A babysitter in a town outside of Boston has been charged with stealing thousands of dollars in goods from the home in which she was employed. The babysitter, Michelle O'Harte, seems like a girl anyone would trust with their children. And, in this case, the very young children were fine, but the parents' goods? Not so much.
Most of the horror stories we hear about babysitters have to do with their hurting children. In this story, the children were A-OK. But it's easy to forget that we trust a babysitter with more than just our kids. We trust them with everything.
I remember when I found out I was pregnant, about a month in, it suddenly dawned on me that I was going to have to hire sitters. I didn't like the idea.
I was a babysitter for years. From the time I was 12 to when I was 25, I took babysitting jobs. Obviously, when I was older, I was more mature, but in my younger jobs, I definitely raided the fridge (and once even the closet) after the parents left and the kids were in bed. Of course, I never stole anything, but the idea of people being in my stuff is only slightly less disturbing.
This is why I have never hired anyone under 18 to watch my kids and 99 percent of our sitters have been over 25 and family members.
I just remember myself as a teen. The fact is, when you invite someone into your home, you trust them completely, and sometimes that trust is broken.
In this case, the sitter was caught. But how can these parents ever trust someone again. Sure, we want our kids to be well cared for and that is the most important thing. But I also like the idea of returning to a home that is safe and well cared for. Is that too much to ask for?
I have never required clean-up as part of the babysitting deal. As far as I am concerned, sitters who stay out of my stuff and keep my babies happy are good. They needn't clean, too. Still, there are many times I have had friends in a pickle and they have used my sitter, trusting only my word of mouth for her.
Because we have kids and we need sitters on occasion, parents do put enormous trust in people, and when that trust is broken, it's hard to mend. I wonder if this family will ever hire another sitter.
Would this make you think twice about sitters?
Image via USCPSC/Flickr