The Word Babysitter Has Many Different Meanings
Being a baby sitter
Being a baby sitter is a wonderful job that allows new parents the ability to be more of a mother while spending quality time with their child. There are some skills that all good baby sitter possesses in order to effectively accomplish their duties. By carefully looking through resumes, was able to identify the most common traits for someone in this important role. Most successful candidates listed communication skills, teaching skills and interpersonal abilities. The majority of successful sitters also listed experience in child development, special needs and the care of an infant. Keeping all these items in mind, it was easy to find the perfect babysitter for the family.
Interesting bit of information
An interesting bit of information about this job is that it was first documented in the year 1937. A man by the name of Frank Tillman was living and working in Mississippi at the time. He decided that he needed something to do in order to make some money, so he took a vacation and began writing up ads. After putting together a few ads, he decided that he needed to start a baby-sitter service.
Ads were pretty general
The ads were pretty general in their descriptions, but they did mention that the babysitter would be able to provide a shoulder to cry on, a shoulder to carry, a mother’s love, and basic day-to-day care including naps and meals. The first recorded babysitter came forward in 1940. She was a young woman who appeared to be around 12 years old. She provided a great service by sleeping in clients homes and providing the needed services.
Baby-sitter
Different names were given to babysitters over the years, but the term ‘baby-sitter’ always stuck. Some of the other names attributed to the profession over the years included homemaker, cook, governess, and hostess. The word Oed is an Old Irish word that means ‘goat’. The first sitting clients were referred to as Goats. In time the sitting service became known as the Oedipus Society.
Based on historical data, the origin of the name Oedipus Society is uncertain. Many believe it to come from the early days when Greeks and Romans would hire out their baby sitters. When Rome and Greece fell to ruin, the city states were not willing to lose their population so they simply changed the name of the cities to prevent any association with their past.
There are many possible reasons why the name Baby-sitter refers to baby-sitters. The most likely reason would be the fact that the female gender refers to children under the age of nine in their wedding gowns. The use of the word broody hens refers to the male babysitter. The name itself is suggestive of a feminine touch as it contains the words womb and mother. It is therefore very probable that the term broody hens was used as a nickname for a male babysitter. Another reasonable explanation is that the word babysitter was derived from two words which are roughly translated as bread and baby.
Baby sitters today are mostly women
Baby sitters today are mostly women because of the current trend. There are however men who may want to take up babysitting. Their preferred option is to become a nanny or a childcare provider. This is because child care is much cheaper than in-home babysitting. A childcare provider can also provide his or her child with more personalized services than a nanny can do, such as playing musical instruments and letting them watch TV.
Childcare providers are much preferred over nannies because they do not have to spend much time interacting with their charges. This allows the sitter to have more free time to pursue other social activities. However, it is much more difficult for childcare providers to find sitters on a daily basis, especially compared to a nanny who can find clients according to their availability. This is why agencies are able to supply babysitters to qualified candidates on a temporary basis. Babysitters will therefore usually have to do some advertising in order to find clients.