10 Signs the Sitter Should Fire the Family

Good babysitters are tough to find and many times a family is forced to fire the sitter who isn’t doing a good job. However, the tables could be turned and the situation may arise where the sitter is forced to fire the family. Babysitting can be a less than rewarding way to make money, and when things get out of hand, it’s time to call it quits. Here are 10 signs the sitter should fire the family.

1. Don’t get paid – Hiring a sitter is a contractual relationship. The babysitter agrees to watch the kids and keep them safe for a specified amount of time and for a fee paid by the parents. When this contract is broken, the sitter has every right to end the relationship and fire the family.
2. Always late – Sitters have a life too and they don’t appreciate it when the parents are continually late. Babysitters are hired for a specific time frame and probably have plans for when they’re on their personal time. Families who are chronic offenders of a sitter’s time deserve to be fired.
3. Unreasonable demands – Families who hire a sitter to become their personal slave are going to risk losing the babysitting services altogether. The sitter is there to care for the children, not clean the house, do laundry and take out the garbage. Making unreasonable demands on caregivers doesn’t make for a good working relationship.
4. Kids are brats – Good sitters can handle just about anything, but they do have their limits. Some kids can be such rotten brats that the babysitter has no choice but to end the relationship. The parents may be the nicest people in the world, but those little hooligans just kill the deal.
5. Unsafe situation – No caregiver should continue a position where they feel unsafe. If the family lives in a bad neighborhood or there are other sketchy circumstances, sitters have every right to fire the family.
6. Filthy conditions – Nobody likes working in a pig sty. If sitters are forced to care for children in a filthy home, they can’t be expected to stay on. The family is at risk of being fired if conditions don’t improve.
7. Too strict – Another sign the family could get terminated is when the parents are far too strict. Sitters can feel really constrained by inflexible rules and regulations that are impossible to abide by. When parents make impossible demands of their kids and the babysitter, the working conditions can be unbearable.
8. No discipline – The other end of the spectrum is when parents are far too lenient and there is no discipline in the family. There has to be some rules for the children to adhere to or the sitter can be thrown into chaos.
9. Dishonesty – No caregiver wants to work for a family who is dishonest. Parents not only need to know they can trust the sitters, but the need for honesty goes both ways. Babysitters aren’t going to want a working relationship with a family they don’t trust.
10. Criminal activity – The worst situation for sitters is to find out they are working for a family who is involved in criminal activity. If there is drug dealing or the family is actually part of “The Family”, the babysitter better find someone else to work for.

Sitters who care for other family’s children have every right to expect to be treated fairly and work in a clean and safe environment. A family that makes unreasonable demands or puts their caregiver in a threatening situation can expect to be fired. Prospective babysitters would be well advised to interview the family before agreeing to take the position. It’s much better to avoid getting into a bad situation beforehand than have to figure out a way to end it later.

Taken From Babysitting Jobs