A Working Mother's Little Summer Helper: Hiring a Babysitter for Help Around the House
This summer, I’m pleading with working mothers who plan to work at home AND keep the children home to stop the insanity, drop the laptop, and get a Summer Mother’s Little Helper.
No, I’m not telling you to stock up on wine so you can get through the bickering, battling, and breakdowns that are about to occur - rather, I’m suggesting you
find a young girl interested in babysitting who is still not quite old enough to
do so on her own.
As a work at home mom, I’ve
had to rearrange my schedule each summer when the girls are at
home on a full time basis. I don’t get a lot done when we are all
together. There are battles to break up, library events to attend, and pools in
which we need to swim.
If I try to sit down for a few hours each day to work on a report, edit someone’s writing, or write my own
words, the children soon begin to battle. And I can only put in a movie for so
long – eventually even my children, who love television because they have been
so deprived, get sick of TV.
Back in Los Angeles, when I
first began my business and had only one child, I hired a mother’s helper. She
came to the house one time each week for several hours and played with my
daughter while I locked myself in the bedroom and napped. Oh, no, I didn’t do
that, I worked – though I really, really wanted to nap. (OK, maybe I did nod off once or twice. I call this creative thinking time.)
This year, I have hired another mother’s helper. And I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it has been.
while my children are otherwise engaged with an older girl who they look up to
and want to play with, and who takes care of them and keeps them from fighting.
The cost is not asexuberant as it would be to hire a full time helper over the summer. Around here, mother's helpers charge anywhere from $3 to $5 an hour,
versus the $10 to $15 I’d pay a babysitter.
Plus, I can schedule ahelper around bowling, swimming, playing, and hanging out - things I enjoy doing with the girls over summer break. I can set my own
schedule – have her come once a week or more, for two hours or more - and change it as needed.
How can you find a helper
this summer?
- Ask friends with older children. If you have
friends whose children range in age from nine to twelve, and who might be
too young to watch kids on their own but who may want to do so with you at
home, ask. Some parents don’t consider this until approached; others will
approach you.
- Contact places that have babysitting courses and
leave your name. These are great places to find kids interested in
babysitting.
- Post your information at places kids attend,
such as the library, requesting a mother’s helper.
