Babysitting.....Help!!!?

Question

I am the oldest child and I'm babysitting my younger sibblings 8 & 10, and they dont want to play the board games and stuff. How can i make this babysitting fun. Also My brother keeps arguing and when i send him to his room he argues more and fights with me more then he'll try to make me swear and some times it works and tells dad on me and I get in trouble for everything, and my bro. doesnt. What's a good punishment, and how can i stop him!!! Thanks for the help.

Answer 1

Babysitters don't usually keep the children entertained or discipline, they usually just sit there, watch TV, talk on the phone, eat food... If you don't want to drive yourself nuts, just let them be, let them play on their own and do your own stuff. Try to ignore your brother if he tries to get to you...

Answer 2

First of all, kuddos to you for trying to make the best of a tough situation. You sound like a very responsible and mature young lady, and your parents are lucky to have your help. Here are some ideas for you:

1. Have them watch a movie (G or PG), and at the end of the movie, draw a picture of their favorite part. You also could have them write a sentence to go along with the drawing. (You can do this with a T.V. show too.)

2. Take them for a walk and have them find some pretty rocks. When you get home, wash the rock collection and try to identify them using a rock book from the library.

3. Build a card house. You will need several decks of cards and a flat surface like a table.

4. Build a domino trail. Stack the dominos one after another in a line. Make lots of twists and turns. Once it's done, let your siblings take turns being the one to start the "knock down."

Just a few ideas....As far as a good punishment for your brother:

1. Talk to your parents first and get their okay on your idea. Once you have their support, you will be a step ahead of your brother.

2. If your parents agree, take away a toy or privalidge when your brother misbehaves. Remind him that he won't get the toy or privalidge back until he follows your directions since you are the one left in charge.

3. If he starts to fight or you feel you are losing control, call your parents on the phone and put them in charge of the situation.

Good luck, Dear.

Answer 3

They are at the age where gameboards aren't fun anymore, so suggestion, go outside play for a while run around get some excerise, or watch movies (agree to pick an movie for the night ahead of time), if you have video games, let them play until the time they need to go bed and no later than that, if they give you hard time, threat them gently by telling them that you will not let them have ice cream or can't watch other movie again with you or even say that you will call the parents if they don't stop behaving badly. Hope this work for you, i've got a lot of ideas since i worked in daycares and live with a brother and a cousin for years.

Answer 4

I feel for you my dear! I too was the oldest of my siblings. My sister was 2 years younger than I and my brother was 13 years younger than I. It's not easy to be in your shoes ... but ... I found that protecting them at times when you're not babysitting them helps a lot. You have to try to gain their respect!

When you're babysitting them ... remind them that the rules are not yours but that your parents have set them. Board games can get a bit boring .... even for the younger siblings. Perhaps you can get them involved in creating your own Family Board Game. Call it something like, "Crime and Punishment". You could sit with them and have them think of some of the nasty things that kids do to their babysitters and also have them outline appropriate punishments for the kids. Then when you play the game with them ... they'll be anxious to land on the squares of things that they enjoy doing to you ... and when you land on the punishment squares you can feel good too.

Basically it will make the time go by and perhaps you'll both learn things about each other.

OR you could listen to or make music together. Guessing games can be fun for kids that age ... something like "I spy with my little eye" or alphabet games such as going through the alphabet and naming an animal for each letter. You could set up a treasure hunt for them, hide clues around the house and have a treat for the person who finds where "X" marks the spot.

You'll get over these years too and will look back on this time of your lives one day with fond memories. Trust me ... I'm old now and still remember sooooo many times I was in charge and also got in trouble simply because "I was the oldest"!

Best of luck!

Answer 5

They are going to get bored after a short while with anything that you do so you have to have a whole pile of activities lined up and ready such as, making the beds, tidying the room, sweeping the floors, scouring the bathtubs, sorting the laundry etc etc. Put these little tikes to work!! Who doesn't work, doesn't eat or watch TV or have fun time. If they complain to Mom/Dad tell her/him that you wanted to have the house clean and sparkling for when she/he got home but those pesky siblings wouldn't help. Now who looks like the bad guy? Forget the board games and fun stuff. Make them work!! They are not too young to do their share. You sit back and watch them do it too!!

Answer 6

As a parent....of 8, I would recommend that you explain to your dad that the babysitting is taking its toll on you. Tell him about the complications that go along with watching your siblings. It is his job to parent them, not yours. If he can not understand then tell him you would prefer he find a different babysitter. Or ask him to say he is going somewhere and maybe he could just hang out and watch from outside or another room what you go through. My oldest is 22 and my youngest is 7months. I have been there as a parent and know that sometimes we need you to babysit, but ultimately it is not your job...Good luck. And remember just be honest with your dad.

Answer 7

Do you have a camcorder? Hide it in the room, and record the little turd. Let your dad see what's he's doing. Make him read, watch tv, clean his room. Tell your parents what you face, and have them give you advice on how to handle them. Tell them your brothers are pushing your buttons, and rather than do something unacceptable to them, tell them to give you some ideas. They could tell your brothers that they want a book read, their rooms cleaned, etc. Before you know it, years will go by and you'll actually love the little rug rats, and they'll be your biggest supporters. You'll look back over this time and laugh with them about it. Good luck.

Answer 8

Why are you letting a kid push your buttons. They are probably board. Why not try arts and crafts, make them feel like they are doing something cool. Have dance contests. Create puppets from old socks and have them make up their own puppet shows. Tell them they are doing great. Move some learning tools into the games the art, and the puppet show. Ask your parents is there something they could do to let your brother know to that while they are away he is to follow your direction, and if he doesn't then there are consequences to his dis obedience.

Answer 9

Honey this is an issue for your parents. You must babysit alot. It sounds to me like that this child is asking for attention from your parents. It is a cry for help. They want more time away from you and more with the parents there. I dont mean that in anyway wrong just know what it means.
Good Luck

Answer 10

Your parents shouldn't be making you get in trouble because your siblings realise they don't have to listen to you. They should be the ones in trouble. Write down everything they do that is wrong and give the list to your parents when they come home. It's not your job to punish them, just to make sure they are safe.

Answer 11

Tell them that you have a video camera and you are going to show it to Mom and Dad when they get home. You can buy a fake looking camera and just show it to them at a distance. See how that works. You can even tell them that Mom and Dad put it there and we have to stay in this room and play games or watch TV.