Babysitters Club

A few months ago, we explored the topic of summer jobs. But what about the other nine months of the year? Speaking of nine months, what about babies? Speaking of babies, what about the age-old teen career of babysitting? (And who came up with that rather misleading name?)

Child care and high schoolers looking to save a little dough for a sweet pair of hand-painted Twilight kicks (idea: Bergstein's Twilight shoes?) have gone together since the beginning of time. (You know Adam and Eve made Seth babysit.)

Babysitting, other than a means of tax-free moulah, is fun. It can also be so exhausting and maddening that schools could cancel their pregnancy prevention programs and just make every student babysit for six hours. We examine the pros and cons:

Pros

Eating all the food in the family's pantry (fruit roll-ups!)

Acting like a kid again

Having an excuse to watch cartoons

Playing their Wii

That baby smell (the one on their heads, not their bottoms)

Hot moms/dads

Watching HBO after the kids have gone to sleep

Getting to stay out past your normal curfew

Being a card-carrying member of the Babysitters Club

Cons

Spit-up

Throw-up

Changing diapers

Playing My Little Pony for six hours straight

Tantrums

Getting stuck in baby talk

Cheetos dust all over your clothes

How many times can you say "Peek-a-boo" without snapping and yelling, "I'm right here! Geez, I'm not going anywhere—I'm just holding up my hands!"

Watching Dora the Explorer

Do you babysit? Do you love it? Ever wanted to run from the house screaming, "I'm never having kids!!!!!! ARRRRRRRRRGHAAAAAAHHH!"

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