Do your sons babysit? (not family)

amother

Cerulean

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 11:20 am

I don't have sons, but boys babysitting is very rare.

I personally wouldn't hire a male for my toddler daughter.

mha3484

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 11:21 am

My son does not babysit because it doesn't work for his schedule but he told me if camp didn't work out he wanted to get a job in a day camp. He would be happy to help with younger kids hes very sweet with his siblings helps the 7 year old do HW and thinks the 5/3 year olds are hilarious. But I need him to go to the learning program that has maariv attached or it gets really complicated.

amother

Snowflake

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 11:21 am

Yes, my son is a very popular babysitter in our neighborhood.

DH also babysat when he was a teen.

amother

Cappuccino

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 11:25 am

Yes, my son babysits. But it gets complicated with yichud, so only for families that have the right age/gender composition.

amother

Dahlia

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 11:26 am

My husband works with bachurim, we’ve had some of them over to babysit from time to time . Payment is a plate of dinner or hot chulent.

Ema of 5

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 11:47 am

My son baby sits only at home.
I would hire a boy if I had only boys. I can’t explain why, but having a boy baby sit for girls makes me more nervous than a girl baby sitting for boys.

teachkids

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 11:57 am

families who have only boys often prefer boy babysitters. If your son wants to do it, I’m sure you’ll find takers

amother

Glitter

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 12:04 pm

One of my then-tween sons babysat for a young boy (ages 4-6) for several summers. The mom was working from home but needed someone to entertain the boy as he fought with his sister who was also a tween.

The boy loved having my son come over as they played boy things like cars, trains, building toys, etc.

I knew the parents very well so I wasn’t worried about my son being falsely accused of anything nefarious.

keym

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 12:10 pm

Not often.
By the time they're old enough (12/13), their schedule gets more intense and less flexible. Chavrusos, minyanim.

They do babysit occasionally for the neighbors 9 year old son. Only child, complicated stage. Too young to stay alone, but yichud for a girl to babysit.

Generally, babysitting and young childcare is not their area of enjoyment.
They earn money cleaning cars for Pesach or kashering kitchens.
Though they would be camp counselors in day camps, but that's out of the toddler stage.

amother

Daisy

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 12:15 pm

I have two teenage sons who at times have babysat. One for a family of three boys, and one for an only child who was a boy. Not actively looking for jobs for them, these are friends/neighbors who asked.

amother

Cappuccino

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 12:23 pm

My first several were boys, so for a long time I appreciated when I could get a male babysitter, and I'm glad my oldest is now able to do it for others. As mentioned, it can be complicated (yichud is a problem for girls starting age 3, wheras for boys it's ahe 9, which is why this is more of an issue for male babysitters), but it's actually a good gig. Because of my son's schedule, the vast majority of the babysitting he takes the kids are already sleeping, so he's literally getting paid 50 bucks to read a book and eat snacks lol.

amother

Seagreen

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 12:27 pm

theoneandonly wrote:

Yes DS babysits.

What age?
And is this location based?
how does he get to and from the family he is babysitting at?

amother

Mustard

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 12:38 pm

amother Cappuccino wrote:

Yes, my son babysits. But it gets complicated with yichud, so only for families that have the right age/gender composition.

Yichud is complicated for girl babysitters too. Wish there were boys available to babysit my sons 9 and 5. A teenage girl can't according to yichud

amother

Firethorn

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 12:40 pm

My friend is begging for boy babysitters. She has boys, and she cant use girl babysitters anymore due to yichud

TwinsMommy

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 12:47 pm

I was a playgroup assistant and my husband came to visit me and meet the kids on a day off because he's great with kids. One of the moms started a rumor that he's a child molester. Few believe it, but enough do that he'll never again visit me while I'm subbing assisting. Or babysitting.

Why is it an assumption that if it's a boy or man, abuse or molestation is involved? Ladies. We all MARRIED men and are raising boys. Gender assumptions are stupid.

I gladly would have hired a male babysitter when my kids were young enough but everyone available was female.

amother

Lily

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 1:00 pm

TwinsMommy wrote:

That is Terrible!!

amother

Honey

Thu, Mar 07 2024, 1:02 pm

My sons' schedules run quite late and they need make sure they have access to minyan maariv if the timing coincides.
But they have babysat for my friend occasionally. They get paid nicely and the kids are mostly sleeping then.
One of my sons babysat for a friend a couple of times when she had weddings and needed an overnight babysitter (no little babies). It worked out wonderfully for my son. He got paid for sleeping!
I wouldn't let them babysit at random houses, only friends and neighbors.