'The kids do not like you.' 15 rather large lessons I’ve learnt from being a babysitter.

10 months ago, I shared a day in my life after babysitting for eight hours.

Those eight hours were gruelling and tiresome. They fought, I laughed and we all cried. 

But those eight hours – and every other time I have babysat – ultimately taught me some pretty powerful lessons. 

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Here are 15 of the lessons I learnt from being a babysitter. 

1. You're either a professional babysitter or you're not. 

Unfortunately, your level of pay is dependent on whether you've done a call out on a babysitting website or not. It also may or may not depend on whether you actually know what you're doing.

In my case, I was not a professional babysitter and thus was paid with three slices of pizza and a ride home.

2. Family babysitting gigs. You gotta do them. But they're the worst. 

Anyone who is over the age of 13 and has little cousins knows the pain of being forced to babysit. The kids are typically rude, they likely don't respect you and you most likely are absolutely not going to get paid. 

Luckily for you, you don't have to be nice to them. Because they're family.

3. The kids you babysit probably don't like you.

But when they do, it's the best feeling in the world.

4. I'm sorry, but you DESERVE a break. 

Sometimes you need to take an extended 'pee pee' in the toilet so you can get at least 10 minutes away from your duties.

Unless they're three-year-olds, then you probably should just hold it in. It will be more work for you if you don't.

5. You probably will want to pull your hair out. 

It's a little-known fact that kids like to get under your skin (ha ha). In truth, no one has the ability to annoy you more than an 11-year-old who believes they should be able to stay home by themselves now.

My advice is to ignore it, or them. Or to just quit early and go home (I'm only kidding... kinda).

6. Not every single piece of food in the cupboard is there for you to eat. 

Trust me. I learnt the hard way. (Although, why anyone would leave a pack of Ferrero Rochers unattended is beyond me.)

7. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel. 

Okay, I know I sound like a s**t babysitter – but I feel proud to say no one ever actually complained about my performance (to my face). 

So, when I tell you to stop bursting into the door every day adamant on becoming the first babysitter who ever won an award, listen to me.

Every child has different ideas for how they want their day with you to go. Sometimes they want to chill, sometimes they want to play hide and seek for six hours and sometimes they're convinced you have games on your phone. 

Go with the flow.  

8. Kids make the rules. Not the parents.

Kids are scary and menacing. Give them what they want. It's not like you're going to be the one who has to deal with the repercussions of their behaviour. 

9. Unfortunately, you will cry. 

It may or may not be the child's fault, but it will happen. Babysitting brings you to a point of exhaustion that any emotion often becomes too much to bear. 

That's not a fact based on real research, but instead my own experience. 

If I had a dollar for every time I've hidden from some kid in the bathroom, and bawled my eyes out, I would never need to babysit again.

10. You can definitely multitask while you babysit.

The quality of your work may be sacrificed in return, though. 

11. Bring gifts for big love in return.

Lollipops, single pieces of gum from the bottom of your bag, a square of a chocolate bar – kids are way too easy to please. Sometimes even making them complete 10 jumping jacks in return for a tic tac is more enjoyable for them than it is for you.

12. Tomorrow is not promised, so bask in the affection when it comes your way. 

Kids are finicky – as is their right. One day they want to hug you and hold your hand. Other days, they're hiding their face in a pillow and screaming if you ask to change their nappy. 

Hold on to the moments they want to love you a little more than usual.

Which brings me to my next point... 

13. Respect their space.

I remember being a child and being forced to kiss every senior family member in the room. I hated every second. I wish my parents hadn't made me do that. 

This is why I will never force a child to hug me, hold my hand or do anything that could be considered physically affectionate. 

Kids have big emotions and they often tell you how they want you to respect those said emotions. So please, do! 

14. Yes it will hurt while you watch them grow up. 

I've watched dozens of kids over my 24 years. Their first day of high school will always leave you filled with a mixture of pride and grief. You'll feel old when they start to sass you back. They won't be excited when you come to visit anymore and they may or may not say they find you embarrassing. 

It's a wonderful and torturous feeling to watch tiny humans become big ones. So savour the memories.

15. These will be some of the best memories of your life.

I bag kids out quite a lot. I find them mildly irritating and I am often exhausted by their endless questions and the boundless amounts of energy they have. 

I'm not wrong, either. They are irritating and exhausting. But they're also brilliant, inquisitive small people whose love often has no limit. They're funny and weird and unashamedly grubby. Out of all the people and things living on this earth, children have got to be the bravest among them.

Kids are some of the best friends you could ever have and one day they won't be kids anymore. One day, they might not even want to want to be your friend anymore. 

So if you ever get the opportunity to babysit a kid, don't squander it. I promise you might even enjoy it.

Feature Image: Getty/Mamamia.