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Before the parents leave, get to know the neighbors so that if anything goes wrong, you can always go to them for help. Also remember to get the parents' cell phone number and an emergency contact number so that you can get ahold of them if needed.

So today I just lied on the couch and I helped Mom make reservations for a trip to Williamsburg. We have passes that let us through for the whole year, but it turns out they don't work for the evening programs during the Christmas Season. It would be $60.00 for all five of us to see one evening program. It's not good, but we'll go with it anyway, it's that time of year, prices go up, and skies are the limits! Oh well, I am still excited. I'm not promising any pics, but I'll try!

If the child you are watching is only a few years younger than you, treat it like you would treat one of your friends. Don't act as if itis only two years old, even if the child is. Make the child feel as if the it's a little more "grown up".

Always talk to the parents about how to disipline their children. For instance, some parents do not use time out as a disiplinary action, so that would not work for you at all. For a child that's never had time out, they would not understand what you are doing. You will babysit for different children, different families, so always check with the parents on how to deal with their kids if they are not respecting you. They will always let you know what to do!

When you babysit a child who has been good, make a card that says something like "Thanks for letting me babysit you!" or "You were great!" Attach a piece of candy to the card as a surprise for the child. I tried this, and the family welcomed me back as their best babysitter!

We are getting basically our Christmas break now, so all we have to do is 2 math lessons a week, and 2 reports and 1 poem to memorize, not so bad, huh? I just wanted to fullfill my promise of the post that said I would be talking about other things than babysitting.

Dear Zoey,
What if you were babysitting a kid who doesn't seem to have ANY respect for authority and just think they can do whatever they want? For me, as I have been raised almost completely the opposite, it would be very difficult. What are your ideas on relieving some of the "tension"?
Sincerely,
A fellow babysitter

Dear A Fellow Babysitter,
If the child has no respect for you or anything, put them in timeout for 5-10 minutes and afterwards, explain to them that they need to know that you're in charge and they will have a good time with you if they listen.
Sincerely,
Zoey