Should i continue to babysit?
825926
There is probably a reason why she lost her son.  from the looks of it, she shouldn't have ANY children, missing work, boozing, not taking responsible care for her child. sounds like she's letting you raise her kid while she does her own thing.  set some heavy boundaries, and report her for child neglect.  If she feels so bad about losing her son, then she should be doing everything in her power to make sure her other one doesn't end up in the system, which sounds to me like she's neglecting to do.  don't think about how sad it would be for her. think about that child who shouldn't have to live his life in those kinds of conditions.  what's more important. child welfare, or selfish mom.
60661
Hi Caspersweetpea! Sean here (the guy you sent an MSN Messenger Live Beta invitation to but at the wrong address :). This situation invites a lot of problems. If that was my kid, I would tell her employer this is not good for my son since he is only 15. The kid your son is babysitting needs special care that only an adult can give specially with his anger problem. If something bad happens to the kid he is babysitting, your son will carry a lot of psychological burden for the rest of his life. If something bad happens to your kid, are you willing to take that risk?
339304
I love my job, but at the same time if I could choose between working or just going to school and concentrating on my education, believe me I would pick being a kid again.  You should appreciate the fact that you dont have to work right now, because the day will come where you wont have a choice.  But if you really insist on doing something, why dont you try volunteer work, or maybe some sports activities, or maybe a library job.\nTry something you can do at your leisure with no worries and no stress.
1072897
no ...too young. you have lots of time. be patient
303364
You're too young to legally work in most states but you can baby-sit.  I did for a long time and made fairly good money.  I would try going to the local (in walking distance) elementary schools and posting ads on the bulletin board for an "experienced and responsible after school care".  Offer to walk the child home from school and have them do homework with you until their parents get home.  This way the parents will feel justified to pay you a little more since you'll be helping "tutor" ;)  After you get one child and are comfortable offer to take on another friend or neighbor child.  You should charge 7-8 per child with the homework factor (2 kids 7.50 per = 15.00 per hr not bad for 14 yr old ;) Good Luck!
1003175
I have a 1year old and it took me forever to find the right person.  Now you have an advantage Your child is old enough to tell you what their doing in a day. Ask! You'll also notice a change in attitude. With Allyson I knew I had good odds she's a univeristy grad in child care; but she get's them outside Brad comes home pleased as pie about his life and says oh a lot:) She also taught him a cool high five and low five a skill everyone year old needs. If it's not working pay you care and find someone else
21459
Boy I understand your situation. What is your favorite hobby? Maybe there is a local store that will sell your goods for you or you can try ebay like the other answerer suggested. Do you like children, how about occassional babysitting? Plants, do you have an interest or a nice garden, do you like to bake alot, take a very part time job at a local bakery making your speciallty.. I wish you luck what ever you decide to do
196005
This is not fair to anyone involved, you may have to give in(even though it is wrong). They probably won't for awhile. So try your hardest to bite your tongue and murmur through it May I hold my gradnchild? They will eventually change. Just be patient, and when she gets to be a toddler, they may be asking for you to actually babysit.
127354
It depends on what part of the country you're from, to tell you the truth.  In areas where things cost more, babysitters are paid more.  I was paid $8/hr to watch only 2 kids, so for them to watch that many children (especially in that age range), it sounds perfectly fair.  Also, you said it was New Years Eve, holidays cost extra, it's all about supply and demand! :)
752276
Work at a daycare!  I used to work at my sons' daycare and got 50% off of the tuition plus I got out of the house.  tell him you want to get out of the house more so you won't get bored and that your toddler would love to have more friends.  then explain how working at a daycare will benefit you both, you and the baby!  if you have to tell him you will only work partime, which could be half days all week or just a couple days a week. so it won't interfere with housework and won't be "abandoning" your child
612976
call other babysitters in the area and check their rates for a comparison. i know some people who vary their rates depending on how many kids, how the kids act, and how often they'll be babysitting (perhaps giving a bit of a discounted rate for sitting on a regular basis).  you can negotiate with the parents as well as some might already have decided what they're willing and able to pay.
826805
I did babysit as an older sibling, but it was only if my parents went out on a date (not very often) or they had meetings at church.  It was okay, and I didn't really have a choice.  It was my way to contribute.  Why make my parents pay a babysitter when they've raised such a responsible child, right?  However, it was few and far between.  With my children, I will always pay them for watching siblings.  My 8 year old keeps an eye on her brother at soccer practice on the sidelines while I'm on the field.  For the hour she get $2, and I'm 20 feet away.  \n\nIt's kind of a touchy situation, depending on how often the older kids are required to watch the younger ones.  If they're not able to have a life, something needs to be worked out.  Parents should not expect older children to watch younger ones after school for hours so they can work.  If there are 2 incomes in the house, hire a professional to watch your kids.  That's where they should take more responsibility.
207770
i babysit very often, although i've never had a case like this.  i know it may sound odd, but i think the price/hour/child, in this case, may depend on how long she babysits each time.  by this, i mean that, if she just babysits for an hour or two, it would be less per hour than if she did it for more than 4 or 5 hours.  this is because, as the time goes by, there is more work that has to be done, more problems to deal with, more stress for sitter and children, etc.  i would say a baseline total would be about $20-$30 per hour, but more would be acceptable, depending on the families monetary status (if you know it), the going rate for babysitters in your area, etc.  possibly, charge $30 for the first 2 or 3 hours, then maybe $40 for the next few.  with these prices, I'm using a low estimate of $15 for autistic/hour (more, depending on the work your daughter needs to do), then $7.50/hour for each of the other 2.  i give the same price for these 2  because the 12 yr old probably doesn't need that much looking-after, i think it's nice to charge a little less as they get older, and, especially since it sounds like the ADD is very mild, that shouldn't be much of a factor in pricing.  ask around what is usually charged for 3 typical children in your area, raise the price slightly, consult with the parents of the children about how much they are willing to pay.  the price for 2 childern should be more than the price of 1 child times 2 (more work with 2, more trouble to get into), same goes for 3.\nyour daughter sounds like a wonderful person to be willing to do this work.  it sounds like a great opportunity for her to grow as a person as well.
107863
I had a very similar question with a 5 year old who always wanted my attention.  A friend of mine suggested that I put him to work.  Awesome!  Now as I'm putting away groceries, watering the lawn, feeding the dogs, anything,  . . . I always find at least some small aspect that he can help with.
1045766
* Baby-sitting - Babysitting is a tried and true way for any responsible teenager to make money (IF you like kids!). Any community that has families with small children needs baby-sitters. However, it is extremely hard to find trustworthy and reliable baby-sitters who are available on a regular basis. Your business would provide in-home baby-sitting services. There are several things you can do to make your services more valuable. First, you should go take a Red Cross first aid course so that you know how to handle emergencies. You might also want to volunteer at your church if there is a day-care center there. You can pick up a lot of valuable experience that way. Second, you might want to consider teaming up with some like-minded friends. That way your group will be able to say "yes" more often and that will increase the number of calls you get. See this page for some great advice on babysitting.\n    * Lawn or yard care - Another perrenial favorite. During the summer you mow lawns, trim hedges and so on. In the fall you rake leaves. In the winter you shovel snow.\n    * Indoor house painting - You advertise your ability to paint individual rooms in a customer's house. Before undertaking this adventure you should make sure you know what you are doing by reading, working with someone with experience and practicing in your own home.\n    * Baked goods (cookies, cakes etc.) - Many families are too busy to bake their own cookies and cakes these days. However, having fresh-baked goods around the house is nice. Also, a family might need a home-baked cake for a school bake sale or a party. You could provide baked goods for special occasions like these or sell baked goods at local craft or farmers' markets. Check local health laws as you are starting this sort of activity.\n    * Cleaning - If you enjoy cleaning and do it well, then house cleaning for others is straightforward and easy. Find busy people in your neighborhood and clean for them once every week or two.\n    * Dog walking or vacation pet care - Most people who have pets want to give them the best care possible. Your business would help pet owners to do that by walking their pets daily or by providing in-home pet care when owners are on vacation.\n    * Errand-running for busy people - Busy people often do not have time today to stand in line to get their license plates renewed, to buy groceries or to run other errands. Your business would handle these tasks for them.\n    * Washing cars for neighbors - You can simply wash cars. There is also a whole industry called "car detailing". A detailer washes and waxes the outside and REALLY cleans the inside: vacuuming, washing the windows, armor-alling, etc.\n    * Teaching older people how to use computers or the internet - Many older people are totally affraid of computers. If you understand computers you can help them. You could come to the customer's home (or they to your home) and you could charge on a half-hourly or hourly basis.\n    * Using a computer application - learn Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, etc. and then go get or create a part-time job in a small business using your skills (see also the Job Skills article).\n    * Creating Web Sites - If you are artistic and technically minded, there is a great opportunity available right now creating web sites for small businesses. Or try creating your own web site that generates a lot of traffic and make money selling ads on it. (see also the web site article)\n    * Making and selling something unique: A newsletter on something that interests you, something arty, etc. If you are artistic create greeting cards or draw portraits. You will discover that your greatest difficulty doing this is finding outlets, so work to solve that problem (you will learn an incredible amount in the process).
691675
I'm a stay at home mum with 2 kids too.  Do what I did.  Get a job in a childcare centre!  It may not seem like much fun (it didn't to me when I started) but it's been great.  I tried to get office jobs and actually got offered 2 jobs, but by time I paid tax and childcare fees, I wasn't ending up with anything in my pocket at the end of the day, I was working for nothing.\n\nWith this job, my children come with me. (the childcare centre doesn't charge me for bringing my kids to work!)  It means that I have an income plus I get to spend the day with my children - which is so important, they're only little for a short period of time, you don't want to miss this if you can help it.  The best bit is that because my kids are participating in activities all day, by the end of the day, they're exhausted (me too!) but they pretty much eat their dinner and go straight to bed without arguments.  Some days when I work part time, they are happy to spend the afternoon in quiet activities (watching TV) because they've had so much stimulation in the morning.  On these days, I study part time - I'm doing a business course by correspondence.  \n\nTo get a job like this, if you have no experience (I didn't), offer to do some voluntary work for a childcare centre nearby to get some "work experience".  Explain to them that you have 2 young children and you'll work for free in return for free childcare while you're there.  It's amazing how many places will take you on and teach you the ropes if they know they're getting free labour.  I don't have any qualifications (not even first aid) but the law here in Australia is that as long as there is a qualified person in the room, I don't need to be qualified, I just had to get a police check which the childcare centre paid for.  I worked for 2 months voluntary before they offered me a paid position.  Once you have experience you could get a position anywhere.  It's an industry that there are a lot of employment vacancies at the moment.  Once you start getting on top of things financially and get into a bit of a routine, maybe you could consider studying part time by correspondence (via email) as I did, it will open up a whole world for you.  The day your kids start school, you may have qualifications for a job you've always dreamed of and have a huge future in front of you with a great income.\n\nI wish you all the best, I know how hard it is to be a mum and be broke!!!!  Don't be discouraged, keep knocking on doors until you find the right job.  It will happen if you keep a positive frame of mind.  I know you can do it!!!!
1127445
I am a home daycare provider, I have a printed out rules sheet, they have to sign and agree to upon starting babysitting, one of my rules are whether your child shows up 1 day or 5 days, the price is still the same. If you are having problems with not paying ,tell them that you are going to have to charge a late fee onto the price each week they are late, and then they will start paying on time, if you are considering getting anymore kids to babysit, it may be a good idea to have them pay a week in advance and after that you shouldn't have any problems.I also had problems with parents picking up their child late, after my hours were suppose to be over with, so I started charging 5.00for every extra 30 minutes.         Good Luck