babysitting
Babysitting is the practice of temporarily caring for a child on behalf of the child's guardians. Babysitting is most commonly performed as an odd job by teenagers for extra money, stereotypically girls. A babysitter is distinguished from a nanny by the term of employment; while some parents may have a regular babysitter "on retainer," so to speak, the sitter is normally contracted one night at a time.
The term "baby-sit" (from "baby" plus the agent form of "sit") first appeared in 1937, and its short-form "sitter" is attested from 1943. The use of the word "sit" to abbreviate "to baby-sit" is recorded from 1966. The term probably originated from the action of the caretaker "sitting with" the baby in another room, while the parents were entertaining or busy in another.
See also
External links
- A Guide to the Business of babysitting
- Quality Child Care From University of Florida/IFAS Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Factors in choosing quality child care.
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