16. The child chased me with a knife
Babysat/nannied for 3 kids the summer after my freshman year of college… One day the middle child ran off to play at the neighbors without telling me. Her mom and I agreed to “ground” her until the following day was over (a day and a half total)- she had to stay home/inside and clean her room.
On that next afternoon about an hour before her mom was to come home and she was to be “ungrounded” she pulled a knife out and pointed it at me because “I was ruining her life” and “brainwashing her mother.” She chased me around the kitchen a few times before I just grabbed her arm and yanked the knife out. When I did that I was apparently “abusing her.”
The little shit was used to getting her way and thankfully I was off to my sophomore head of college two weeks later.
17. The child had a seizure while I was watching him
Kid had a seizure.
I thought he was throwing a tantrum.
I said, “FINE, YOU CAN HAVE A COOKIE. BUT ONLY ONE!”
Then his sister came and told me what was going on. Yeah that wasn’t fun. First time babysitting and his 12 year old sister has to take the ropes and handle her brother having a seizure.
Apparently they weren’t all that rare, and were pretty mild, but it sure threw me for a loop, especially since I hadn’t been informed of this kids epilepsy.
18. The baby started choking
Very first time I babysat: I was 14 and was watching a 1 year old baby in the (finished) basement of a neighbor’s house while his parents hosted a Halloween party upstairs and got raging drunk.
The baby choked on some crackers and I had to do the heimlic on him, then…
Smoke alarm went off so I grabbed the baby and hurdled over the baby gate to run upstairs, but they LOCKED the basement door. Broke through the basement door to a smoke filled kitchen where they and their guests were all howling in laughter (drunk) at me.
My terror turned to fury and I handed the baby to his mom. They got all pissed at me and said if I left it would ruin their party. Fucking left that motherfucker and walked home, zero shits given.
