Babysitter Issue--WWYD?

[mom2grace]

Tonight we had a babysitter that my kids love, I liked her too. We have used her once a week for about 6 weeks. She comes highly recommended and she attends our church. She's 16.

I have 2 kids, ages 4 & 2.

Tonight, she turned on my computer and accessed her blog. Nothing incriminating on it, I think in general she is a good kid, probably much like I was at the same age.

I talked to my 4 year old and she said the babysitter was on the computer while my 2 year old was still awake, the 4 year old did not go to sleep.

I work from home from this computer, and it was turned off, she had to open a gate to get back here.

What would you do? Use her again or not? Talk to her about it?

 

[MsLeFever]

We had a computer issue with a young babysitter too. We ended up actually making a list of "babysitter rules" for all of our sitters that included not being on the computer while the kids were awake.

Good luck!

 

[minniecarousel]

I'd speak to her. Ask her to not use the computer. It'd be a good time to go over your other rules (ie: no visitors, limit the phone calls - whatever) If you have no other concerns about her - just let her know that that is your work computer & you're not comfortable with others using it. Teenagers sometimes really don't know what's proper and what's not.

 

[tmt martins]

If thats all then I might ask and explain why thats not alright or If it's not a real problem with peramitors (Kids asleep and so forth ) .You could also set up a subaccount for her and password protect your info.
Bottom line is if she is that good don't lose her over something she did not know was wrong

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I agree that you should go over the rules with her, which would include the use of the computer. I've had the same issue with a sitter using the computer when my son was awake, but the sitter in question was his own big sister. Same rules applied to her, but the good thing that we could go over the computer history and ground her or not pay her for the evening if she broke the rules. My youngest is now almost 6yo and doesn't require the supervision that he used to require so it's not an issue. Used to be whoever was watching him had to have their eyes on him at all times or he'd do things like call 9-1-1...

 

[dancergirl]

Wow, I could never imagine using someones computer that I babysat for unless I had specific permission, then I would be a little worried. But I agree, if she's a good one and you have every reason to trust her on everything else, I would just mention to her that you didnt want her to do it. Nothing bad being on her blog is a good thing! Im sure a small little talk would take care of it. If you didnt want to go the confrontational route (thats not my favorite!), you could mention something about you and your friends talking about each others babysitters and you just wanted to remind her the computer was off limits...or something like that!

(sorry for the crazy-ness and not well written-ness!! Too long driving in a car today!)

 

[justhat]

I would definitely mention it to her as I'm guess she didn't realize it was wrong. I babysat a lot from the time I was 13 till my daughter was born and so many families would tell me I could use their computer if I wanted to, but of course they meant if the kids were napping/sleeping. But maybe if other families told her this she didn't think twice about using yours, but obviously if your kids are up she should be watching them anyway. I never really used anyone's computer anyway cause I'd usually bring a book or watch tv. Of course the 1 time I did use a family's computer it froze and I figured I just ruined all the stuff they had open. I felt horrible. I wouldn't even have used it but I was in grad school and wanted to work on a paper after the kids went to bed because the parents went to a concert out of state so they weren't coming home till around 2am so I was there awhile. They weren't upset at all, said it happens all the time, they needed a new computer, etc., but I still felt so bad.

 

[HeatherH]

DEFINITELY mention it to her, that is honestly NOT acceptable. As Dancergirl said (a responsible babysitter, it shows!) it's NOT okay to go on a computer unless you have express permission to do so. Especially since it was turned OFF!

I honestly also would be concerned if she was on the computer while a two-year-old was up and wandering. It MAY have been nothing and she may have been attending to the kids, but that's NOT what you pay a babysitter for. You pay her to watch your kids at all times, engage them in direct play, and supervise their play. (At least that's what I did a million years ago when I was a babysitter). ONLY if the kids are in bed and with express permission should she use your computer.

 

[eclectics]

I wouldn't have the nerve to do it but technically since you didn't specifically say, "don't touch my computer", teens being teens, she might not have thought anything about it. Maybe she is allowed to use it at her other clients homes. I wouldn't hold it against her. Just have a nice talk and lay down some rules. I'm sure she'll be fine with it.

 

[Daxx]

Wow, I could never imagine using someones computer that I babysat for unless I had specific permission

ITA with you, Dancergirl! Kind of nervy to use the computer w/o asking permission to begin with ... and using the computer while the kids were still awake?! Isn't she supposed to be watching the kids and not her blog?!?!

I think what bothers me most about this isn't so much the using the computer w/o permission part as the disregard of watching your kids, which is what she was paid to do. Esp. w/a 2 yo in the house ... heaven knows what some 2 yo's can get into in the blink of an eye!!!!

 

[Chris2597]

My dd had this exact problem this week with her teen sitter. The baby was in bed....so that was not part of the issue....My dd went into the history and looked to see where the sitter logged onto....she looked at different things that were personal settings that dd had on her computer....not that anything was any big deal but it was an invasion of privacy. The sitter does a good job and she doesnt want to loose one of the only sitters that is available. I suggested that she password her computer to avoid this problem in the future....

 

[mom2grace]

Thanks Everyone!

I think we are going to let it go, just mention it to her next week. I think that if she spent an excessive amount of time on the computer, my daughter would tell me.

We have had a few sitters that my kids haven't cared for, and they really like this one. So, that makes me think that it was a short time.

I am also computer addicted, so I can kinda relate, particularly if she was waiting for something in particular.

I don't think she is on the phone a lot or at all (she does have a cell phone that she brings, but she drives to our house), I'll ask DD in the morning.

The last time I babysat, I don't think the internet had been developed!

 

[aprilgail2]

I wouldn't even mention it but I would be sure to have a password on my computer for the next time she babysits..guess that will give her a hint not to use it LOL...I really thought everyone had passwords on their comuter, when you turn mine on your can't access anything until you put a password in!

 

[LindsayDunn228]

Have a password upon startup so she can't use the computer. She may get the hint.

 

[Blueeyes101817]

Ive been babysitting since i was probably 14 or 15, im now 21, but i would never use a computer unless a family told me to..i have a couple of families that i do go on their computer when the kids go to sleep, but they told me i could...i would talk to her

 

[laurie31]

Like the others have said, I would have the biggest problem with the sitter being on the computer instead of playing with/watching over the kids. The same thing goes for vegging out in front of the TV.

My kids are now old enough to want to be online themselves, and I ask my sitter to supervise them. One day I came home and she was so upset. She had been playing on the computer with my kids and has started typing in things to the address bar (not googling them, just typing in random stuff) and she typed Cinderella, as that's DD2's favortie princess. What came up was NOT Disney! She was just horrified and closed the browser immediately. She didn't think dd saw much. She was afraid we would think she'd been looking at porn sites. She had no idea there were sites out there to trick kids (like whitehouse.com instead of whitehouse.gov for example) which is WHY they can't suff unsupervised...so now she knows

I think the OP already has the right plan - mention it next time but not make a huge deal of it, as the kids wouldn't like her if she had ignored them the whole time. Good sitters are very hard to come by!

Laurie

 

[ReadingBelle]

I think your plan is a good one. Just let her know that you don't want her on the computer when the kids are awake. Or at all, if that is the rule you want to make. I don't think it is a really big deal, as long as she wasn't looking at anything inappropriate or downloading anything potentially harmful. It sounds like she does a good job otherwise, and just needs a specific rule about computer time.