Do you believe babysitting a child is the same as parenting a child?

Do people honestly believe that babysitting children gives them the experience of being parents and the capability to fully appreciate what parents go through enough to advise them on what they should or should not be doing?Do you believe babysitting a child is the same as parenting a child?
well it depends. Before having children I worked in several daycare centers and preschools and was a nanny for several families, live in and live out. I also had schooling in early childhood education and child development. I had a lot of experience with kids, maybe not as a parent myself but I do feel that someone with that much experience working with many children of all ages does have the knowledge to give advice. As far as fully appreciating what a parent goes through, probably not but advice sure.





When I was working at a nanny I often had parents ask me for advice about certain things and they often took my advice and got good results. I do think though, that before having kids of your own everything is easier said than done LOL I mean it's easy to know what the best thing to do is, it's harder to do it as the parent sometimes. Know what I mean?





But all in all I do think people who have experience as a ';babysitter'; (although I'm not talking about a teenage babysitter, I'm talking about someone who has made a carreer out of caring for many children), can offer good advice and know what they are talking about. They may not be able to relate as well to the personal feelings of being a parent but they certainly can sometimes know what would be best. Often parents are blinded by their own parental feelings and advice from an educated, experienced outsider who isn't emotionaly attached to the situation can be just what will make them see what's best. As a childcare provider I often spent more time with someone's child than they did. So I think it's off base to say I wouldn't have anything to offer those parents from my own experiences.





Now I have 4 children of my own and I do feel that all the experience I had working with so many kids before having my own made me a better parent (not better than other parents, I just mean a better parent than I might have been otherwise).Do you believe babysitting a child is the same as parenting a child?
Well, there's babysitting and then there's babysitting. If you mean someone who looks after children on the occasional parents night out, then of course not. But if you mean someone who takes care of a child at least 40 hours a week, well, maybe. Still, even the occasional babysitter sees things that the parents might not. Sometimes we, as parents, can't see the forest for the trees. If my babysitter said something to me, I don't think I would get on my high horse and dismiss it out of hand. I examine the possibility that she was on to something.
Parenting is the hardest job there is and there's no instruction manaul.


While babysitting can give some experience in parenting, it by no means makes one an expert in parenting. At best babysitting could give insight to an individuals' character traits, and help in the handling of that particular individual.
No, it's not the same at all. A babysitter only makes important decisions in an absolute emergency - hopefully he/she will never have to make any at all. A parent has to make such decisions all the time.





I think someone who has been a babysitter has more experience of what it's like to be a parent than someone who has never babysat, and may well have some good ideas in specific areas (for instance they may have lots of experience on how to comfort a kid who is missing mummy and is normally breastfed to sleep). But I don't think they can possibly understand what it's like to always be the one responsible, day in day out, and never get to walk away and go home.
It truly depends on the situation. I was a nanny for 7 years for 2 different families. One family I started when their daughter was 2 weeks old. They were almost nonexistant in most of her life. They would travel for weeks at a time and I would be the one with her. I was there for her first everything, good and bad. I ended up going to work for another family as a live in and went to part time with this family when she was 4 (I felt it was unfair to her and she needed them to be more of a part of her life and they now are). The new family I was with had 4 year old twins and I was a part of their day to day lives for 3 years.





Now, I baby sat when I was younger and definately dont think those little 2 hour jobs is the same as parenting.
Nope, not at all. Baby sitting can give you an small peek at what it's like to parent a child because for a short while you are the caregiver. BUT, it's vastly different when you have children of your own that you parent day in and day out. When you baby sit, you give back the children at the end of the night and they are most always told to be on their best behavior for you. When you are a parent, you have your children for better or worse and you love them no matter what and they are not always on their best behavior for you, lol.





Can it help to baby sit? I think so. But it doesn't hold a candle to having children of your own.
Of course it isn't the same - but just because it isn't the same doesn't mean that people can't have good ideas. There are a lot of things that I know nothing about but by being a logical human being I can glean some insight into them. I am not a doctor, yet I know when to take aspirin. I am not a mechanic, but I do know the basics of keeping my car running well. I had only used a computer for a few months before I started working on them 10 years ago - and found that I just had a knack for it with no experience or training. I know how teenagers work because I was one and had a lot of teenage friends and as an adult I can look back to my teenage years and theirs and logically see how our parents decisions effected us.





Have you ever tried to give advice to someone who lost a child without going through it yourself? Because you felt bad about what they were going through? Have you tried to give parenting advice even though you didn't have their child, but you had a child? It's the same thing. Personally, I think that people who are closed off to ideas are people who have made up their minds on certain things - and there's nothing wrong with that. The question is, do you need an excuse for not listening to the advice non parents are giving you? Be it the ';They aren't a parent so they don't understand'; or the ';My mother in law is just the worst with advice - it's so outdated'; or can you just say that the advice given just doesn't work for you and accept that it might work for someone else?
yes it can. I babysat 2 children who were 2 months and 2 years old. I took care of them from 7am-6pm 6 days a week. I had the kids more than their parents. I used all those skills I had from taking care of them to raise my own kids.


I cared and loved those kids as if they were my own.





Very interesting the thumbs downs. I guess people must have had different experiences to mine becuase I have 9 year old twins now and would have to say it was even easier to raise them than it was these other 2 children. I may have had a different relationship with these children than other people did babysitting. I am the one who looked after this older child while mum gave birth and she stayed with me for a couple of days, this is the mum that was there at the birth of my own children. I was very attached to these kids. I was the one that dealt with the temper tantrums, the sibling rivalry, the sicknesses, The trips to kinder and back, being on duty at kinder. If my children were being cared for by someone I would hope they built the same relationship with their career that i had with these kids. I was the one that read to them everyday, taught them to write their name, dried their tears and joined in with their laughter. I think it is sad that all these people that gave me thumbs down do not think there kids have that type of relationship with anyone other than them. This mother of these kids was estatic that her children had such a close relationship with me and thought of me as their second mum. As a mum now I can say I fealt the same way for those kids as I do my own. Maybe I am more caring than their babysitters. I was not in it for the money, I cared and loved those children
Not at all. A babysitter couldn't adopt my sixth sense or intuition. They wouldn't take the same bullet I would, or sacrifice that last piece of cake without a blink.





That doesn't mean I don't appreciate a great babysitter, take them for granted, or sneer at what they do. They're not a dime a dozen and a great one is hard to find. But the comparison of committment is apples to oranges.
Not to the extreme as a real parent but 3rd person point of view does come into effect.


A parent might be too concious of their problems and not see the bigger picture that someone outside the family could. Why else do we go to counselling and therapy. they can help point out issues and problems that we as parents might not see.


Don't forget kids acts differently most of the time especially when the parents aren't around
no i think it gives you a little taster of what its like to be a parent but mostly you are getting the best times you get to play with them or tuck them in to bed. you dont have any of the responsibility. and you most certainly do not have the experience to advise the parents on what they should be doing!!!!!!
LOL! Of course it's not. Oh, the poor souls who wholeheartedly believe that parenting is just an extended babysitting job - they're in for a rude awakening! I babysat and worked with children for years before I had my own. It's a completely new ball game.
of course not, unless you're like a full time nanny and the parents are rarely around. otherwise it's just a few hours and you can go back to your carefree childless life.
Absolutely not. I have my child day in and day out. I would be insulted if my sitter tried to advise on my parenting skills.
No. Babysitting is a part time job, parenting is a full time labour of love.
No of course not i expect them to have a little understanding but unless you look after a child 24/7 then no one has any idea what its really like to raise a child day and night
I hope not, that is ridiculous!