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It's hard to decline a babysitting job, especially when you've done a good job of selling yourself. But sometimes you have to decline, whether it’s because you have other plans or the kids were horrible. Here’s how to say “no” without ruining your neighbourhood reputation.
Steps
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Be honest if you already have plans. Parents understand that you have a life outside of babysitting, and they won't be upset if you have another activity at the same time. If you truly have plans, whether it's hanging out with a friend, going to soccer practice, or studying for an important test the next day, be honest and tell them as soon as possible. You can tell them what your plans are if that makes you feel better about denying the job, but you don't have to go in detail about what you're doing. For example, you could say something like:
- "Sorry, I already have plans that day"
- "Sorry, I have plans with a friend that night"
- "Sorry, I have a basketball game at that time"
- "Sorry, I'm babysitting for another family that night"
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Keep your excuses simple if you choose to make them up. Sometimes you may not actually have plans, but just don't feel like babysitting that day, in which case you may have to make up an excuse as to why you can't babysit. If you choose to do this, keep your excuses simple so you don't get caught up in an elaborate lie later on. For example, if you say "Sorry, I'm going out to see a movie with my friends that night", parents might ask you about how the movie was the next time you're at their house just to make polite conversation. It's better to keep things simple and vague by just saying "Sorry, I have plans that day". This way, parents won't ever ask you about your 'plans' as they don't want to seem nosy.Advertisement
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Indicate whether you'd be interested in babysitting for them in the future. Sometimes if you deny babysitting jobs from the same family a few times (even if you're legitimately busy), the family might think that you don't want to continue to babysit for them and stop asking you. If you enjoy babysitting for the family and would accept their jobs in the future if you weren't busy, acknowledge this by saying things like:
- "Hopefully it'll work out next time".
- "Hopefully I'll be available next time".
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Be polite if you'd rather not babysit for the family again. Sometimes the kids you babysit are just too much of a handful, or you didn't enjoy yourself and would rather not come back to babysit for that family. It's completely fine to decline their offer as long as you're polite about it. You don't have to be completely honest and tell them you didn't like their kids - you can use some more polite excuses to convey that you'd rather not come back.
- For example, if you've only babysat the kids once, you could say things like:
- "I'm sorry, I just don't think the kids and I are a good match."
- "Actually, I'm not so sure I want to babysit kids who are {insert the kid's age here}. I'm just more comfortable with kids who are {older/younger} than they are."
- "I don't think this is going to work because of {insert reason here}". Your reasoning could be things like travel time, or the hours they want you to babysit for (ie. if they stay out quite late at night).
- If you've babysat for a family many times but don't want to keep babysitting for them again, the above excuses may be a bit harder to use depending on your situation. If those don't fit, you could say something like: "I'm pretty busy at the moment. I don't think I'll be able to babysit for a while", or "Unfortunately I don't have the time to babysit anymore", or "I need to focus on school, so I won't be able to babysit anymore."
- For example, if you've only babysat the kids once, you could say things like:
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Tips
- Be polite and apologetic. Make sure to say 'sorry' if you decline the babysitting job, and thank them for understanding.Thanks
- If you are going to decline the job, let the family know as soon as possible. Don't leave them hanging only to say you're unavailable, as the longer they wait for you to get back to them, the less time they'll have to find a replacement babysitter.Thanks
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Warnings
- Don't decline jobs all the time. Remember, if you're unreliable, they'll hire someone else!Thanks
- Keep in mind that if you recommend another babysitter to the family, they may like that sitter more and will stop asking you to babysit. Depending on the situation, this could be a good or bad thing for you.Thanks
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