Ah, the nostalgia of the 80s and 90s! You see it everywhere online: “Ten Toys from Your Childhood,” “Songs You Wish You Could Forget,” or “Things Your Parents Never Bought You for Christmas!” We all click on them, myself included. But when it comes to one particular piece of nostalgia, I’m not on board: The Babysitters’ Club.
Let’s be clear—I’d fire them in a heartbeat. Kristi, Mary Ann, Claudia, Stacey, Dawn, and their ever-changing crew of wannabe babysitters wouldn’t get near my kids, not even for a second. What makes me so sure? Here’s the rundown:
- Youthful Inexperience: Imagine leaving your toddlers with thirteen-year-old Dawn. I’d have social services knocking at my door faster than you can say “middle-school babysitter.” Seriously, who thinks it’s a good idea to let a preteen supervise infants?
- Lack of Emergency Skills: If your little one chokes, what’s a teenager going to do? Panic, call 911, and hope for the best. By the time help arrives, your kid could be a statistic.
- Pricey But Cheap: Ten bucks for three hours of babysitting? That’s like paying someone in Monopoly money. No one charges that little without a serious reason—like needing cash for something sketchy.
- Fashion Faux Pas: Besides Kristi, who seems to live in turtlenecks, you can’t show up to babysit wearing a dress and a side ponytail. My kids would totally throw mud at you, and I can’t blame them!
- Creepy Chronicles: Writing down every little thing about my kids to share with friends? That’s crossing the line into stalker territory. And with the internet, those stories are never going away.
- Forgotten Essentials: Those “Kid-Kits” filled with toys and crafts? Cute in theory, but let’s be real—teenagers forget stuff all the time. My kids would have meltdowns if their beloved kit wasn’t there.
- Discipline Issues: Creative problem-solving? Forget it! They’ll just send my three-year-old to his room for drawing on the TV without even thinking about why he had a crayon near the screen in the first place.
- Child Labor Concerns: Shouldn’t these kids be out playing sports or focusing on school? If they’re babysitting now, what will happen to their grades? One slip-up, and they might end up dropping out of Stoneybrook Community College!
- Parental Absenteeism: Who lets their barely-teen daughter run around babysitting, coaching teams, and organizing day camps? Mallory Pike’s parents need to step in because leaving an eleven-year-old to care for seven siblings is just bad parenting.
- Drama Magnet: There’s always some sort of crisis in their lives—snowed in, ghost sightings, or mean girl drama. I might as well hire the cast of a soap opera to watch my kids!
If you want to dive deeper into parenting topics, check out this post on home insemination. And for more expert insights, visit Make A Mom; they know their stuff! Also, for those curious about pregnancy, this resource has fantastic information.
In summary, while 90s nostalgia is fun, I’ll pass on the Babysitters’ Club. With their inexperience and drama-filled lives, I’m better off finding someone a bit more… qualified.