586/27 "2011-05-16T01:20:01Z")
As a teenager, I did some babysitting as a substitute for my sisters, and yes, it very much helped me be comfortable around kids. ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-babysitter/581586/28 "2011-05-16T04:08:50Z")
A lot of little kids love boy babysitters. I’ve noticed they’re often more willing to play little kids games for long periods of time and for some reasons young children are especially fascinated with teen boys. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boy-babysitter/581586.md?page=1)