Silly or Grave???

Ok, I have been having a bad and tiresome week... Today I had to babysit a 5 year old girl...I do that every Saturday for 3 hours as a favor...the girls mom is a friend of my friend Andy...and i like the girl...so its no big deal...

But today, it was not as enjoyable as b4...the lil girl was mean and wudnt talk to me...she was runnin away and it started buggin me...she's never done it b4...she started screamin wildly(weird)....so i let her do her stuff...and then she got moody and asked me when Andy wud come...he comes and plays with us for an hour...since i thott she wanted some attention, i went to play with her again and she was like..."Stop...dont make me hide...." I was like EXCUSE ME!!! I asked her in a comforting tone Y she was doin that....she was evadin my question and said she was waitin for Andy to come, so we all cud play together...well anyway I said "ANdy mite not come today as he is busy..." Then suddenly(after 2 hours of acting weird) she became all sweet and wanted to play with me...

What do I interpret from this??? Am I being silly by takin it personally...or mayb I shud stop babysittin her???? Last week she told me that she hoped she cud play with me for more time...This week she behaved like she hated me...

Its kinda annoyin....do i tell her mom that she was not in her best behavior....or do i ignore it as a child's tantrum??? Please Help...

Oh BTW, she sees Andy as a father-figure....

I don't think you should worry too much about this, especially since it doesn't sound like this happens very often. The child was probably in a bad mood to begin with and took her frustration out on you (As people often do)

I suggest that you continue babysitting for her, and if a repeat of today's episode occurs talk to her mother about it, she probably has a much better idea of what is going on with the little girl.

Try not to take it personally though, chances are she didn't mean anything of it and it was nothing but a silly tantrum.

Kids will be kids!

Oh boy, kids can be a handful. I used to babysit as well, and some kids are just moody like that. It's like, you have to give them candy, in order to make them happy. No I'm kidding. (Do not spoil them this way, that's how they learn to act bratty.) But, some kids are 'tempermental' like that. My baby cousins are adorable, but sometimes, they say the darnest little things. It's amazing how quickly they pick up onto things. If they say something that leads you to thinking that something's not right, meaning sexual or physical abuse, then you can probably tell if they're withdrawn. Usually, I think that they'll tend to be quiet, withdraw away, and become 'shy' if they're traumatized.

If she's acting out like that, then it could be that it's her personality. Kids can be 'molded' a certain way. I remember my baby cousin Lily, who used to be extremely shy as a kid, around age 2, and she's really cute. After a while, people kept on telling her how pretty she was, and she started 'acting up,' knowing that she could get away with her cuteness. I know she will break some hearts some day, but my point is, perhaps, the girl that you babysat, has enough exposure to those who compliment her waay to much. I also babysat another kid, who changed completely after 2 years. It's amazing how much 'Nature vs. Nature' will have an effect on childhood development, and personality temperment.

Also, if you notice her questioning about things that you find that's not 'normal,' meaning, questions about adult behavior that kids don't normally ask, I don't mean like, "Where do babies come from", but more of stuff like, "What happens if this person does this or that..." Now, up to that point, I would have cause to worry. I think that you being concerned is the right thing though. She was probably moody that day. Kids get moody too!

The next time you babysit her, perhaps, you can have her engage in 'group-work' or 'team-work' activity. Meaning, tell her, if she's willing to be cooperative throughout the whole day, then you'll reward her with a small treat, or toy (toy's should be rewarded for sticker points), but more of something simple, such as a Disney Movie, or story-book reading. That way, she'll learn how to cooperate, instead of getting things her way, and acting out unecessarily.

I know that watching kids can be exhausting, but I admire your concern, and keen observance. Good Job!

Mahlina