It’s funny. You always think you’re better off with a friend or a family member when it comes to babysitting. If you really think about it, are you?
The thing about having a friend or a family member babysit your kids is that you can’t really lay down the rules. Come on. Can you actually tell our friend, mom, or even worse, your mother-in-law to avoid feeding our kids some junk food?
It could also be the other way around. What if your friend or family member refuses to feed your kids the food they want to eat? Chances are, your kids will starve under their care. You wouldn’t want that to happen, would you?
How can you actually get the right message across without offending the other party? Is there really a better way of saying it?
Unfortunately, it’s not just the choice of food that causes a lot of conflict. Choice of food is just one of those little things that can get in the way if you refuse to pay for a babysitter, says the babysitting experts at UrbanSitter. Sad to say, bigger problems and issues can get in the way in due time.
House Rules Are Not Followed
There are times when it’s really convenient to have a friend or family member come over to your house to watch your kids. Instead of your kids leaving your home, it’s better for a trusted friend or family member to come over, right?
To a certain extent, it is very convenient. However, it could also get a little too uncomfortable in the long run. With someone like your most trusted friend or closest family member, it could get quite challenging to lay down the house rules.
For example, your most trusted friend might not take your house rules too seriously. Once you’re out of the house, your kids can do whatever they want. Thanks to your most trusted friend who loves to spoil your kids behind your back, it’s super fun time at home.
The kids have more screen time and pretty much, anything goes. Total chaos and mayhem prevail.
While that may not bother you at the start, it could really irritate you if it happens over and over again. Should you want to set things straight, you suddenly become the bad person because you stopped all the fun.
Your most trusted friend becomes the hero and all of a sudden, you can’t stand her; all because your house rules aren’t followed. The same thing can happen if you have a family member come over. Would you actually have the nerve to brief your mom about your house rules?
How about if it were your mother-in-law? Would you go into details about your house rules with her? You can try but you will definitely end up hearing something you wouldn’t want to hear.
You may not have to pay for any babysitting services but at some point, you’re going to end up totally pissed.
Conflict Of Ideas And Interests
Once you let your mom or mother-in-law in your house, a lot can happen. Conflict of interests and ideas can come up.
Your mom may question you on how you are raising your kids, while your mother-in-law could actually contradict everything you believe in. The worst part of it all is that they will push for what they believe in. It’s as if you’re not doing anything right. Now that can hurt a lot.
This is not to say that you shouldn’t have your mom or mother-in-law watch your kids. Of course, you can. Once or twice is good but you can’t rely on either one to babysit your kids all the time.
Relying on your most trusted friend or on a close family member to babysit your kids on a regular basis could lead to strained relations in the future. The fact is, you won’t be able to stand your ground and if you attempt to, you could end up hurting some feelings.
So when it comes to childcare needs, are your kids really better off with a friend or a family member? Wouldn’t you rather pay for a babysitter than strain some relationships in the future?
You can never go wrong with a paid babysitter especially if you hire from professional online services that focus on childcare. Online childcare services can help you connect to professional babysitters. With a professional babysitter, you can easily stand your ground and have the peace of mind that your kids are getting the right kind of care.
