Did your sitter ever do this?

[Cindyluwho]

Geez, am I the ONLY one who is insanely curious about this? I'm telling you, as soon as I saw the history was erased I'd have been searching my computer cookies to see where she'd been. Not because I thought she'd been anywhere weird, just because I would wonder WTH had caused her to erase it. Kids are paranoid about adults, but seeing the empty history would have made me crazy curious!

 

[meloneyb21]

I'm 27 and I regularly clean my history so no one knows where I've been, even with just the normal sites I visit. I'm just a private person and hate it when someone is "looking over my shoulder". Did she clean out the cookies as well? If she really was doing anything naughty - the cookies will definately tell you. If it really bothers you, lock the computer next time.

That's how I feel too. When I'm at home, I don't clean my history, but when I'm using a computer that is not my own I always clean my history. Just to be on the safe side and for my privacy's sake. I'm not that far from being a teen myself and sometimes you just don't want somebody all up in your business. Teens CAN be paranoid and I would hate the feeling that somebody was going behind me to see what I was doing. I take it as it being MY business. The babysitter probably knew that you were going to check behind her, so decided to erase her history. I don't think there's anything especially wrong with that. If it's such a problem, than just lock your computer. Therefore you won't have anything to worry about. But you really can't fault her for trying to keep her private business private.

 

[Eeyore in Texas]

...at least she's computer-saavy...

 

[KimStaR]

i dont know how old this person was if they could have possibly been on a bank account? if not its probably just for personal reasons, if she was a teenager like someone else mentioned she may have been on a myspace page or checking her email and stuff like that. i highly doubt it would be anything to be alarmed about. i always delete my history when i use the computers at my college (only place i use a computer besides home)

 

[fabshelly]

I always clear my history after using someone else's computer. It's polite.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

This is better than my Dsis's babysitter. She didn't clean her history and it turned out she was on gay porn sites!
Considering its DSis's neighbor who is there constantly she started locking the computer.

 

[kimberlym4]

C'mon why all the paranoia? Geesh, she's a teenager for cryin out loud! Not some kind of enemy It would never even have occured to me to check her history.

For the record, I didn't start out checking her history. I was trying to use the shortcuts from the drop down box on the address line that "stores" the places I've been. Just habit that I go to my sites that way. It was gone. That is why I checked the history. And it wasn't just the evenings worth of stuff that was gone - there was nothing there from the last few weeks.

And no - I don't think she was looking at porn. I said in my OP that I was guessing it was something she was shy about. I didn't realize till I read all of your posts that so many people make a habit of erasing their own history (and I've been called paranoid - Just teasing )

Cindyluwho - thanks - yes, very curious is the way I felt. But if lots of people do this I'm thinking it's not such a big deal.

 

[PrincessJasmine]

I work at a daycare and I sometimes babysit for a few of the toddlers I care for. Most of the parents let me use the computer and I always use their guest account on Windows. I still clear the history, though. Not because I'm doing anything shady, but because I check my personal Livejournal and I'd prefer to keep that private.

 

[Lil_Tink]

I doubt it was anything shady. As everyone else said, probaly myspace,email and other things like that.

 

[lg3]

I'm 27 and I regularly clean my history so no one knows where I've been, even with just the normal sites I visit. I'm just a private person and hate it when someone is "looking over my shoulder". Did she clean out the cookies as well? If she really was doing anything naughty - the cookies will definately tell you. If it really bothers you, lock the computer next time.

IA w/aynt79, and second checking the cookies out if you wish to pursue it.

I would definitely drop this if it were me - I just don't see it as a big deal, nor as a red flag, and respect her privacy.

 

[KristaTX]

Maybe she was on the DIS . I've used computers before and deleted the history/cookies because I didn't want anyone to know how much time I spent here .

Um. . . Hi, babysitter .


ETA: I wasn't babysitting when I deleted the history.

 

[va32h]

Actually, I stopped using a babysitter that I felt spent too much time on my computer. It didn't help that she never asked to use the computer in the first place.

She did not clear her history - and while I didn't go looking for the information, when I did stumble across it, I was kind of annoyed that she had obviously done a great deal of websurfing while I was paying her to watch my kids. And no - none of them took naps that day!

I would just tell the sitter "You are welcome to use the computer, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't clear the history, because I have some info saved there."

 

[Tinijocaro]

My computer is always locked when a sitter is here. A computer is such a personal thing- I hae all my finances, journals, lots of persnal stuff....I don't want anyone outside the family to have access to all that. A;lso, I had a sitter once download her entire buddy list (at least 50 people), so every time I went on AIM, they kept popping up- what a pain.

I wouldn't call her, just lock it next time.