10 Great Excuses for Why the Babysitter Was Late/

When the babysitter is late, it can spoil your entire evening. There are, however, times when your babysitter’s tardiness is excusable. Here are some of the justifiable reasons for arriving to a babysitting job late.

1. Short Notice – Sometimes you simply can’t avoid calling a babysitter on short notice, but you should be understanding if she’s a bit late as a result. She may not have been prepared to work when you called.
2. School Obligations – The first priority of a teenage babysitter should always be her schoolwork. If a school obligation ran longer than expected and she’s slightly late for work, you shouldn’t fault her.
3. Family Illness – An extended or serious illness in the family can put a strain on every member. If your regular sitter has an illness in the family and didn’t quite make it to your house on time because she was helping out, try to be understanding of the pressure she’s under.
4. Your Sitter Can Not Drive – Without a driver’s license, your sitter is at the mercy of the person who agrees to drive her. You should especially be lenient with her if the person driving is a resentful older sibling, who may have made her late deliberately.
5. It’s a Holiday – During the holiday season, family engagements can run later than expected. If your sitter was considerate of your needs enough to take a holiday babysitting job, it’s a good idea to cut her some slack if she’s a little behind schedule.
6. Inclement Weather – Teenagers with limited driving experience can become easily flustered by inclement weather. In potentially hazardous weather conditions, you should assume that your sitter will be late.
7. Car Accident – A sitter who is responsible enough to show up for a shift after a car accident should definitely be excuse for any resulting tardiness.
8. Running an Errand for You – If your sitter is a family member or close family friend, you probably feel comfortable enough to ask them to run a small errand or pick something up on their way to your home. If they agree and aren’t entirely punctual as a result, it’s best to let it slide.
9. She Has Younger Siblings – Most teenage girls start babysitting for friends and neighbors after years of experience with younger siblings. If both of her parents work and she’s responsible for those siblings until one of her parents arrives, the situation might be beyond her control.
10. She’s Just Late – A great sitter who loves your children and is almost always punctual should be cut a little bit of slack if she’s running late and it’s a rare occurrence. Everyone gets behind schedule on occasion; if she’s never made a habit of it, don’t give her too hard of a time.

Being forced to rearrange your schedule to accommodate a childcare provider who isn’t on time can be incredibly frustrating, but if it’s not a regularly occurring problem, it’s not worth losing a great sitter over. Finding someone who makes your children happy and is trustworthy is difficult; replacing her will be much more difficult than swallowing the urge to deliver a lecture on punctuality.

Taken From Find a Babysitter