Money is tight for a lot of people right now. Lots of people are being laid off, which means lots of people can’t afford babysitters. If the people you sit for are suddenly unable to afford you, consider cutting your costs for a while or even doing the work for free. Give them gift certificates for free babysitting. You might sit for a single mother while she job hunts. Parents on a tight budget need time together away from the children and away from the stress of unemployment. Consider offering to watch the kids one evening so they can go for a walk, or one afternoon so they can take a drive somewhere alone.
While the parents are away, help the children do a service for their parents. Get them to help you clean the house for their parents, leaving a cute note that says the elves have been here. Bring baking supplies from home and help them make cookies. (When a family is on a tight budget, there often aren’t any treats.) Don’t use their supplies, since you don’t know if they can afford to spare them. As it gets close to Christmas, help the children make gifts for their family members. Challenge them to help their parents by making gifts and by not asking for expensive presents. Homemade presents are more fun.
Sometimes the children will be tense and you can do a lot to help them feel safe and happy. It is hard for the parents to reassure the children or provide fun for them when they are so worried themselves. Plan some fun things to help them relax and forget their troubles. If they want to talk, be careful about what you say. Don’t frighten them and don’t make promises-you don’t know what will happen. Just assure them that their parents are doing a good job of taking care of them and encourage them to ask their parents if they have questions you don’t think you should answer. Of course, you should never criticize the parents to the children. Children feel safest when they feel their parents are doing the best they can.
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