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Biography:

I was born in 1989 and became the sixth of what would be seven children. The five before me were mostly grown and on their own by the time I came along; so it never felt like I had a lot of siblings because the only one I ever lived with was my younger brother. I would say my brother and I were like most other brother and sister pairs. We have always been incredibly close but no one on the outside would know because we fight about everything. He is going to an automotive school in Ohio now, it has been months since I have seen him and I miss him an awful lot. I currently live in Davison, Michigan with my mom, Roxann, two dogs and two cats. There is not really any lighthearted way to say this, so, to be blunt, my dad passed away in 2006 from colon cancer. I think a lot of who I am today is owed to his death. Not only did I learn a lot about myself but the whole dynamic of my family was forced to change, so I had to change too. I think I am more responsible now, more compassionate than I already was, I have more patience and flexibility and I am a better mediator. I consider all of those qualities that I now possess to be very important when working with children, and living with new families. I am grateful that such a negative experience could help me grow into a better person with the skills necessary to do what I am passionate about.

My mom would tell you that she has known since she put me in daycare that I would have a passion for children when I got older. I never liked baby dolls at home and daycare was no different. However, daycare offered something home didn’t, real babies. I spent as much time as I could playing with and trying to help with the real babies. The only thing that has changed between then and now is, I’m far more capable of caring for babies and other children now. My mom was spot on, I absolutely adore children, which is why I got started babysitting pretty early on.

My babysitting experience started with friends and family. I have eleven nieces and nephews and one great-nephew, most of which I have cared for at some point in time, some more than others. When I was about ten or eleven there were two young kids in the neighborhood that I would take outside and watch so their mother could get things done in the house. Eventually she trusted me enough to run errands while I watched them. This is when I decided that I wanted to start babysitting more, but most people will not hire you until you are thirteen so I had to stick with just family for a while. After I turned thirteen I put up fliers in local stores and told everyone I could that I was looking to babysit. My first real babysitting job came from my grandma's friends' daughter. She had a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old whom no one thought I would be able to handle, but I did. Children seem to respond to me very well, even if it sometimes takes them a little while. I presume this is partially because I am fair and consistent, they know what I expect of them and they know what to expect from me as well. I think that they can see that I genuinely care about them, which shows when I take the time to actually listen to them and plan fun activities that I think they will enjoy based on their interests. I believe children benefit a lot from a patient caregiver and thankfully I have a great deal of patience. I have learned how to walk the tightrope between friend and authoritative figure very well through my past experience. I know that the children I watch need to respect me so that I can successfully do my job which requires me to set boundaries and consequences and be firm in them. But I also want the children to know they can talk to me about anything, that I am a safe place to turn and most importantly, that I will always have their best interests at heart. I did not know why those two children responded to me so well at the time, I just knew that the adults involved were impressed which made me feel good. This made me want to continue in the childcare field even more, because not only did I love it, but I was good at it.

Since that first real job I have had a great deal of occasional to semi-regular babysitting jobs that lasted various lengths of time. I have had several regular babysitting jobs two of which are still occasional jobs which I love because I miss all of the kids I have cared for and grown close to. I have also been a live-in nanny twice before, once for about a year and once for nine months. I still babysit for them both from time to time and we make it a point to get together even when they do not need a sitter because we miss each other. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know and becoming a part of these families and I am excited to get the opportunity to do it again!

Age: 22
Rate Range: Negotiable
Capacity: 5
Child Age Range: All
Experience:

I have expierence with newborn - 13-years-old with up to six at a time, special needs, and multiples. Below is a list of some of my experience:

September 2011 to Current
Full-time babysitter for three children, aged 2, 8, 12

September 2011 to Current
Part-time Babysitter for two boys aged 5 and 6

August 2011 to Current
Part-time/Ocassional Babysitter for four children 4, 4, 5 and 5 (two sets of twins)

September 2011 to October 2011
Ocassional Babysitter for 3-5 children aged 7months, 2, and 5 (sometimes 3 and 4)

September 2011 to October 2011
Ocassional Babysitter for 2-6 children aged 2, 4, 6, 6, 8, and 10

January 2011 to September 2011
Live-In Nanny for 5-year-old girl

Summer 2010
Teen Supervisor at a non-profit summer camp for children 5-12

December 2010-January 2011
Short-term Live-in Nanny for 7-year-old triplets two of which are autistic

August 2008 to July 2009
Live-in Nanny for two children aged 8-months and almost 2-years in August 2008

2007-2009
Youth Leader at Life Christian Church

2001-2002
Co-Leader of a Girl Scout troop

OK with Pet?: Yes
Skills and Certification:

I have a clean driving record and drive a safe, reliable car (2007 Impala). I do not smoke, I can pass a drug test at anytime and would be more than willing to consent to a background check. I am not currently CPR and First Aid Certified and unfortunately being unemployed does not leave me any extra cash to renew it right now but I would be happy to renew my certification after I start working.

School: Mott Community College
Major: General Education
Hobbies: I enjoy scrapbooking, music and movies