I was like all of you out there, uneasy with the whole "find a new babysitter" thing-worrying about a stranger watching my kids, are they weird, are they bitchy, will they LISTEN to my input....? But I took a chance on MOLLY, and I am so glad I did. She was a friend from the get-go, personable, open, and honest. She made a great first impression that lasted throughout and she never changed into some psycho,...
I was like all of you out there, uneasy with the whole "find a new babysitter" thing-worrying about a stranger watching my kids, are they weird, are they bitchy, will they LISTEN to my input....? But I took a chance on MOLLY, and I am so glad I did. She was a friend from the get-go, personable, open, and honest. She made a great first impression that lasted throughout and she never changed into some psycho, like many sitters can do!
I had many "details" that I nit-picked about when it came to watching my kids; things such as food, naps, and discipline,and she abided by everything I asked of her without complaint, and when needed, "tweaked" my instructions to fit the scenario. In other words, she THOUGHT situations through and acted, relying heavily on common sense as well. Many sitters will just follow your directions blindly to the letter, which at certain times doesn't always apply to the moment at hand. Molly was great in thinking on her feet and making things work so that all the kids were happy.
Molly also did a daily PROJECT which the kids brought home to me every day. This was my favorite part about her as a sitter! She took time out of the day, which was her own idea, to sit the kids down and have a "schooling" session where they did crafts, worked with numbers/letters, or just plain did something fun, all to their appropriate age and learning level. It was great to see their faces at the end of the day as they ran up and showed me what they made, did, etc... The kids LOVED this!
As the weather permitted, Molly took the kids out every day to play and the t.v. was on only when it was "needed", such as down time before naps, or as a break from a chaotic frenzy on the edge of uncontrollable, which kids can often get into. This was great, and I knew that their brains weren't turning into mush all day. The kids were actually her PRIORITY while they were there, and she didn't just plop them down and walk away to her own devices.
Molly also has one daughter with whom my three boys got along with wonderfully, and her daughter was never given any special treatment while my kids were there, and they were all on the same playing field. They were disciplined when naughty and praised when good-none more than the other.
Speaking of discipline, it just happened that Molly and I had the same ideals about discipline so it was easy to explain to her what I wanted with the kids. She used the naughty chair when necessary, the three-count, and removal of toys, etc, in order to maintain respect and authority. When the kids did act up or refused to comply, Molly was very honest with me and explained the given situation, what she did, what they did, and how it was handled.
The meals and snacks were always nutritious and I never once worried about them eating junk. She always told me what she fed them, how much, and when. I was always kept in the loop with how the day(s) went and all my questions were answered.
Molly was a great sitter for our family overall, and I intend on using her in the future when needed, if she'll have us! :) I only used her for about 4 months, but in that time my kids were treated as her own, and I also gained a friend! She's everything you want in a sitter-honest, caring, compliant, fun, trustworthy-all without the cliche'. I would recommend her without question! There's so much more I could say-please feel free to contact me any time with questions you may have.
Beth O., Mt. Washington
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