yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Aug 14, 2014 9:47:48 GMT -5
My son was watching Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood yesterday and Daniel's parents went out and he was left at home with a male babysitter . I started laughing. swamp, what are your thoughts?
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Phoenix84
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Post by Phoenix84 on Aug 14, 2014 10:04:00 GMT -5
I've never had problems with male babysitters. My sister and I had one on occasion growing up, and it was fine. They can be especially great for rambunctious boys.
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Sam_2.0
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Post by Sam_2.0 on Aug 14, 2014 10:10:14 GMT -5
DH babysat growing up. He poached all the good jobs from his sister Typically people would call for SIL to babysit, and if she wasn't available they would get DH instead. Except he had more fun with the kids and they preferred him over her, so he got the calls first after awhile. Especially the families with little boys. We use DH's little brothers (17 and 15) to watch Aly, or their friend (16) and she loves it. She loves her female babysitters too - really I just think she would be happy if DH and I left so she could be in charge
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Aug 14, 2014 10:17:48 GMT -5
When DS was 4 or 5 we switched to male babysitters. It wasn't planned- we just moved to a new house and had several neighborhood boys in babysitting age range. DS loved them. We still had the occasional female babysitter but they always wanted to color and sit inside and the male babysitters were all about playing outside, monster trucks, riding bikes, going to the park, etc. He decided that the girl babysitters were boring and the boy babysitters were more fun.
Now DS does a fair amount of babysitting. The kids all love him and request him. He enjoys it because he genuinely likes kids (could be a side effect of being an only child) and most people pay him really well. He is like his former male babysitters in that they play outside, walk to the park, etc.
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swasat
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Post by swasat on Aug 14, 2014 10:18:49 GMT -5
I have male babysitters for my 9yo DS and 6 yo DD all the time Never had a problem. I have had teenage boys babysit my kids. The horror!!! Some of them are REAL good. So are some of the female sitters. I wish we catapult intot he 22nd century and remove all these gender biases.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2014 10:20:36 GMT -5
I don't know. From experience, I've noticed that males don't seem to have the patience that the females do when dealing with kids. A crying baby will often send a male over the edge. Aren't males responsible for most of the shaken baby deaths?
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swasat
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Post by swasat on Aug 14, 2014 10:22:07 GMT -5
Please don't generalize and stereotype @lonewolf. My experience has not been anything like yours. Crying babies and kids sent a LOT of WOMEN over the edge too.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2014 10:28:51 GMT -5
Please don't generalize and stereotype @lonewolf. My experience has not been anything like yours. Crying babies and kids sent a LOT of WOMEN over the edge too. I am basing my opinion on many years of working with abused kids. Yes, women do abuse kids, but in the cases I saw, more often than not it was a male who did the abusing. Sorry if that seems like I'm generalizing. Just calling it like I see it.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Aug 14, 2014 10:39:03 GMT -5
Please don't generalize and stereotype @lonewolf. My experience has not been anything like yours. Crying babies and kids sent a LOT of WOMEN over the edge too. I am basing my opinion on many years of working with abused kids. Yes, women do abuse kids, but in the cases I saw, more often than not it was a male who did the abusing. Sorry if that seems like I'm generalizing. Just calling it like I see it. That still doesn't mean that most men abuse children. Or did you not even leave your husband alone with your kids because he is a man and probably couldn't handle a crying baby? Sent from my ADR6410LVW using proboards
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Aug 14, 2014 10:42:23 GMT -5
lonewolf- Statistically you could be right and you probably have more experience dealing with that than I do (guess since I don't know off the top of your head what you job is). But that has not been my experience at all. We never had a problem with male babysitters and no one has ever had a problem with having DS as a babysitter.
I think we do men a disservice when we lump all of them in with some bad apples.
I would be disappointed if someone refused to let DS babysit their kid because he wasn't a female. Fortunately our friends, family and neighbors are more open minded and chose babysitters purely based on who they trust and who their kids like.
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Abby Normal
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Post by Abby Normal on Aug 14, 2014 10:52:34 GMT -5
Outside of daycare, we had a female babysitter (friend of the family) who would occasionally come in. As my son hit school age, he went to an afterschool program run through the local YMCA. They hired from a nearby college and hired students who were becoming teachers. Over the years he was there, we used several of the males there as babysitters. DS got along with them really well and they became like big brothers to him.
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greeniis10
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Post by greeniis10 on Aug 14, 2014 10:53:29 GMT -5
I think what lonewolf was maybe getting at is, stereotypically, a female babysitter would be more suitable for a newborn or very small infant, while a male would generally be better with a toddler or older child that can run around outside and play.
I don't agree with generalizing about the genders, but I do have to say for DH and I this tends to be true with the grandchildren: I do the majority of the care when we're babysitting when they are newborn and infants, but once they are mobile he's all over the neighborhood with them!
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Aug 14, 2014 10:55:49 GMT -5
The next time I have a cartoon tiger I need babysat I am going to hire a male babysitter.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Aug 14, 2014 10:58:08 GMT -5
Well I have received my punishment for starting this. The theme song is now stuck in my head.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Aug 14, 2014 11:02:52 GMT -5
I think what lonewolf was maybe getting at is, stereotypically, a female babysitter would be more suitable for a newborn or very small infant, while a male would generally be better with a toddler or older child that can run around outside and play. I don't agree with generalizing about the genders, but I do have to say for DH and I this tends to be true with the grandchildren: I do the majority of the care when we're babysitting when they are newborn and infants, but once they are mobile he's all over the neighborhood with them! My dad babysat ds by himself starting at 9 weeks when my mom was still working and couldn't always be off on the days they watched him. He was awesome and my kids adore him. Sent from my ADR6410LVW using proboards
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Aug 14, 2014 11:04:44 GMT -5
Personally I wasn't comfortable babysitting the infants when I babysat. Once they hit like 6 months old I was cool but the teeny, tiny newborns- no thank you. As an adult I have refused to babysit my nieces and nephews when they were that little.
Outside of daycare, we had a female babysitter (friend of the family) who would occasionally come in. As my son hit school age, he went to an afterschool program run through the local YMCA. They hired from a nearby college and hired students who were becoming teachers. Over the years he was there, we used several of the males there as babysitters. DS got along with them really well and they became like big brothers to him.
This was the case with DS some too. He had some neighbor kids for afternoons and that. But for evenings we usually hired older people- high school/college aged. One of DS' favorites was his pre-school teacher. He was going to college to become an elementary ed teacher. He told me once that the parents in the pre-school class were essentially paying for his college tuition because they all hired him so often to babysit. The kids LOVED Mr. Erik and he ended up getting more babysitting jobs than the female teachers because the kids always requested him. It was so cute to see because he was like 6'4" tall and a big basketball player and all this little kids would circle around him jumping up and down to get his attention and crane their necks to talk to him. I swear he has bad knees now judging by all the time he spent squatting down or kneeling to be able to talk to the kids.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Aug 14, 2014 11:10:27 GMT -5
The next time I have a cartoon tiger I need babysat I am going to hire a male babysitter.
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greeniis10
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Post by greeniis10 on Aug 14, 2014 11:10:48 GMT -5
I think what lonewolf was maybe getting at is, stereotypically, a female babysitter would be more suitable for a newborn or very small infant, while a male would generally be better with a toddler or older child that can run around outside and play. I don't agree with generalizing about the genders, but I do have to say for DH and I this tends to be true with the grandchildren: I do the majority of the care when we're babysitting when they are newborn and infants, but once they are mobile he's all over the neighborhood with them! My dad babysat ds by himself starting at 9 weeks when my mom was still working and couldn't always be off on the days they watched him. He was awesome and my kids adore him. Sent from my ADR6410LVW using proboards Agree - I'm not saying men can't or aren't capable of taking care of infants. I believe they are. I was just saying what I thought lonewolf meant and that unintentionally, DH and I have fallen into the same stereotypes, but either one of us can and do care for the kids at all ages.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2014 11:10:53 GMT -5
I am basing my opinion on many years of working with abused kids. Yes, women do abuse kids, but in the cases I saw, more often than not it was a male who did the abusing. Sorry if that seems like I'm generalizing. Just calling it like I see it. That still doesn't mean that most men abuse children. Or did you not even leave your husband alone with your kids because he is a man and probably couldn't handle a crying baby? Sent from my ADR6410LVW using proboards Where did I say that " Most men abuse children"? I didn't. And no, I never left any male alone with my children. Not even my husband. A crying baby that wouldn't stop freaked him out.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Aug 14, 2014 11:13:09 GMT -5
Well I have received my punishment for starting this. The theme song is now stuck in my head. I'm grateful my kids don't watch this. Although that might be changing. DD's asked that I record the new episodes with the new baby. I'd rather watch the old ones - with Daniel Stripe-ed Tiger from Mr. Rogers.
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greeniis10
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Post by greeniis10 on Aug 14, 2014 11:15:51 GMT -5
For the sake of the children, it is very important to know ages and stages and whom is better at caring for them during those times.
I adore newborns and infants. DH, not so much. He's nervous, doesn't really know what to do when they cry, how much to feed them, etc. For that reason I prefer to not leave an infant with him, but NOT simply because he's male.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Aug 14, 2014 11:16:21 GMT -5
Well I have received my punishment for starting this. The theme song is now stuck in my head. I'm grateful my kids don't watch this. Although that might be changing. DD's asked that I record the new episodes with the new baby. I'd rather watch the old ones - with Daniel Stripe-ed Tiger from Mr. Rogers. I think it's one of the better PBS show actually. Daniel Tiger and Wild Kratts are my favs
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Aug 14, 2014 11:17:43 GMT -5
That still doesn't mean that most men abuse children. Or did you not even leave your husband alone with your kids because he is a man and probably couldn't handle a crying baby? Sent from my ADR6410LVW using proboards Where did I say that " Most men abuse children"? I didn't. And no, I never left any male alone with my children. Not even my husband. A crying baby that wouldn't stop freaked him out. Your children were NEVER alone with your husband? A crying baby that doesn't stop freaks me out.
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swasat
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Post by swasat on Aug 14, 2014 11:20:33 GMT -5
That still doesn't mean that most men abuse children. Or did you not even leave your husband alone with your kids because he is a man and probably couldn't handle a crying baby? Sent from my ADR6410LVW using proboards Where did I say that " Most men abuse children"? I didn't. And no, I never left any male alone with my children. Not even my husband. A crying baby that wouldn't stop freaked him out. I don't think its "normal", so much fear that you don't even leave your kids alone with their father.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Aug 14, 2014 11:21:25 GMT -5
I'm grateful my kids don't watch this. Although that might be changing. DD's asked that I record the new episodes with the new baby. I'd rather watch the old ones - with Daniel Stripe-ed Tiger from Mr. Rogers. I think it's one of the better PBS show actually. Daniel Tiger and Wild Kratts are my favs But he doesn't seem to the be the tiger I grew up with. Yeah, the kids love Wild Kratts. Also CyberChase and Curious George still.
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raeoflyte
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Post by raeoflyte on Aug 14, 2014 11:30:13 GMT -5
That still doesn't mean that most men abuse children. Or did you not even leave your husband alone with your kids because he is a man and probably couldn't handle a crying baby? Sent from my ADR6410LVW using proboards Where did I say that " Most men abuse children"? I didn't. And no, I never left any male alone with my children. Not even my husband. A crying baby that wouldn't stop freaked him out. I truly can't understand that. I would not intentionally have children with someone who I didn't feel would take care of them. The idea that men are not trustworthy around kids, even their own... I don't know what to say, but that perception makes me very sad. My dad and my dh are wonderful caregivers. My son talks about growing up and having his own kids so he can take care of them. That mentality absolutely says to me that you believe most men would hurt children. Sent from my ADR6410LVW using proboards
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2014 11:32:55 GMT -5
That still doesn't mean that most men abuse children. Or did you not even leave your husband alone with your kids because he is a man and probably couldn't handle a crying baby? Sent from my ADR6410LVW using proboards Where did I say that " Most men abuse children"? I didn't. And no, I never left any male alone with my children. Not even my husband. A crying baby that wouldn't stop freaked him out. you seriously never left your kids alone with your husband? I find that absolutely pathetic. My ex stayed home with our first until she was 9 months old. I think it's a sad state when men refer to being with their kids as babysitting or they can't watch them by themselves. I had women I worked with who, when they went on travel, their mother or MIL had to come stay with the husband because he couldn't handle his kids on his own.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2014 11:41:45 GMT -5
Where did I say that " Most men abuse children"? I didn't. And no, I never left any male alone with my children. Not even my husband. A crying baby that wouldn't stop freaked him out. Your children were NEVER alone with your husband? A crying baby that doesn't stop freaks me out. He would be alone with them if I were outside or in another room, but I never left him alone with them and went anywhere until they were older.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2014 11:43:03 GMT -5
Where did I say that " Most men abuse children"? I didn't. And no, I never left any male alone with my children. Not even my husband. A crying baby that wouldn't stop freaked him out. I don't think its "normal", so much fear that you don't even leave your kids alone with their father. I've seen a lot and it probably did warp my view in this regard.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2014 11:45:16 GMT -5
Where did I say that " Most men abuse children"? I didn't. And no, I never left any male alone with my children. Not even my husband. A crying baby that wouldn't stop freaked him out. I truly can't understand that. I would not intentionally have children with someone who I didn't feel would take care of them. The idea that men are not trustworthy around kids, even their own... I don't know what to say, but that perception makes me very sad. My dad and my dh are wonderful caregivers. My son talks about growing up and having his own kids so he can take care of them. That mentality absolutely says to me that you believe most men would hurt children. Sent from my ADR6410LVW using proboards I don't believe that MOST men would hurt children, just that when it comes to child abuse it's (IMHO) usually the men who cause it.
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