u/Upset_Maybe_25

I babysit a 4-year-old who has recently started doing this thing where she tells me what to do in a very demanding/directive tone. I know some of this is completely normal for her age, but I’m not really sure how to respond to it.

For example, she’ll tell me to do something and then get annoyed if I don’t immediately understand what she means. She’ll sigh loudly, say things like “I just told you what to do!” even though she actually didn’t tell me anything, or sometimes kind of yell at me. It almost seems like she thinks it’s funny and is playfully pretending to be annoyed, rather than actually being upset, but it still gets annoying after a while.

I usually tell her that she needs to use kind words or ask me nicely, but she keeps doing it.

I obviously understand that she’s only 4 and this is probably pretty normal behavior at this age. I’m more wondering what the best way to respond is so I’m not constantly getting frustrated with her, while also teaching her that she can’t talk to me that way. What has worked for other people with this?

I (19F) nanny for three kids (4F, 7M, and 10M). The oldest kid tends to get very angry at his siblings and yells and hits. I’ve been trying to work on it with him and talk it out and have them separate but he always says they deserve it and they were making him angry. I’ve tried many things like separating them, taking away electronics, and talking it out and tell him why it’s wrong but it never seems to go anywhere.

His parents are aware of the situation and they struggle with it too I believe but they’re always a bit better behaved around their parents anyways so it’s a bit different.

They middle kid also has this issue but not as bad. They both just can’t control their anger well and it always ends up with someone yelling or getting hurt. Any tips are appreciated!

I’ve started nannying for a family this summer and am there around 40 hrs a week (4x a week 10 hrs each day). It gets to be a lot trying to entertain all three kids all the time and play with them for 10 hours straight. I’m just wondering how often other nannie’s encourage independent play to get a break and maybe clean up around the house or something.
I try to usually get a small break while making dinners but they always try to play with me and I just didn’t know what a good recommended amount of time for them to play by themselves is? Like is an hour a day what I should aim for or more or less? I think its important they are learning to be creative and play by themselves and when I was their age I played by myself most of the day and I enjoyed it but they seem to struggle with it.

I’m looking for fun science experiments to do with household items for kids ages 4-10. I’m babysitting three kids and I struggle to find stuff that the older kid enjoys but he recently got a science experiment kit that he’s really interested in. For the future I think it’d be fun to find at home experiments that I could do with all of them. Something not super messy or hard but may take a considerable amount of time to keep them all busy. Maybe three separate experiments? The ages are 4F, 7M, and 10M

I (19F) am babysitting for 3 kids (4F, 7M, and 10M) for about 40+ hrs per week. Most days I’m with the kids for about 10 hours and it gets to be exhausting trying to keep them entertained the entire day while also trying to cook and clean for them. Sometimes I just want a few minutes to myself just cleaning/other chores around the house (so it’s not like I’m just sitting on my phone) but every time I try the kids keep asking me to play and will try and pull me to play constantly. They won’t play by themselves for longer than 5-10mins before begging me to play again.
I want to try and get them to play independently for 15-30 mins just so I can get a break for a little and tidy up but they’re always confused why I have to clean or can’t play with them for 10 hours straight. Any suggestions?

I’ve babysat for this family for a few years. It used to just be just occasional but this summer I’ve been working full-time (40+ hours/week).

Every so often they leave money for us to do an activity (trampoline park, lunch, etc.), and they usually leave more than enough. The kids will sometimes ask for things like drinks, snacks, or other small extras while we’re out. I always feel guilty spending all of the money they left even though it was given for the outing.
What's the usual expectation? If parents leave extra money, is it generally okay to use it for extra (kinda unnecessary but within reason) things like food, drinks, or extra rounds of games or should I try to spend the minimum necessary for the outing and return whatever is left over? I don't want to take advantage of their generosity, but I also don't want to be unnecessarily restrictive if they intended the money to be used.
I’d love to hear from any parents that have babysitters on their thoughts with this!

I've babysat for a family for a few years, but this summer I've been working full-time (40+ hours/week, usually 10-hour days) with three kids (F4, M7, M10). I'm really struggling with the oldest.
The younger two usually play well together, but the 10-year-old mostly wants screens. Getting him off them leads to arguments, and once he's off he usually refuses to join activities and just asks when he can go back inside. He also picks on and hits his siblings, and the parents have said they've been struggling with this too.
I've tried being more consistent with rules, but I feel like it's just turning into constant power struggles. Since I'm there so often, I worry he's starting to see me as the person who only says "no."
Does anyone have advice for activities that work well with this age gap, or ways to handle the oldest without getting into arguments all day?