Parents Council: Adventures in baby-sitting

From the Parents Council blog:

“What’s the standard rate for baby sitters?

“And how do you find the good ones? Some people are lucky enough to have relatives in town to help care for the kids once in a while, but for those who don’t have family in the area, whom do you turn to for the occasional night out?” – Posted by Virginia de Leon

“We usually pay $3-$5/hour, sometimes more, sometimes not. Depends how long they are at our house, do they make dinner of sorts, if it’s evening and the kids are in bed that would get less pay than 6 hours of daylight play time. Usually for a night out it’s about $20-$30. Most baby sitters will NOT tell you a rate, so it’s kind of up to you.

“I think the more direction you give to a baby sitter, the better. If you don’t want them just sitting in front of the TV then give them options. If you want them to do the dishes, let them know. No cell phone calls to boyfriends/friends? Give your expectations.

“However, part of the fun of a baby sitter is for your kids to do things they don’t always get to do when boring mom/dad are around. Plus they’re energetic teenagers who like to play with kids, what’s not to like?” – Posted by Debbie G.

“We had our kids go through training to become ‘certified.’ We thought it would increase their sitting fees. Our son, refusing, was very upset when his dad told him that now his little sister would be in charge because she had more training.” – Posted by Alexa

Share your thoughts on this and other parenting issues at spokesman review.com/ blogs/parents.