I'm more struck by the ignorance of geography.

My first babysitting gig was for our across-the-street neighbors' six-month-old baby. It was probably the perfect first-time babysitting job, since my mom was right across the road for help if I needed it, the family was already really familiar with me and my parents, it was a later-in-the-evening gig so the baby was already asleep, and I only had to comfort her once the rest of the evening.

Soon after that, I was getting the jobs my sister had to turn down due to already being booked for the night, and then I started picking up my own jobs after getting references from those people I'd already worked for. By the time I was 13, I had a regular Saturday night job that lasted for nearly a year with the woman I worked with at the local branch library where I volunteered. She and her hubby were big-time partiers who went out every Saturday night, so the hub would pick me up at 6:00 every week, and then I'd get home sometime between 2 and 3 in the morning. For NYE, they had me just stay overnight since they knew they'd be out even later, so I made breakfast with the kids while the parents were sleeping in, and they paid me double for that night as my belated Christmas present.

I continued babysitting throughout high school, and even on college breaks during my freshman year. My mom moved out of that house into a condo the following summer, so I stopped then.

One generation passes away, and another generation comes;

An old history professor used to say, "In a hundred years...all new people!"

But the earth abides forever.

I always say, Nature Will Win. Period. Someone said it better upthread...the earth will, indeed survive. Our ability to live on it? Highly questionable.

the parents were actually very pleased because I handled the crisis.

My big crisis moment babysitting was when I heard an alarm going off in the house, and I got the kids and the dog outside since I thought it was a fire alarm. After we were out there a few minutes and nothing seemed to be happening inside, I told the oldest to stay with his little brother and ventured back in (stupid on my part, but I didn't want to look like an idiot if it was nothing!), only to find out that it was a bedside alarm clock that had a weird alarm and was set for PM not AM. The parents were very sweet when they came home.

I was babysitting at twelve, too! Sometimes for infants!

Me too!

I was babysitting when I was 10. Admittedly, it was for the baby next door and my mom was there if I needed anything, but still!

In non-babysitting job news, we have a scheduled deployment today at our client's (the giant gov't agency) at 3 and the developer is STILL coding/troubleshooting some key functionality, nothing has been tested, and I'm updating doc as he finishes coding. Granted it's an internal app only used by a few people but STRESS FEST! AND it was supposed to have been deployed at the end of December and then a couple of weeks ago and we've had to delay. UGH!

Younger days or older, I have never been comfortable babysitting. I did a fairly good job, as I recall but the idea of being responsible for a life made me tense.

Give me access to your sanity? I'm a champ. Baby? eek.

I had fun with the kids, more so as they got older and could communicate with me. One of the best compliments I've ever gotten was the time I had to take a short break from babysitting due to being in a play; when I was available again, I called my two biggest clients (both of my neighbors across the street), and the one mom said, "Oh, I'm so glad you're available--the girls have been asking for you!!" Turns out I was the only babysitter who took it upon herself to read to the girls without being prompted by the parents.

I loved babysitting and did a lot of it all the way until I went to college. I started when I was 12, babysitting in the neighborhood, but soon graduated to gigs further away. I charged twice the going rate and was much in demand, I am proud to say.