Anonymous
Post 02/24/2026 08:37     Subject: Re:What do you expect from a babysitter?
That my children were alive and in their bedrooms when I got home, and that they hadn’t been allowed to watch anything R rated, and that they hadn’t been hit or screamed at, and that the dinner I’d left for them is what they had eaten for dinner (as opposed to ice cream and cookies). That’s about it.
Anonymous
Post 02/24/2026 08:23     Subject: What do you expect from a babysitter?
Anonymous wrote:If you hired a high schooler (14-18) to babysit your elementary school-aged children (K-5th) for an evening, what would you expect from the sitter?

Let’s say the evening was from 6pm-9:30/10pm. What would it look like?


Mom of high schoolers here. You have to understand that high schoolers are trying their best, but if you don’t want them on their phone or you expect them to put dishes in the dishwasher, you should probably tell them so everyone is clear. If you want all toys put away before bed, tell them. Some elementary kids are pretty independent with getting ready for bed and others need more support to stay on task. Tell them timing and the normal routine. Don’t assume they know your 6 year old needs to be reminded to use the toilet one last time, for example. Teens are used to people (parents, teachers) telling them what to do all day and they’re pretty receptive to instructions.
Anonymous
Post 02/24/2026 08:21     Subject: What do you expect from a babysitter?
Almost nothing. If everyone is still alive and nothing is broken, it’s a win.
Anonymous
Post 02/24/2026 08:18     Subject: What do you expect from a babysitter?
Anonymous wrote:If you hired a high schooler (14-18) to babysit your elementary school-aged children (K-5th) for an evening, what would you expect from the sitter?

Let’s say the evening was from 6pm-9:30/10pm. What would it look like?


OK, I'll play:

6: Sitter gives the kids dinner, either something you've prepared or pizza delivery.

6:30: Mild cleaning up. Like, dishes in the sink, containers put away.

6:45: Play outside if the weather is nice. Play with toys if not. Older kids could read, draw, etc.

7:45: Get little ones heading toward bed. Maybe a snack, maybe a movie.

Bedtime when the parents say, but with a little latitude because some kids won't go to bed for a sitter.

Anonymous
Post 02/24/2026 08:15     Subject: What do you expect from a babysitter?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I would expect two things:

1) To follow my instructions.
2) To keep the kids safe.

For a kid that age, I would assuming nothing else.

I would tell them to serve dinner at around 6:30pm. I'd give them something easy (chicken nuggets to microwave, or I would have ordered them a pizza).

Start getting ready for bed at about 7:30, they know where their pajamas are, make sure they both use the bathroom and brush their teeth before bed. Once they're all ready for bed, they can each pick a book for you to read to them. Lights out between 7:45 and 8. I'd provide a lot of detail here (my kids are finicky at bedtime and it goes much more smoothly if you follow the same steps).

I would also be clear with them that they may not invite anyone over, and that they may not use their phone, unless it's an emergency, until after the kids are in bed. No screens for the kids. I'd give them the wifi password for after bedtime, and I'd tell them they're also free to watch TV (we've got Netflix, hulu, etc) after bedtime. And with a sitter that young and with that little awake time, I'd tell them not to leave the house (again, unless there's an emergency), and not to let anyone in and I'd make sure all the doors were locked before we left.

I'd expect to come home to the sitter watching tv or on their phone, kids asleep. Maybe she cleaned up after dinner, maybe not (I wouldn't care about that). And I'd expect in the morning when I talked to the kids, that they had fun.

For this age - anything you forgot to say (like "please cleanup after dinner" or "don't show my kids your phone") is on you besides basic safety stuff.

It sounds like you’d be better off with an adult babysitter. I wouldn’t expect half of this from a teenager. I also think it’s ok to relax rules when you have a sitter in the house. No using your phone until the kids are in bed? Do you follow that rule?


PP here - yes, we don't use our phones around the kids except for things like "oh, we're out of toilet paper, let me add it to my amazon cart" or "what's the weather" but we do not scroll on our phones around the kids. And certainly a teenager who is being paid to watch the kids shouldn't be scrolling their phone while they're awake. I will say our kids are on the younger end of the stated range (K and 1st) so that might make the difference. But I don't think I'm expecting much here. Bottom line:

-Play with them
-Keep them safe
-Serve an easy dinner
-Get 'em ready for bed, read 'em a book, put 'em to bed.
-No guests, stay inside
-No screens until they go to bed.

Those feel like pretty reasonable expectations? I don't care if the house is a mess or anything like that, and they can do whatever they want once they're in bed.



Agree with all of this. I'm not paying them to scroll on their phones the whole time. If my kids don't have at least some fun, I can hire someone else.
But, yes, keep them, more or less in their normal routine: safe, happy, and to bed.


Agree. This is reasonable. Teens shouldn’t be on their phone while babysitting. Trust me, you don’t want you kid seeing what they are watching on their phone. Or FaceTime with their friends and now your kid is in on it- just no. Phones after bed.