Thing One - she's 14 - recently started babysitting and has saved up enough money to buy her own Christmas gifts, this year!
No, not for herself - puhleeeze, I'm not THAT mean - I mean, she's actually taking care of buying gifts for her sisters, brother and has eluded to the fact that there might even be a little something under the tree, for me.
If I continue to behave nicely, that is.
Thing One is my oldest and, from a very early age, has always been a very easygoing and - unlike, her mother - a patient and nurturing soul. She loves children and other parents want to, you know, adopt her.
All it took was for one referral - from a parent/teacher/organization type leader - and Thing One's babysitting services are NOW in high demand!
Which just goes to show that, even in the parenting world, there is a place for word-of-mouth of marketing!
Which is why I am totally blog-crushing on Sittercity:
At Sittercity, our mission is to connect parents with caregivers in their area to give each side what they want - some time off for adults-only activities and access to a multitude of child and pet care jobs.
Sittercity has one of the largest and most easily accessible database for babysitters, nannies and pet sitters I've ever seen and offers a number of referral services:
- A four-step screening process
- Comprehensive sitter profiles
- FREE access to background checks
- Sitter video interviews
There are community message boards, interesting and informative reading in their articles library (like, Parent-How (and What) Petsitters Charge, Parent-Babysitter Interview Checklist and Babysitter Safety Training Process) and tools, like a Babysitter Cheat Sheet and Rate Calculator.
Did I mention that they host Dance Party Fridays?
[puts down the clicker and places lampshade on head]
Take a quick tour and see for yourself.
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