From coaching kids to being a waitress, I have had a variety of jobs. Overtime, I have learned a variety of skills which will better prepare me for the future. 

Hands down, babysitting has the best pay, requires the most amount of responsibility, and prepares you for the future. 

Kids can for sure push my buttons and challenge my patience. But the question is, could this the job for you?

A normal night of babysitting consists of playing with them, maybe going on a walk or driving them somewhere, making them dinner, making sure they get the stuff done they need to like homework, and then getting them ready for bed.

Depending on the ages of the kids you babysit, the responsibility varies. Babysitting a month old, a toddler, and a teenager are all different. They all have different abilities and require a different amount of attention. 

I have personally babysat all ages which has helped me create a list of things I believe is important to raising kids. In the future I would like to have kids; with babysitting I learn how kids act and react to certain situations, teaching me more of what to do and what not to do when it becomes my turn to raise kids. 

Now real talk. Money.

When I talk to friends that babysit and when I babysit it is noticeable that you make more hourly than a regular working jobs for teenagers. You typically get paid either in cash or through venmo, and you don’t get taxes taken out of your money earned. In our community, people pay $20-$30 an hour. This being a norm allows these teenagers to walk out with more money hourly compared to the other jobs available to them. 

I hear my peers all the time say that they have no families that ask them to babysit and if they do, it is not consistent. Facebook has a page that advertises babysitters in the area, and

I know many mothers in our community look at it. You can simply search up Lake Forest babysitters and apply there. Although it is not guaranteed, this page can be a huge help for booking gigs in the future. 

If you have not already, definitely try and get into the babysitting business!