Philosophy Now Forum

one little boy i babysit is wonderful

he is intelligent and funny, willingly does his homework and piano practice, can cleanup after himself and goes to bed when he is told

i have heard that other babysitters have problems with him but never had any myself so i had no idea what was was that but his parents are willing to pay my hellion rate - which in this case is easy money

well last night he told me that he deliberately acts as a total hellion with other babysitters so that his parents always call me

this is for two reasons

one is that the other babysitters are in his words total bitches

two this way i can charge the hellion rate and he thinks i could use the money

on one hand i feel flattered

on the other hand this is horrible and manipulative and should be discouraged

I'm looking forward to hear of your strategy for doing just that ^^

i decided to talk to the parents about it because fiduciary duty

That boy is brilliant. How old is he?

Kayla wrote:i decided to talk to the parents about it because fiduciary duty

I'm going to wager my reputation as a judge of bourgeois character that they probably laughed it off and either condescendingly downplayed your ethical position as naive, or else fired you for your honesty.

actually the parents did act on this in a rational and responsible manner

and this enhanced my reputation as a totally awesome babysitter who is cheap at twice the price

dealing with kids is easy you have to stay calm and not put up with their shit

its weird i freak out and lose my temper easily when dealing with my peers or adults

but having to deal with an attempted foodfight supervising a sleepover leaves me totally calm

this kid will be president, or in prison!

Kayla wrote:one little boy i babysit is wonderful

he is intelligent and funny, willingly does his homework and piano practice, can cleanup after himself and goes to bed when he is told

i have heard that other babysitters have problems with him but never had any myself so i had no idea what was was that but his parents are willing to pay my hellion rate - which in this case is easy money

well last night he told me that he deliberately acts as a total hellion with other babysitters so that his parents always call me

this is for two reasons

one is that the other babysitters are in his words total bitches

two this way i can charge the hellion rate and he thinks i could use the money

on one hand i feel flattered

on the other hand this is horrible and manipulative and should be discouraged

The bottom line is that he likes you and wants to be with you, its a meeting of personalities that makes for a good friend ship. You could be a very positive influence on his life, just be careful the advice you give him, and don't lie. He'll find it out and you'll loose him.

there has been a time once that i did babysit a child that i thought was from hell. everything you told him to do he did the complete opposite. time outs didnt work and smacking hands didnt work, even soap in the mouth didnt work.

though i have babysit kids that have been complete angels

i miss the kid

but they found a stern old lady from one of the soviet block countries who can deal with him

he will be coming to visit us for a week during the holidays though - maybe i should add Kayla's camp for incorrigible boys as another aspect of an already multifaceted business concern

Kayla wrote:one little boy i babysit is wonderful

he is intelligent and funny, willingly does his homework and piano practice, can cleanup after himself and goes to bed when he is told

i have heard that other babysitters have problems with him but never had any myself so i had no idea what was was that but his parents are willing to pay my hellion rate - which in this case is easy money

well last night he told me that he deliberately acts as a total hellion with other babysitters so that his parents always call me

this is for two reasons

one is that the other babysitters are in his words total bitches

two this way i can charge the hellion rate and he thinks i could use the money

on one hand i feel flattered

on the other hand this is horrible and manipulative and should be discouraged

I'm not sure what your problem is.
Is it because he is being honest?
Is it because you think that having a rapport with your charge is unethical?
If your relationship works then carry on.

Kayla wrote:i miss the kid

but they found a stern old lady from one of the soviet block countries who can deal with him

he will be coming to visit us for a week during the holidays though - maybe i should add Kayla's camp for incorrigible boys as another aspect of an already multifaceted business concern

And do you think that his time with the Old Ruskie is more productive than with you?

the russians can usually be accurately described as stern rather than funloving

i got an email from him and he tells me she is better at explaining some homework stuff than i was but not as much fun

he gives her a solid ok and has not been a hellion with her

she is also apparently the master of the 'stern old russian woman look' which basically stops naughty children in their tracks