Profiles of Childhood: Kia Gomez, Doula & Babysitter

Kia Gomez and one of her favorite babysitting charges, Olina, 18 months old

Our childhoods shape us and prepare us, not only for our own lives, but for the joys and values we’ll pass on to others. 

As told to Dawn Van Osdell

“I split my time between school in the San Francisco Bay Area—Notre Dame de Namur University—and my hometown of Los Angeles. It’s not so different from the way I divided my time when I was a kid: between LA, where I was raised, and Belize, where my dad and extended family live and where I spent whole summers and every Christmas. The closeness of my family, and growing up in two places, made me who I am today, and who I am to the kids I take care of. My childhood prepared me to deal with different kinds of people and to realize I shouldn’t have any expectations of how people should be, act, or live.

My mom, brother, and I moved to LA from Belize when my parents divorced. I was 7 years old. I had several cousins in LA to help ease my transition, but it took me a while to catch on and keep up with the other kids. I remember how Americans phrased things so differently than people did in Belize, how the lingo was so completely new. I was fortunate to have a strong family and community of other Belizean transplants who knew the culture of my small country and helped me adjust to living in such a big, new place. Nonetheless, the change was difficult for me and also for other kids to understand. They didn’t get what it was like to be a part of a separated household spread across two countries. I couldn’t invite them over—we were living in a one-bedroom apartment. I didn’t have the luxury of getting picked up and dropped off in a car—I took a city bus. My clothes didn’t have brand names. I realized you have to ask questions to understand how another person lives. I also learned to not just accept differences, but to expect them.

Today, I babysit for dozens of different families. I don’t have expectations before walking in the door. Sometimes the kids are really shy and other times they are balls of fire—similar to the night and day difference between my brother and me when we were growing up. My parents always struggled to understand why I wasn’t more extroverted like him. I’ve vowed to respect and appreciate people’s differences because it makes us who we are. I have a built-in support system for interacting with kids, no matter their personality: my mom, a single mother and a nanny since she was 18 years old. I call her and say, “Help! What do I do? What works for you?” She always reminds to me try to understand the other side, to have patience, and to be confident.

Olina and her three-year-old brother, Samson, hang out in Los Angeles with their sitter, Kia

I’m studying kinesiology, which is the study of human movement. I may be an athletic trainer one day, maybe something else! I’m interning with a chiropractor in LA County, and starting to work with a mom I babysit for who is a yoga teacher for athletes. I’ve also become a doula—inspired by my aunt who is a nurse practitioner— which has given me so much information about what women need during childbirth and what needs to change. There is often a lack of concern over providing a mother and her child with a happy and healthy birth, and fallback from doctors who just want to get the job done. Becoming a doula has introduced me to feminist views, like how women are underestimated just for being female, and the inequalities that still exist between men and women. It’s made me want to speak up for others and for change. I’m able to help by serving as an advocate for low-income families and young mothers with unplanned pregnancies through volunteering at Joy in Birthing while finishing my degree.

Whether it’s the kids I babysit or my friends, I always encourage others to embrace what makes people difference and to try new things. Thinking about the “what-if” will only deter you from doing something that could possibly be wonderfully life changing. For me, even if I fail, I will be happy to know that I at least tried.

Photographs by Kyle Monk

Profiles of Childhood: Jessica Asfar, Fashion Student and Sitter, New York, NY

Sewing a dress

Our childhoods shape us and prepare us, not only for our own lives, but for the joys and values we’ll pass on to others. 

As told to Lela Nargi

My parents first started letting me come into the city from the suburbs of Red Bank, NJ, when I was about 16 years old. I’d already known I wanted to be a fashion designer since I was 9 years old—it was either that, or a lawyer, or a dolphin trainer!

But in 2011, I saw the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute. That was so breathtaking and beautiful and weird, it really got my mind going, especially this gold coat made of feathers. I’d already taken some classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in high school, and life drawing classes, which got me interested in the science of the body. And in 2012, I moved into the city to study fashion.

On the right, the inspirational Alexander McQueen feathered coat

ON THE RIGHT, THE INSPIRATIONAL ALEXANDER MCQUEEN FEATHERED COAT

The only other person in my family who can sew is my aunt—she helped me make my prom dress. And my grandfather was a tailor, although I never got to meet him, but I guess he’s where I get my talent from. Originally, I wanted to go into costume design but as time went on I realized intimates was the field that interested me the most. Intimates are hard. There are so many things a bra is supposed to do; you have to keep all the utility elements while still making a thing you want to wear. That’s challenging, but fit is the biggest struggle. Eventually I want to have my own company—I wouldn’t mind being the next Agent Provocateur! And I’d like to do lines that cover a bigger spectrum, with more options for women of different sizes. At the moment, though, I’m a sophomore at FIT taking about nine classes a semester, and I also intern at an international wholesale company that specializes in pajamas and intimates.

I started babysitting when I was 11, for my neighbors who had 4 kids: twin 1-year-olds, a 4-year-old, and a 6-year-old. It was insanity, but it was the best crash course I could imagine. I’ve been babysitting ever since. I started sitting for UrbanSitter when I moved into the city. I love it, and I always need money, because living in New York is so expensive. Plus, being away from my family, I get to be with other people’s families, which is really nice; it gets lonely being in the city by yourself.

Fashion has taught me a lot about patience. If you work too fast you make mistakes and then have to do it 10 times instead of once or twice. I’ve learned to slow down and think about what I’m doing, which also helps me in babysitting. Working with children, you have to take a step back and hear what they’re saying to you with their words or their actions. You have to be patient to grasp what they’re telling you.

Photograph of Jess by Roy Beeson

Profiles of Childhood: Nicole Miles, Doula and Sitter, Chicago, IL

As told to Lela Nargi

I grew up on the Southwest side of Chicago and I’m the oldest of three girls. My parents were high school sweethearts and have been married for 28 years. My father works for the Chicago Transit Authority and my mother now works at a local university.

nicole_milesI’ve always been surrounded by babies and children; in church, in school, in my family, babies were always around. So, I loved children from a very young age. In elementary school, I would always volunteer to help out in the preschool class. My middle sister, Kayla, is only two years younger than I am but my youngest sister, Victoria, was born when I was 11 years old, so I became the built-in babysitter—this was the same year my mother opened a home daycare and I helped out there, too. My cousin had triplets my sophomore year of college and when I came home during the summer and holidays, I spent my free time with them.

I attended all-female schools from 6th grade through college, so I’ve always been surrounded by women, too. It was during my mother’s pregnancy with Kayla that I developed a love for medicine, specifically as it pertains to women’s health; I attended childbirth education classes with her and asked questions at her doctor’s appointments. During my senior year at Smith College, I became a trained doula. My passion is working with birthing women, helping them find their inner strength through the labor process. In Chicago, more women are choosing doulas and midwives during their pregnancy and it’s great to see this shift. One of my personal goals is to bring the power of the doula to every woman, especially in communities that are often overlooked.

Becoming a doula is not my ultimate plan, though—I’m in the process of applying to medical schools to become an OB-GYN. However, the personal care and education involved in aiding new mothers to bring life into this world has been invaluable. The first birth I attended alone was a moment I had to step out of my comfort zone. I was the doula on-call at a local hospital and I was brought in to help a mom who was experiencing labor pains and personal issues. This was my first time meeting her, right in the middle of one of the most difficult times in her life! All my training kicked in and the first thing I did was create a safe space for her. I let her know I was there to help in any way that I could. My biggest challenge was getting her to stay calm and trust her body. She had to tune out the world around her and focus on the moment.

In all, I’ve attended about 20 births, which is also helpful when I babysit. New moms appreciate that I’m a doula because I have experience with newborns and postpartum care. New moms, like laboring moms, need to be supported and reassured that their baby is fine and that they’re doing the right things.

When I babysit, I’m notorious for being a bag lady—I always bring homework and food. The kids I sit for always ask why I carry such a big bag. I tell them I’m talking science classes so that I can apply to medical school and become a doctor. The older kids like to see pictures or hear stories about the babies I care for. Becoming a doula has helped me become a better listener, comfort, and healthcare provider—all skills that will be important in my future life as a physician.

Photograph courtesy of Nicole Miles

Meet Mara: Babysitter and Future Genetic Counselor!

mara-hernandez

Mara has been working with kids and families since she was in middle school so it comes as no surprise that she’s now pursuing a career in genetic counseling, where she’ll be able to help people each and every day. Since joining UrbanSitter in 2012 Mara has sat for around 100 different families, and says that babysitting has provided her with income while still allowing her to keep a schedule flexible enough for school, volunteering, and applying to a Masters program.

Here, Mara shares with us a little bit more about her life, her adventures in babysitting, and what she plans on doing in the future.  

How did you get started as a babysitter?
I grew up in a suburb of San Francisco in a neighborhood that had four cul de sacs that were connected, so it was a pretty good place to find babysitting jobs because there were a lot of families. I don’t remember how I got into babysitting exactly, if I decided if I was old enough or if a neighbor approached me.

We had this little newsletter for our neighborhood and it showed which families were in which houses and listed the names of the kids who lived in the houses, too. The kids’ names had boxes next to them that said whether or not they were willing to do yard work or babysitting or things like that.

I made $4/hour to start, as a Mother’s Helper. I was pretty bad at it, because the mom was working at home, and so the kids would just go bother her. And then I’d come home with my $12 dollars in my hand, but you have to start somewhere!

How did your babysitting career advance after that?
I wanted to do more babysitting as I got a little bit older. I took a class about babysitting at the local community center and of course got CPR certified. In high school I went around my neighborhood with flyers and knocking on doors and got a regular babysitting job out of that, that I had throughout high school and my first year of college.

I also took a gap year and was an au pair in Switzerland for 10 months. I went to the  German-speaking part of Switzerland and couldn’t even count to ten in German when I got there, but I picked it up. I was so excited about it that I went with the very first family who chose me (I applied through an online service not an agency) and just said “Yes! I will be your au pair!”

How did you first get started on UrbanSitter?
I’ve been on UrbanSitter for four and a half years, and it was pretty small when I started. I remember that somebody contacted me for a phone interview, and I remember being in a parking lot walking to my car and I got this call from a woman with a really beautiful Irish accent. Both parents were from Europe and the dad was working as a postdoc at UC Berkeley, they didn’t have any family in the area and hadn’t had a date night in forever.

It was a good start because they were a really nice family and just so appreciative. Their little girl was adorable. They gave me a good review and then someone else booked me. So [my time on UrbanSitter] started out slow, but it picked up from there.

You’re studying genetic counseling now, can you tell us a little bit about that?
A genetic counselor talks to people who might be at risk for hereditary medical conditions. Like cancer for example, if a person has a strong family history of cancer they’ll talk to a genetic counselor and decide whether or not to do specific testing to see if they have that genetic predisposition. Genetic counselors also meet with people planning a pregnancy or who are currently pregnant to provide information and counseling about any health problems that run in the family as well as about prenatal testing options.

Has babysitting had any effect on your choice to pursue genetic counseling?
In genetic counseling you’re working with a lot of different people, people trying to plan a family or start a family. And in my babysitting adventures each family is different, with different personalities, and I’ve always found that pretty interesting. In the field of genetic counseling I’ll get to continue to meet different people and work with different people, and I think it’s good to have a foundation in that already.

There’s a particular family that I work for regularly that goes out a lot. They were so, so supportive about this particular application process [for my Master’s program]. They would give me advice and try to help out. It’s a pretty competitive program that I was applying for, so I was very stressed. The dad’s sister is actually a genetic counselor and so he set up a meeting for us, and she gave me really helpful advice and support.  The kid is so great, too, she’s always cheerful and runs to the door when I get there – now that I’ve started graduate school, I find babysitting is a good way to relieve stress!

Babysitting has been really helpful, because I had to do a lot of volunteering to be accepted into the Master’s program that I’m in now. I’ve been preparing for this program for three years. In July of last year, I left my job at Children’s Hospital to be able to take on more volunteering, and an internship, and to take more classes. So babysitting was all of my income, and it let me be flexible.

Saturday night to me is like babysitting night. I think I’ve worked the majority of Saturdays in the last year. And that has really allowed me to support myself in this last year of preparation for the program. UrbanSitter was so helpful because I know I wouldn’t have found as many jobs as I did without it.

Sign up to be a babysitter today at www.urbansitter.com!

 

Meet Kate Talbot: Successful Author, Content Creator, and Digital Strategist… and an UrbanSitter Babysitter!


kate-oh-snap

Kate Talbot has built her successful career by using digital storytelling to empower communities at brands like Kiva and Virgin America, as well as scale early-stage startups for growth. In her free time, she writes for online publications like Social Media Examiner and KISSmetrics, educating small business owners and entrepreneurs on how to successfully use millennial social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat to build their brands. Recently, she published a book on the topic of Snapchat Marketing. Of course, like any city girl she was at the Dry Bar downtown on a recent Monday morning getting glam for an important event and ran into UrbanSitter CEO Lynn Perkins (whom she babysat for years back) and they got to chatting…

Here, Kate shares with us her experiences with UrbanSitter, what it’s been like having written a successful book, and more insight into her career and life.

Can you tell us a little bit about how you know UrbanSitter CEO and Co-Founder, Lynn?
For me, I am all about the side hustle. SF is expensive and any avenue in which you can use technology to create multiple revenue streams is important. My girlfriends and I (as many of us) have babysat since our tween years, and after business school in 2012 we all signed up for UrbanSitter. This was a great way to supplement our job incomes off the bat.

I learned from my friend Lisa, who is a babysitting all-star, that the best way to build your babysitting profile is to reply to jobs right away and babysit on a Saturday night. From doing so, I ended up replying fast to a query and booked a job during the 2013 holiday season for Lynn. I had a wonderful time babysitting for her son and she was highly supportive of my own story and helping me succeed. We connected on LinkedIn, and I always loved following all the news about UrbanSitter; especially this amazing feature in the First Round Review on Lynn and UrbanSitter.

As fate happens, I ended up running marketing for a First Round Capital company—which also funds UrbanSitter—so at a dinner roundtable I met Daisy [Downs, Co-Founder of UrbanSitter] too! I let the other attendees know that even though I was in the tech space, I also was an UrbanSitter babysitter, which delighted everyone.

You mentioned going to business school, where did you study?
I went to the University of San Francisco, where I focused on Marketing and Entrepreneurship.

I grew up in Moraga in the East Bay —I have lived in New York City, too—but I knew I wanted to be in the Bay Area long-term. My dad and brother both went to USF for law school, so I knew I’d be getting a great education.

Can you tell us a little bit about what you’re doing now?
I have my own consulting firm where I lead growth marketing for early stage startups—whether that’s influencer marketing tools or cybersecurity technology—it really runs the gamut but I love it all.

I also write on the side. I do that because it’s a passion of mine.

In fact, when I babysat I am able to write when the kids are asleep. One of my favorite articles I wrote on Snapchat was written in a Pacific Heights apartment overlooking the Bay, while babysitting for a great family.

You just wrote and published a book about Snapchat, what was the process like?
I combined the writing which was already published on the topic and leveraged my community. I’m extremely fortunate to have contacts across all industries at big brands and media entities, and they were able to provide case study insights into their own execution of the platform. My mentor, a VC from Onset Ventures, who encouraged me to write the book, wrote the foreword about the future of enterprise marketing and Snapchat.

I also mentor at Stanford for an undergraduate course in media and technology. From this class, I was able to hire a recent graduate to design all the creative assets. That was probably my favorite part, because we had so much fun thinking outside the box and what would help the audience understand the platform from a visual perspective.

What interested you about Snapchat enough to write about it ?
I’ve always been really in tune with the millennial, and now Gen Y, audience on what the next trends will be. As a user myself and talking with my 22-year-old god-sister and her friends, I realized the power of Snapchat as an authentic way of telling stories and connecting with friends. Since I’d already been writing about social media for Social Media Examiner, I pitched the topic of Snapchat for Business. I was one of the first writers to do so, and it’s led to amazing opportunities speaking at business schools and conferences. I figured next steps, why not write a book!  

What has the reception been like for your book?
It did amazingly well! I felt so thankful for my community that downloaded it. During the 5-day free promotion, it went to the #2 spot in all of Business Marketing and Sales on Amazon. It was also #1 on Amazon for Advertising and Professional Development and #1 on Product Hunt books.

To wrap up: If you could give advice to sitters using the service, what would it be?
My advice would be to think of your profile as a personal brand. Fill out your profile in the best light possible. Also, remember parents are really looking forward to their date night or event they are off to, so be as professional as possible and always make sure you are doing your best! I know it can be tough sometimes, but keep trying to babysit more and more even if you get overwhelmed.

Babysitting in SF is a great way to explore the different neighborhoods—I didn’t know about all the parks that were out there—and connect with the families! If I hadn’t followed up with Lynn, I wouldn’t be in this position. You never know what will happen!

You can pick up a copy of Kate’s book, Oh, Snap! You Can Use Snapchat for Business, on Amazon, follow her on Twitter and Instagram, and see more of her work on her website at http://www.katetalbot.me/.

 

Meet Katie: Nurse Practitioner, Hockey Fan, & Babysitter

Katie Bell

As a pediatric nurse practitioner at the top hospital in the US, Katie makes her living helping children. Since joining UrbanSitter in 2015, she’s expanded her services to include babysitting for some of Boston’s coolest families. A lifelong Chicago Blackhawks fan, she says she uses her own passion for sports as a tool for connecting with new families and kids, and loves babysitting because of the lasting relationships she builds with families.

A Chicago-native, Katie recently moved to Boston to attend graduate school. Here, she tells us more about her life as a nurse practitioner, her passion for helping others, and what she loves about living in Boston.

You’re from Chicago originally. What brought you to Boston?
I came out here to go to grad school at Boston College, where I studied pediatric nursing.

Tell us a little bit about your work as a nurse.
I’m on the inpatient general surgery service as a nurse practitioner, and I manage children ranging in age from hours old to well into their 20s. Patients come from all over the world to have the surgeries that our hospital offers. My job mostly entails before and after surgery; getting patients prepared for the operation and making sure they are healing appropriately afterwards. At the end of the day, you have this goal of doing something good and changing a child’s life for the better. It can be hard, but it’s also really rewarding.

As a pediatric nurse and a babysitter, what is your schedule like?
I work four shifts of ten hours a week and then every fifth weekend, so I have random periods free time during the week. I have a lot of families that I sit for regularly, and I’ll send them my work schedule and they’ll work around it. A lot of families I babysit are not typical 9-5 families; they’re doctors or lawyers and so the changing hours work for both of us.

Can you tell us a little bit about some of the families you sit for?
Boston is such a big city and so the families you meet are all very unique. I have babysat for dozens of families in Boston; some just once and some regularly. I’ve built relationships with parents who are professors, prosecutors, doctors, stay at home moms, and families traveling together for vacation or business who need a break from their kids.

Each family is unique and I enjoy the challenge of having to adapt to each family. I have one family that doesn’t even have a TV and another family that is fine with just giving the kids the iPad and letting them entertain themselves.

How did you first get into babysitting?
I was probably 12 when my neighbors asked if I could watch their kids for a few hours. I did it all through high school, and it was never about the money but more about helping out families that I knew. I’ve always loved kids! I was also a hockey coach in Chicago. I had a family that I met when coaching hockey and I loved the kids so much that I would have offered to sit for that family for free.

How did you first discover UrbanSitter?
When I was in grad school, I chose not to work. So when I graduated it was top of my list to get back into babysitting. Before I sat for my nurse practitioner boards, I was working at a prep school summer camp and one of the girls working there told me, “You have to get on UrbanSitter!” I’ve been using it for about a year now. I babysit maybe 3-4 times a week, and I make enough that I can afford the monthly payments on my student loans.

What do you do in your spare time?
We live right in the heart of downtown Boston, which I think is so fun. Being able to afford to live in the middle of the city and experiencing everything here is so great. My girlfriend and I also travel a lot, which we’re very fortunate to do. We’ll go skydiving, book an impromptu trip in Europe, or jump on a flight to visit friends across the US. We figure, why not do the fun stuff now?

From Portland to San Francisco: Meet Katherine, A Part-Time Babysitter and Nanny

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Portland-native turned San Francisco-transplant Katherine describes childcare as her “absolute passion.”  She’s been a sitter and nanny on UrbanSitter for the past four years, using babysitting as a way to help her pay her way through college, and has done everything from overnight sitting jobs to traveling internationally with families. She’s worked with over 100 different families in the San Francisco Bay Area, and now nannies part-time for a family with a young daughter.

Katherine graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in Media Studies in June and recently joined the UrbanSitter corporate team as a summer intern! Here, she shares a little bit more about her life, time as a babysitter, and experience with UrbanSitter.

When did you first start babysitting?
I started working with kids in high school, as a mother’s helper and teaching Sunday school at my church. When I went into college I didn’t think childcare would be my passion as much as it is has become. I moved from Portland to San Francisco to attend USF, and didn’t start to babysit again until my sophomore year. And it just captured my heart. I was studying Media Studies at the time, and I added Child & Youth Studies as a minor.

How did you discover UrbanSitter?
I found all of my college babysitting jobs via UrbanSitter. I was in a Lyft one day, talking to my driver about my life. I didn’t know if my studies we’re taking me in the right direction, and the driver happened to tell me about UrbanSitter and I signed up. The first family that booked me hired me because I speak French, and from there on [UrbanSitter] felt like home. It felt really intimate and wasn’t a faceless, soulless retail job. It was the best thing, it was like coming home.

What has your experience been like as a sitter on UrbanSitter?
For a lot of college students, the opportunity to shape their own lives is not always afforded to them. So to have the resource of UrbanSitter has been confidence building in a lot of ways, it’s like being my own boss. And the families are so incredibly generous with me, beyond even words. I’ve been able to pay my way through college because of the families [I’ve met on UrbanSitter]. They’ve been so supportive of my college career, as far as working with my schedule, giving me advice, and just supporting me in every way.

What’s the most rewarding thing for you personally about working in childcare?
I really prefer to form relationships with families and with kids, and so it’s rewarding both for myself and for the kids and the families. The family that I work for now, I started when their daughter was 6 weeks old and now she’s turning two, and she continually surprises me and just gets better and better. There are so many things that I could never have predicted about [the child I nanny], that are solely her own making. And so to be an observer of that, fulfills my soul in so many ways. To see the personality traits that are so uniquely her is so special. It gets to be my job that I get to nurture somebody and be a part of somebody’s family. It’s wonderful.

The bonds I have with my bosses just get deeper and deeper, and I don’t feel like an employee but like a member of the family. It’s beyond words. I get to go on vacation with them, I eat all my meals at their house. I get paid for something that I love doing. It’s actually a career for me.

What’s the hardest thing for you about working in childcare?
It’s definitely hard when families move away. It’s hard to emotionally handle it when you’re attached to the children and the family.

What would you consider your philosophy as a nanny/sitter?
My childcare philosophy is somewhat influenced by how I grew up, I went to Waldorf school for the first 8 years of my life. As I was going through college, I decided to take some classes in RIE parenting (Resources for Infant Educarers). I’m a huge fan of it. As far as child care goes, I’m a firm believer in saying ‘no,’ though I wouldn’t never say ‘no’ without a reason. Instead of saying, ‘Don’t touch the stove’ I’ll say, ‘Don’t touch the stove, because the stove is hot’ or that sort of thing. I think discipline is very important to teach children, but I never want to force my opinion on a child. RIE is really about respecting the child, and I like that.

Tell us a little bit about your own childhood.
I’m from Portland, Oregon and we spoke french in my home growing up because my dad is french. I had a really happy childhood. Portland is a really incredible place to grow up, because the people are really, truly kind. I have a really wonderful relationship with my parents and my brother who is six years younger than me.

When you aren’t babysitting, what do you like to do?
Ride my bike! Portland is a pretty bike friendly city, and my parents are avid bikers. My dad built a beautiful bicycle for my mom as a wedding present, so I inherited that when I moved down to San Francisco. Now I bike in Marin and the East Bay. I just love it.

Profiles of Childhood: Rachel Policar, Opera Singer and Sitter, New York, NY

Policar poses in the trees beside the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center

POLICAR POSES IN THE TREES BESIDE THE METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE AT LINCOLN CENTER

As told to Lela Nargi

“I grew up in a town called Issaquah, WA, 20 miles east of Seattle. Then I went to Arizona State University for my undergraduate degrees in vocal performance and musical theater before moving to New York five years ago.

Now I am a coloratura soprano, which is a classification of soprano that sings a high and fast repertoire. It’s a little bit challenging because you’re expected to be perfect at all times, so it requires a tremendous amount of dedication and practice and time spent learning and working on your craft. But I love it, and it allows me to play a lot of fun roles.

I just sang my first Gilda in Rigoletto by Verdi this summer. She’s more of a lyric soprano but she has some coloratura elements to her, and that stretched me out as a singer and gave me a whole new bag of tricks to pull from. I’ll be doing my fourth Gretel this January with the Knoxville Opera’s outreach program. I get hired more often than not to play very young girls, because I don’t look super old and I’m on the small side. I love playing children. It helps me relate to the children I babysit for, and they love when I show them pictures of myself in costume as a little girl. They think that’s the coolest thing they’ve ever seen.

Upon request, I’ve shown a couple of my kids YouTube videos of me singing. One little girl I babysit for regularly was obsessed with a recording I have of West Side Story and insisted that we sing together. Her mother asked me recently if I teach voice, and that would be the ultimate reward for me—to take a child I’ve babysat for and introduce her to the world I live in most of the time.

Mostly, though, kids have a lot of questions about opera singing. The number one question hands-down is: Can you break a glass with your voice? It’s actually very difficult to do that; you have to sing a really high note very loudly. I can’t do it yet, but maybe someday! Then they ask me how I make so much sound come out of my mouth. They ask me a lot of questions about costumes, and they want to know everything about opera, which is great. I like to think I’m building the next generation of opera lovers.

My first teacher, Phyllis Peterson, was 80 years old when I met her. She had fire engine red hair, and she was about 5’1”—a tiny powerhouse. Her energy and smarts, especially when she was telling me stories about her amazing life and career, made me feel like I was part of something special. She encouraged me to try things I wouldn’t necessarily have wanted to do on my own and helped me to find myself. Her passion was inspiring. And I’ve come to realize that what I’m able to do really is special.

Being in a creative field, opera singers are by nature emotional beings and very in touch with what we’re thinking and feeling—in much the same way that a child is. Children have this wonderful innocence and generosity; they’re not afraid to share with you everything that’s going on. Singers have so much of that in what we do, too, and I love that kind of interaction with the kids I babysit for. I also love playing games with them. Inevitably, I’ll be shocked by something they’ve thought up, and frustrated and challenged. It opens your imagination to be able to relate to kids on that level and not have that fear of judgment. I’m not afraid to get on the floor and roll around.

You have to be physically fit to have the stamina to make it through an opera. Your vocal chords are two little muscle membranes that sit in your throat, and they require exercise and strengthening and just as much practice as running football sprints does. To sing those amazingly long phrases over an orchestra, opera singers have the same lung capacity as some Olympic swimmers. But it’s really fun to open your mouth and have this enormous sound come out. You get to wear these beautiful clothes, and put on wigs, and have people do your makeup, and take on these characters that sometimes are wildly different from who you are. Yes, it’s a profession but we also get to play for a living.”

Photograph by Roy Beeson

Meet Kendall: Chicago-native, Vanderbilt Student and Babysitter!

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With over 35 glowing reviews on UrbanSitter, it comes as no surprise that Kendall has an upbeat and bright personality. Now studying child development at Vanderbilt University, Kendall hopes to transition her people skills and passion for helping others into a full-time career after graduation.

Here, Kendall shares with us what life is like as a student at Vanderbilt, how she first got into babysitting, and her perspective on the parent-babysitter relationship.

You go to college at Vanderbilt, what are you studying?

I’m studying child development and English and sociology, so I have a major and two minors. Honestly, most kids at Vanderbilt probably have some combination of that: multiple majors and minors. I started as a special education major and then realized I wanted to work more with people in general, not just kids, though I had always babysat and worked with kids. It’s been interesting to learn to what makes people tick and how people interact and work with others.

Right now, my part time job on campus is in the admissions office, so I’d love to work as an admissions counselor after college. That would be working with 18- year-olds instead of two-year-olds. There is a lot of travel and meeting people and reading applications, taking care of different tasks at a time in the same way I keep up with my UrbanSitter account.

What drew you to Vanderbilt, specifically?

I’m from Chicago—the suburbs originally—so I’m about an 8 hour drive away from home while I’m at Vanderbilt. There’s 5-10 kids per year that come specifically from my high school to Vandy, so I always figured it could be an option. I liked the balance of rigorous academic curriculum and a community of people that are supportive, but not so cut-throat or competitive.

How did you first get into babysitting?

My very first sitting job was down the street from my house and I was a mother’s helper, but then she started leaving me with the kids. Through high school I sat on weekend nights, but I was also very involved in high school—I danced and participated in a lot of activities—so I just started right on my block where my parents could watch me walk there and walk home.

Who first introduced you to UrbanSitter?

When I came home after my freshman year of college, I had set up a full-time nanny job but it fell through. My dad actually had heard of UrbanSitter and he was the one who encouraged me to go for it. That was summer of 2014—and I was a Brand Ambassador with the UrbanSitter team in Chicago, which was a great way to get acquainted with the platform. And now I have a great basis to explain to parents how [UrbanSitter] works.

Has UrbanSitter helped you achieve any specific monetary goals or ambitions?

All of my spending money for when I studied abroad came from UrbanSitter! There are things that I’ve been able to do—I go to a school where people have a lot of money—and experiences and trips can feel really inaccessible to people who don’t have that kind of money. I went to Amsterdam and Prague and all over Europe because of the money I saved from UrbanSitter.

What do you love most about babysitting?

I have loved babysitting, not only because I love working with kids, but because the parents that I work are for are generally the generation between myself and my parents. So getting to know those parents and seeing how they are adults, without being exactly like my parents or other college students, has helped me see what life is like 5-10 years beyond college. . I see a lot of value in making relationships with parents, too, because you can learn or be exposed to other experiences through them.

What would your babysitting style is like?

I would characterize my babysitting style as pretty warm, though I will enforce rules and boundaries because I know how a lack of boundary-setting will affect a child developmentally. I don’t like to skimp on rules for one night just because I’m the babysitter, not only because it makes it harder on the parents when they come home, but also because it makes it harder on me if I come back to watch the kids again. I try to view my relationship with families as being part of a team. I establish myself as someone who will lay down the law if I need to, but if the kids don’t make me lay down the law, then they know we can have fun.

What tips would you give to sitters just getting started on UrbanSitter?

I would say it’s important to wait for the families that you feel like you’ll vibe with. I’ve worked with families that weren’t a good fit for me and the difference between that and the families I’m really great with, is almost worth more than the money. I would say waiting for families that you feel value you and what you bring to them, and care about your time and experience, there are those families on UrbanSitter; and it’s worth making sure that you are clicking well with anyone you work for.

Hire Kendall today on UrbanSitter!

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On How to Babysit (by Someone Who Knows)

This post was written exclusively for UrbanSitter by resident sitter blogger, Erika Hanson.

I have been babysitting off and on since high school.  Below are a few of my learnings on what it takes to be a successful babysitter.

1. Be engaging. Have fun and be in the moment. Children can quickly gauge when you are not in a mood to hang out with them. Find a way to make it so that the kids enjoy your presence. Always listen and play in an effort to be engaging.  Never sit and ‘be boring’.

2. Don’t Afraid to Bargain. Kids try and get away with everything knowing you are not their parent. For example:

Child: I always drink soda for dinner.

Me: Really? I’ll have to ask your mom about that. How about some juice or water? If you eat your broccoli and drink your water, we can play Candy Land. Deal?

Child: Okay!

When all else fails, explain that you may have to tell their parent if they don’t start following the rules.

3. Mix up the routine. Teach a new game. Make a new craft. Fix a new snack. Tell a new story. You get the idea… incorporate something new into the child’s life. This serves as a distraction for those children who might be missing their parents, engages those who think they are not particularly excited about having a sitter, and makes sitter time fun.

4. Be consistent and clean up. Children need to build trust with you, but parents also need to know that they can count on you. So be consistent — don’t flake at the last minute, give a general sense of your availability and promptly respond to any sitting requests. Tidy up after yourself and the children, and if the mood elicits, leave the kitchen cleaner than when you found it.

5. ‘Read’ the parents. Be able to give a quick synopsis on how the time was spent. Different factors are important to each parent; parents of babies need to know about food and sleep schedule, while parents of older children are more concerned about behavior and level of fun.

6. Remember to have fun!  

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