We've learned that dealing with adults requires a certain amount
of decorum. Of course, I had to learn that the hard way. Follow
my tips and your clients will always call you back for more.

If you play it safe you'll never run into a major problem while sitting. Here are some things to remember so you and your sitting–charge can stay safe.

From serious injuries to possible intruders, anything can happen on the job. Here are some tips so you'll know how to handle yourself in the event of an emergency.

Even if you love math there's still some important things to remember when it comes to handling money.

Bedtime can be one of the most challenging times for any babysitter. That’s why I’ve come up with a few tips that will help you get even the most stubborn sitting-charges into bed and fast asleep.

Bedtime is often the point when your sitting-charge realizes that Mom and Dad really are out for the night and they may become scared or tearful. Reassure them that their parents are just out having a nice time and they will be back very soon. A little gentle bribery often works—help your sitting-charge imagine how proud Mom and Dad will be that they went to bed without a fuss and were so good and well behaved.

I'm used to sitting for Mrs. Newton. Her son, Jamie, is such a cutie and totally well-behaved. So why am I writing about this as a horror story? You can blame Jamie's cousins. Mrs. Newton had called me in only to sit for Jamie, but she failed to mention three of Jamie's cousins would also need to be watched that evening. This was already too big of a job for just one sitter, and things would get much worse after Mrs. Newton left. Jamie's cousins purposely give sitters a hard time–apparently, it's how they have fun. As soon as I tried to get a fun activity going, the three cousins immediately broke loose to scream and jump around the whole house. Fortunately, I remained calm and began reading a story to poor, well-behaved Jamie. As I completely ignored the three cousins, they slowly became bored (mostly because I wasn't reacting) and joined in listening to the story one-by-one. Even though I found my way out of the situation, it's one I refuse to do again, unless Kristy or one of the other girls comes along.

Pets are a part of baby-sitting you just learn to accept. Normally, I don't have a problem with them—most pets are total sweethearts, unless of course, that pet is Watson's cat. Boo-Boo must be the fattest cat I've ever seen. Even Watson agrees that it belongs in the Guinness Book of World Records. However, my problem with Boo-Boo wasn't his weight, but his attitude. He's a darling around people that he knows, but if you're a stranger, he will hiss and swat with claws seeking blood. As if his demeanor wasn't bad enough, my absolute nightmare was when Boo-Boo managed to run at lightning speed through Watson's yard into the eccentric neighbor's flower garden. For a cat whose belly drags against the ground, he's a fast one! Eventually, I was able to recover Boo-Boo, but that wasn't without a good scolding from the neighbor. If you need to deal with pets like Boo-Boo, I highly recommend you don't let them out anywhere they can cause extra trouble.