Looking after someone else's kids can be tricky. With your own kids, you make the rules. You decide when is bedtime, how much screen time they get, and what's for dinner. When you're babysitting, parents are usually the ones who give you the guidelines. They might not align with what you have in mind as the babysitter, but you have to abide by them nonetheless.
Sometimes, parents might have some exceptionally odd or unusual instructions. That's evident from these two threads on Quora about the weirdest and most inappropriate requests babysitters got from parents. The people in the answers shared stories that make them scratch their heads to this day. And what about you, babysitting Pandas? Have you ever had a particularly jarring or strange babysitting experience? If so, don't hesitate to share it with us in the comments!
#1
Image credits: Tori Walker
#2
Image credits: Padma Patil
#3
Image credits: Marie Rodriguez
#4
Image credits: Lynda Rea
#5
Image credits: Anonymous
#6
Image credits: Melissa Hoy
#7
Image credits: Luce Mayhem
#8
Image credits: Karen McIntosh
#9
Image credits: Georgia Little
#10
It was the early 70s and I was in college, babysitting occasionally to make a little spending money. Jobs were posted on a dorm bulletin board. I arrived at an apartment full of stoned people, including the parents, getting pre-high for a Dead concert. The kids were asleep already.
They offered me a hit. At first I was gobsmacked that they wanted me to watch their kids while high. And then I thought, dummy, they probably smoke around them all the time.
Then one of them said, “So . . . you goin’ to the concert?”
“No. I’m babysitting.”
“Oh, right, man.”
Good times.
Image credits: K. R. Bailey
#11
Image credits: Karen L Singer Zander
#12
Image credits: Cozette Smith
#13
Image credits: Spirit D. Peron-Stewart
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#16
I think when little girl came with her iPad… Mom wanted me to teach her how to use it. She was only 1 year old!
Image credits: Shelley Adman
#17
Image credits: B.A. Crisp
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#19
Five unruly kids I had babysat frequently for years came into the drug store where I worked. They pretended the youngest had his hands locked in a toy handcuff, as a diversion while they stole several cartons of cigarettes. Several of us saw them do it, but I was the only person who could recognize and name the kids, and I told on them. Their mother was furious with me.
Image credits: Karin Krueger
#20
#21
Image credits: Rose Coyle
#22
Image credits: Charles Collins
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#25
I would babysit for a friend of my parents when I was between 12–15 years old. The parents were pretty big partiers, but I actually liked the fact that they stayed out late because I was paid by the hour. They would come home pretty drunk and eventually the father started asking me to drive myself home in his new BMW. He would sit in the passenger seat while I drove and drive himself back to his place after dropping me off. I’m sure he thought this was a safer alternative to him driving me home while completely drunk, but not only was I under age, but not a particularly good driver. Unfortunately, years later his wife did k**l herself in a single car accident involving alcohol. It was very sad that her children lost their mother and I always liked her despite her issues.
#26
Image credits: Lily Morgan-Curet
#27
Image credits: Karen Williams
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#30
Image credits: Rachel DeSelms
#31
#32
Image credits: Linda Jones
