Kids!!! Ahhhhh!!!

[benakittie]

[COLOR=DeepSkyBlue][FONT=Comic Sans MS]I've been babysitting for a long time now and one thing I've come to noticed is that I' ve been able to keep two kinds of voices. There's my regular nice tone and then WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE!! kind of tone. *lol* Sometimes when I yell so sternly at them I kinda scare myself! *LOL*

Does anyone else who does this?[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Godelsensei]

Taking care of other people's children requires the ability to shift between personalities in a split second. You can be the sweetest, kindest, most sympathetic, loving caretaker in the world, but the second they do something they shouldn't have, you unleash some inner demon that really couldn't care less they're in tears.

I find, after having worked at a summer camp for a while, I have to resist the urge to scream whenever I see kids acting up on the street or at the mall or wherever. I feel like going up to them, grabbing them by the forearm and demanding to know why they would even [i]do[/i] that.
Sometimes, I wonder if their parents would mind all that much.

[Angelus_Necare]

[font=garamond][color=Teal]Summer camp really does bring out the inner deamons of some of the most patient, kind people. I didn't think much of it when I applied to work at a six week residential all girl camp. I'd say it gave me much more patience and grace when it came to working with smaller children (the older ones are an entirely different matter). I would definitely say that it was a life lesson that I should do well to never forget, or even think the things I wanted to do to those brats...

Although I do miss it, and it has taught me to appreciate how precious and innocent children are. Then again, they can be conniving, scheming little monsters that want to play "lets see which councellor will cry first".[/color][/font]

[Doukeshi]

[SIZE=1]Where I work there are kids running around and screaming and making noise all the time, even though it isn't really a kids environment. Since I work in a clothes store parents have to bring their kids with them and sometimes you just want to kick them.

The parents will be all "don't do that or the asisstant will tell you off" and I'm standing there thinking [I]don't get me involved in your domestic disputes?[/I] The best thing we can do is make an announcement to make parents keep an eye on their kids, but it doesn't work. [/SIZE]

[Bloodseeker]

I can usually babysit pretty well... all you have to do is wrestle with them and let them play videogames or tell them to play hide and seek in the house once you get tired.

What I can't stand is when you're in a public place and parents refuse to discipline their kids when they get out of control. I remember that I was at a boxing event once and the family of one of the boxers that was fighting for the title was sitting right behind us. I can understand if the kids were excited, after all, their dad was up for a major title. But the kids were disrupting the entire area and making it impossible to enjoy the match. "DAAAAAAD!" "SCREAM LOUDER!" "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD! DAD! DAD! DAD! DAD! DAAAAAAAAAD!" I wanted to turn around and give those kids an early orientation to bare-fist boxing. Of course, there was the mom... "Now, quiet down. There are people in front of you." That's all she did. Ask them to stop.

Do you know what a constitutional government is? Kind of an out of the way question, I know, but it has some relevance here. A constitutional government is a government that sets restrictions on what it can do and has a set punishment in place in the case that it tries to overstep its bounderies in the future. Why the latter part? Because without the punishment, the law means nothing. Its a parent's job to uphold their rules... when the kid breaks the rules, there has to be consequences. If there's no consequences, the kid isn't going to care about the rules. If a kid's acting up, its the parent's job to drag them into the back room and give them a spanking, or let them know that they aren't going to get McDonalds later because they aren't behaving properly. And the parents have to be uncompromising with those punishments, or else the kids will think that they can act up as long as they remedy it with good behavior later. Kids aren't as stupid as some parents seem to think...

[celestialcharm]

[QUOTE]Summer camp really does bring out the inner deamons of some of the most patient, kind people. I didn't think much of it when I applied to work at a six week residential all girl camp. I'd say it gave me much more patience and grace when it came to working with smaller children (the older ones are an entirely different matter). I would definitely say that it was a life lesson that I should do well to never forget, or even think the things I wanted to do to those brats...[/QUOTE]

My sister works at a Summer Camp. Whenever she calls home, you can hear her yelling at the kids, and her voice now sounds like a boy going through puberty! :laugh:

At work, I had seen so many kids act up! I swear that there was this 4 year old at work, who had a tantrum for like 20+ minutes! I to my co-worker, if that was my kid, they would of got a smack longtime! She agreed.

Well, anyways, back on topic, I do have to use that kind voice when I talk to kids. I have to talk to them, in simple English. Can't use big words or else they'll ask a million of questions. Just like my cousins. I usually, have to make them food, after day camp (my brother is the one that makes them watch tv or play Nintendo.) They are ten and they asked me "How is it like being a teen?" then I have to say in my nicest voice that being a teen is ok. When, I could of just got disgruntled and tamatized them about the trials of being a teen in today's society. I always give 'em a short answer though because there's always many more questions to come. But, you know what always works, if you smile and say "Now, who wants ice-cream!" When you want a break.

Now, other people's kids who aren't family, sometimes I want to snap on some of them for being so rude and demanding. Expessially with their parents right behind them. And I have to be all nice when I want to yell at them! It's like the parent's don't even teach their bratty punk kids any manners. :animeangr No ice-cream for them! And they can be so manipulative! But, it's hard not to give into their demands because then they won't leave you alone! They want to send you to an insane asylum!! It's their plot to destroy!

I better stop typing before I get into a deeper rant. But, I think it's the funniest thing, when you use a voice that you use on a child, on an adult! I did that once or twice ;)

[MommySkullFish]

Yeah, try HAVING kids! (Or not, if you're not that old yet).

I have a 5 year old, and sometimes I even go so far as to "pre-scold" him. Last night when I picked him up, I put on the stern almost yelling voice and told him what the night was going to be like, and how if he got out of line, he was not going where he wanted to go (the library). I get so sick of putting him in and out of the car with him whining about every little thing!

I have an immensely scary disciplinary voice. My boyfriend once got embarrassed when I did it in public, but my son had had a tantrum in a store, and knocked over a display, and I had had it. I felt like I was going to punch the kid! I swear, not matter how much a parent says they never feel that way - it's untrue! Now I feel bad for my parents..

I never hesitate to scold him or discipline him in public, and make sure everyone hears me doing it.

It's funny - he really ONLY listens to my disciplinary or loud voice... He needs it in order to know I'm serious. My mom can do her doting "Bobby, come here honey", and he ignores her, and then I yell "Bobby, get in here!" and there he is.

Some people might say I'm too hard on my son. I say they need to buck up. He's a perfectly happy child, but he needs to know where that line is, and if he crosses it, all bets are off.

(and no, I don't abuse him)

EDIT: The monkey in my avatar (which is from Family Guy) is the way I look when I'm angry =P

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting.

My most common experience with taking care of small children is when my mothers cousins arrive to visit us with their children, there's usually about four of them, Amy, Jack, Sam and Rebecca. Amy is absolutely doted upon by my younger sister, the second she arrives Sinead whisks her away and they spend most of the day watching videos, Jack is about three or four at this stage, I think, and has taken on the slightly irritating habit of calling me Uncle Gavin despite the fact that I'm 18 and not actually his uncle. He was introduced into this habit by his uncle Alan who has been dubbed Badger due to his greying/grey hair at 35, as revenge for me getting Jack to call him Uncle Badger. Still myself and my brother David basically entertain Jack the whole day by either watching movies or Tv or playing some sport, I get to be nice Uncle Gavin to him because any discipline comes from his mother or father though I have on occasion shown him some slightly discipline in his manners, all I'll say is "nostril gourmet" .

I really enjoy taking care of young children, they're immensely entertaining and keep you sharp on your wits.[/SIZE]