Jessica Y.

“ I am a 28-year-old woman with a graduate degree. I teach (English, Creative Writing, and Astronomy), I write (poetry), and for the next few years I would love to do occasional sitting (a night here or there, nothing weekly unfortunately). Right now, I work full-time teaching, so this is what my schedule allows.

I grew up babysitting for my cousins and neighbors. I babysat for infants, whose parents wanted a...

I am a 28-year-old woman with a graduate degree. I teach (English, Creative Writing, and Astronomy), I write (poetry), and for the next few years I would love to do occasional sitting (a night here or there, nothing weekly unfortunately). Right now, I work full-time teaching, so this is what my schedule allows.

I grew up babysitting for my cousins and neighbors. I babysat for infants, whose parents wanted a night on the town. I babysat for triplets who wanted nothing more than to spend every day swimming. I babysat for a mentally challenged teenager who needed a little extra supervision. So I feel like I've seen it all at this point, while of course realizing that I haven't actually seen it all. By which I mean, I am both experienced and prepared for what I've yet to experience. I love being a babysitter because it is a chance to be a positive force in a family's life. What looks like a small act--cooking dinner, picking up a child from school and helping her with homework, tidying up the play area--over time builds into a great help, for all parties, and builds into great relationships. My childhood best friend and I shared a babysitter, and when I look back, I think of our babysitter as a mentor and friend. She taught me how to pop popcorn, she helped me with my multiplication tables. I have no doubt she was also helping my parents, but I felt like she filled out my childhood in some sense. I would love to be that person for a family.

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