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Finding childcare as asingle parentcan be challenging.
Statisticsshowthat single parents rely on weekly childcare more than households with two parents.
Not every single parent can afford to pay for childcare, and thats where family members come in.
But lately, few want to do it at all.
This woman, for example,refused to babysither sisters kids again after they trashed her place.
But, in some cases, the reality is that children up to age six can be real mess-makers.
As one commenter noted, You literally have to keep an eye on them.
Another Redditor made a brilliant observation: You need arms like an octopus.
Parents also might feel the children are safer with a family member than with a stranger.
However, babysitting isnt a walk in the park, especially when there are three kids!
Experts often have guidelines for first-time professionalbabysitters.
So, its no surprise that the OP had a hard time, considering shes not experienced in childcare.
Ultimately, small kids need a lot of attention and care.
While they are unruly more with their parents than with relatives or babysitters, they might still misbehave.
First, its helpful to childproof the surroundings.
Its a good prevention strategy: removing hazards is easier than constantly chasing after the kids.
Children often misbehave because they seek attention or feel bored.
Since small children have short attention spans, a babysitters best bet is to divert their attention elsewhere.
Be ittoys, storytime, or even screens: anything that doesnt involve destruction.
Michigan State University Extension advises ignoring the bad and positively reinforcing the good.
Granted, thats mostly for the six-year-old since neither the four-year-old nor the two-year-old can fully grasp that.
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