Is the BSC plausible in this day and age?

[claudiascandystash]

I have a two year old and another baby on the way, and belong to a message board for moms with young children. I was just thinking today about how the BSC would never fly with this population (Think typical volvo driving soccer mom).

- 11 year olds being in charge of as many as 3 kids. I think this is actually illegal here, as you have to be 12 to babysit. Meanwhile, I started babysitting at 10, lol

- 13 year olds being in charge of infants as young as a few months old- I know I would be ok with a 13 year old babysitter if I knew them and they were responsible, but not until my kid was at least 2.

- BOYS babysitting. As sad as it is, there is the predominant impression that if you leave your kid alone with a male babysitter they are going to be molested. I know I face a lot of resistance because most of our babysitters are male (two 15 year olds that I've known for years, and my BIL)

- New clients booking jobs without meeting the club first/the club being able to advertise and take jobs with clients they don't know firsthand. I know I wouldn't let my 13 year old babysit in someone else's house if I did not know them personally, or have someone who I know to vouch for them.

....anyone else?

[sparklymouse]

Jan 18, 2010 21:07:44 GMT -5 claudiascandystash said:

BOYS babysitting. As sad as it is, there is the predominant impression that if you leave your kid alone with a male babysitter they are going to be molested. I know I face a lot of resistance because most of our babysitters are male (two 15 year olds that I've known for years, and my BIL)

I have never once thought teenage boy = baby raper. I don't get why people think that, but you aren't the first one I've heard that from.

New clients booking jobs without meeting the club first/the club being able to advertise and take jobs with clients they don't know firsthand. I know I wouldn't let my 13 year old babysit in someone else's house if I did not know them personally, or have someone who I know to vouch for them.

I don't have any kids, but it is my understanding that a good teenage sitter is hard to find. I think if I heard from other parents that so-and-so was a reliable sitter then I would probably trust that without meeting the person first. On the flip side, if I found a sitter that I liked and trusted I wouldn't share that info with others as I wouldn't want them to snatch the sitter from me. I personally wouldn't like the rotating sitter format of the BSC. I guess it depends on the community you live in, but where I live I think it is in the realm of possibility to send your teen to a home you don't know. You probably know somebody who knows somebody who knows the people, that sort of thing.

I'm far enough out of my teenage years that I don't know if baby-sitting is even very popular anymore. It seems more and more common to rely on family members.

[rainbowgirl28]

Jan 19, 2010 15:53:49 GMT -5 sparklymouse said:

Jan 18, 2010 21:07:44 GMT -5 claudiascandystash said:

BOYS babysitting. As sad as it is, there is the predominant impression that if you leave your kid alone with a male babysitter they are going to be molested. I know I face a lot of resistance because most of our babysitters are male (two 15 year olds that I've known for years, and my BIL)

I have never once thought teenage boy = baby raper. I don't get why people think that, but you aren't the first one I've heard that from.

Sadly, this is probably how most people feel anymore. When I have kids, I probably would hesitate to have a boy babysit for them. If I had boys, I'd be more likely to allow it, but if I had little girls, it would only be if it was someone I knew REALLY well.

I don't think there is much guys can do about it either, other than always being above reproach. I think if a teenage boy was too gung ho about baby-sitting, he would not only get made fun of by his peers, but he would probably be treated with even more suspicion by parents!

[alula]

Well, in some places, male nannies are actually sought after, especially in families with boys. (I refuse to call them "mannies," though. Stupid portmanteau "trends.") But in general, I think people don't really use young teens as sitters as much--they do childcare co-op, or extended day care, or have nannies, or take their kids out with them more often, or only leave them with family. Part of it I think is the generally increased amounts of isolation--when I sat, I started for my neighbors and friends of my mom's, and then I got more clients from church, and a few of them recc'd me to other people. It was all very interconnected and word of mouth, and I know from my mom's friends with younger kids that even in the last six or eight years, there's been a big drop in demand.

[oldhickory]

oh, i am so angry. i had a big long reply typed out but i was signed out. grr. let's see if i remember.
i think, aside from parents having issues with the sitters, a lot of the plot lines are implausible anyway. everyone has cell phones now (even really young kids have them) so books like snowbound or haunted mansion would be out. it would only take a phone call to figure out where everybody ended up. i'm sure there have been advancements in controlling diabetes since 1986, so the repetitive "stacey is sick and nobody knows why" books would probably not work either. and who really believes that a 22 year old man would be allowed to ask a student to stay alone with him after class and then INVITE HER TO HIS CAR without anybody calling the cops? teachers are held to such a high standard, and for good reason. wes should have been kicked out of his program, sent to jail, and denied his teacher's license for allowing his student to pursue him without stopping her or disclosing any of this to his superiors.
i'm sure there are more, but it's 4:30 in the morning and i'm too tired to think :]

[supprazz]

So much stuff in the books is unrealistic and I don't think they are aging well at all. I loved the books growing up and still do, but felt like I was getting a rude awakening with each year passing by that a lot of it is unrealistic.

[Deleted]

Regarding the general suspicion of male babysitters, it's generally sad but true. One might think a good option would be to partner up with a female babysitter, but then they'll just assume that you'll be making out on their couch while letting one child drown in the tub and the other choke to death when eating cat litter.

Back to the BSC, as it was previously mentioned, there are a lot of things that are being lost more and more. I remember reading English classics like Great Expectations and being surprised by the cultural differences. Somehow, that feeling is beginning to approach onto the BSC.

Hmm, an example would be girls forming a babysitting group at age 12 and then going around the town sitting. Society has become more open and more guarded at the same time. No trust, plain and simple

[oldhickory]

one of my friends (a guy, whose family situation isn't really the best) was taken advantage of by his baby sitters when he was younger, but the scary part is that it happened more than once and it was a male AND female baby sitter who did it. i only found out recently and it made me feel so sick. it isn't just boys who can touch your kids. anybody left in a position of power over kids can use that power to manipulate the kids. obviously parents think girl baby sitters are safer, but that thinking can get your kids in a lot of trouble. so if a parent is going to be cautious enough to avoid sitters they think might take advantage of their kids, they need to rule out a few more people.

[booboobrewer]

^That's awful The BSC certainly painted a rosy picture of the world of baby-sitting. Growing up I never had any desire to sit or be sat for...

[supprazz]

It makes me sad to read that, but it's true. People grow more and more suspicious of older outsiders around their kids with the fear factor placed upon us in society.

[wenonah4th]

today I doubt that the girls would sit for babies as young as they do. The change in attitude towards teens aside, women like Mrs. Newton, Mrs. Dawes, Mrs. Perkins, et al, would be more likely now to breastfeed than to bottle feed (as they did in the books) and therefore would have their babies with them more.

[anzuhana]

I don't think the BSC is plausible in this day and age because there are cell phones and I think that as a reult, there won't be a need for any meetings since the clients could just call the girls individually. Also, I don't think people will allow 11 and 13 year olds to babysit for babies.

[starlett2010]

Apr 16, 2010 14:25:08 GMT -5 wenonah4th said:

today I doubt that the girls would sit for babies as young as they do. The change in attitude towards teens aside, women like Mrs. Newton, Mrs. Dawes, Mrs. Perkins, et al, would be more likely now to breastfeed than to bottle feed (as they did in the books) and therefore would have their babies with them more.

Why do you think they would be more likely to breastfeed now than back then? I know several mothers who bottle feed.

I agree that the girls wouldn't sit for babies. My cousin's daughter is 5 months and I'm 23....and they still won't let me sit for her! My sister and I both sat for her when she was a newborn but it was an emergency situation. I don't think my cousin and his wife trust me, as an adult, with their child, so I doubt many parents would allow a 11/12/13 year old sit for a baby!

[wenonah4th]

breast feeding has become more standard than it was in the 80s. I'm not sure of the specific numbers but it's more normal. Mid-century the pendukum swung in favor of formula, as "progress" and "scientific" and the breast was considered a bit backward by many people. Nowadays it's gone the other way.

[Honeybee]

Apr 20, 2010 12:34:56 GMT -5 wenonah4th said:

breast feeding has become more standard than it was in the 80s. I'm not sure of the specific numbers but it's more normal. Mid-century the pendukum swung in favor of formula, as "progress" and "scientific" and the breast was considered a bit backward by many people. Nowadays it's gone the other way.

Yup, sure has. gone the wrong way. Everyone ew about breastfeeding, but not ew when women flash them. I don't have kids. But, I support breast feeding.


When i was younger, usually my older sister, older cousins, grand parents, or friends parents watch me or my older sister. I remember my parents went to a wedding (One of relatives wedding.) No kids allowed (Just my Uncle's kids from his previous marriage.) it was all day. My sister like 12 or 13 @ the time. I was like 9 or 10 or maybe younger. Anyways, we stay @ our friend's house. Their mother watch us, until our parents picked us up. Which i had more fun. My sister she just watch me like couple of hours. When, our parents went out somewhere. Which, it wasnt often. Mostly, our parent took us, to places. But, if it was Parent/teacher conference or adult meeting. That's when my older sister watch me.