[speaker001:] [Beep] Okay.
[speaker002:] Well, I take it since you selected this topic that you have children.
[speaker001:] No, I don't,
[speaker002:] You don't?
[speaker001:] but I have nine younger brothers and sisters.
[speaker002:] My goodness.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER] So. Well, I have two daughters and, um, they're past this, they've been latchkey children for a while, and they're almost where I can start saying they're, you know, young adults,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] so I don't have to worry about child care too much anymore. Um, we're supposed to discuss what criteria we would ask,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] or expect.
[speaker001:] I would assume it's, you know, if you were looking for a day-care center or something like that.
[speaker002:] Well, if I were look-,
[speaker001:] Or probably even baby-sitters would be the same thing.
[speaker002:] Exactly. Exactly. Um, I think my, my top priority would be that it would be someone who would be responsible and someone that would actually like children.
[speaker001:] Yes, I would think someone older and I would want to know if they've had any past experience with children.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] [Very faint] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And I think that varies. I think a lot of your criteria vary with the age of your child.
[speaker001:] Yes, that's true also.
[speaker002:] Um, you know, it's, it's, once they get to a certain age it's almost more important that it's someone that can entertain your child as opposed to someone who's, you know, really, really qualified
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] per se. Um, with a, with a baby, definitely have to be someone who knows how to handle a baby and would know how to respond to an emergency.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] So,
[speaker001:] Well, um, I did a lot of baby-sitting when I was younger. I'm twenty-two now and I did most of my baby-sitting when I was between the ages of thirteen and sixteen. But, um, the only thing people ever asked me, well, of course, they knew I came from a family with younger kids, but they really didn't ask me if I was used to children or not. The only other thing they asked me is what I would expect in pay.
[speaker002:] Oh, uh-huh, uh-huh.
[speaker001:] You know, and, um, I was pretty surprised because if I had a child and someone, you know, I would want to know, I personally would ask for people that that person has baby-sit for before.
[speaker002:] Well, I, my experience, I baby-sat a lot also at, when I grew up and, um, coming from, you know, that background and the background as a parent now, I think the reason that people don't ask a whole lot of questions is a, a lot of times baby-sitters, I know I did this with my children, it's, you get somebody where you kind of know the family already.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And that gives you so much basic knowledge that you don't ask a whole lot of questions.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Becaus-, because I had three younger brothers and sisters myself so they, they thought, okay, she knows how to, how to treat children.
[speaker001:] Yes. Well, see when, um, I first got my mai-, my first baby-sitting job was pretty strange. Um, this lady saw us at church and she was a you-, you know, she was a younger lady. She didn't really know my mom. She knew my mom by name and that was it. And, um, she knew that I was one of the oldest girls in my family so she just asked my mom if I could baby-sit.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh, uh-huh.
[speaker001:] You know, she really didn't know my name or anything, you know, I thought that was pretty strange. You know, and she had two children. One was still in diapers when I started baby-sitting.
[speaker002:] Wow.
[speaker001:] So, um, she pretty much, you know, just assumed that I would know, you know, how to handle them. So, I wa-, you know, I enjoy kids and I get along with them very well so there's no problem. But, uh, with today's world and the kids today, uh, there's no way, I can't say that I would just ask someone, you know, that I didn't know like that to baby-sit.
[speaker002:] Oh, I agree with you, but there again she, you know, she knew, knew of your family,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh, that's true.
[speaker002:] and she, and she met in a safe setting, such as church.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] So she was going on those two instincts. Just the same I know myself, I never, and I was very very protective on who baby-sat my children.
[speaker001:] Oh, I would be too [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] And, and in i-, it really shocked me because just about six months ago someone came to my front door, rang the doorbell. She had just moved in the neighborhood. She had her daughter with her, and the daughter was, oh, about a second grader. And she was actively looking for people who would baby-sit her child.
[speaker001:] Oh, my.
[speaker002:] And I thought, well she doesn't know me or my children from anything.
[speaker001:] Huh-uh.
[speaker002:] And it was, I was almost more reluctant of letting my older children go baby-sit for her because I didn't know her
[speaker001:] Uh-huh, yes.
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER] then she was reluctant of letting strangers into her house.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] So, I mean people are so different.
[speaker001:] Oh, I know. Um, well, I real-, I, obviously you've never had to look for a day care or anything.
[speaker002:] Well, I did, I did have, um, my, my child, uh, in a day care for just a short time a-, when my oldest was about two and a half
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and I worked just a part-time job and, uh, in, in those situations, um, what I did is I'd, I went in and, you know, I made a few phone calls, I went in and visited. I asked questions such as how they would discipline a child.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Um, that was a concern with me. Um, you know, c-, you, you learn a lot by going in there and they e-, they explain to you, you know, what their day consists of and what their general rules are, and, um, that's, you know, that's as much as I know. You probably could get really good feedback from a lot of other working mothers
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] you know, that have done this over and over again.
[speaker001:] Well,
[speaker002:] But I, go ahead.
[speaker001:] How did you stumble upon the day-care center? Did you just look it up in a phone book or what was it?
[speaker002:] Um, I think lots of people, I, I think I went by location for one thing.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I think most people do that. I think you start out with the criteria of, you know, do I know of anything or do I know anyone who has their child in a day care and,
[speaker001:] Yeah, there is, I would say most people would probably go by word of mouth.
[speaker002:] Right. Right. And then, you know, I mean, even at that you have to consider the logistics of it.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] You know, I mean, you're not going to take your child south of town if you work north.
[speaker001:] Yes, exactly.
[speaker002:] Yo-, even if that's the best one in the whole wide world [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] So there, there are just so many considerations.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh. Then again, did, um, money come into play with it at all?
[speaker002:] Oh, money is always a factor in my life,
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER] definitely. I've never, you know, I've never had the luxury of not having that be a factor. Um, even in something as important as day care. I know if I didn't have that stipulation, I would have done things differently
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] you know. Um, Montessori school would be something that I would have pursued, but that's always a little bit more expensive than what I could look at.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Um, and I was very very fortunate in that I didn't have to do that on a full-time basis.
[speaker001:] Yes.
[speaker002:] So, and, and then when you get, you know, when you get into the full-time basis day care,