Amy van Weelderen is the great mind behind Lullaby League. The Lullaby League is not a nanny or placement service. It is a way for parents to meet and interview university and college students for babysitting jobs. At each mixer moms and dads have a dozen or so 3 to 4 minute “mini interviews” with the prospective sitters, allowing them to get to know each other and find the right fit without the worry and hunting around. Visit their site for information about where and when their next mixers are taking place.
Amy has kindly offered to guest post for Crunchy Carpets and today is covering a great issue – are you comfortable with a male babysitter?
We all are looking for something different when we hire a babysitter. Will they be reliable? Can they be trusted? Will my kids like them? But what about this question…Male or female sitter?
The answer is not an easy one. Finding the best fit for your family goes way beyond gender. But why do some of us moms (and dads) have such a hard time with even the concept of a male babysitter?
Back in the old days, women assumed a man couldn’t cook, do laundry or change a diaper so the concept of having a male care giver was not even a passing thought. Luckily that old stereotype has been broken and we see hands on dads all the time doing a fantastic job. Each and every day we see that men are completely capable of handling the day to day duties of raising wonderful children. Than why does the question still linger? Is it because dads are dads and sitters are…different?
There is certainly no shortage of horrific headlines concerning children. Watch a few episodes of a Law and Order on TV and you won’t let your children out of the house, let alone your sight. But why is it that a man, whatever age, who wants to look after children is instantly thought of as some sort of deviant? Are we assuming they can’t handle the demands or are we fearful of the very worst? Sure a 40 year old man who lives on a boat…maybe not your first pick for a babysitter. But why not a 20 year old education major who is hoping to be a school teacher one day?
A friend brought up a practical question regarding this. What if her 3 year old daughter needed help in the washroom? Would it be ok for a male sitter to help her? A fair question. But when I asked if she would be asking me the same thing of a female sitter and a 3 year old boy, her answer was no. It certainly is something to think about.
Age, experience and background all play a major role in deciding who the best fit for your family will be. Ask yourself and your sitter candidates the right questions and do the necessary background or reference checking and you should find a fantastic sitter…male or female.
I think males can make great babysitters, but for me it depends more on the age and maturity of the sitter more than the gender. Most male teenagers or men in their 20s aren’t the most mature beings on the planet. I have to feel comfortable that they’re able to handle an emergency. That said, I know some girls/women that I also wouldn’t feel comfortable with. That’s why we need to interview our sitters!
I think it depends on the age of the sitter. An older male? Sure. A teen aged boy? Well I can’t get what my husband said to me about why he doesn’t want teen aged boys watching our kids out of my head, “Teen aged boys get weird with hormones.”