by Ann E. Smith

Created on: February 03, 2009   Last Updated: February 10, 2009

Should you adjust your house rules when you have a babysitter? The answer is yes and no.

From your kids' perspective, having a babysitter is exciting, as they anticipate a bit less structure than when you are at home. It's kind of like how you used to feel in grade school when you walked in the class room to a substitute teacher. No pop quizzes that day!

Just like the substitute teachers, babysitters are perceived as bit less strict and less likely to enforce all of the rules. They may order pizza for dinner or let the kids stay up a little later than normal.

Clearly, house rules need to be a bit more flexible for babysitter nights, but as a parent, how do you go about deciding which house rules to adjust?

Below are some tips on how you can deal with house rules for a babysitter.

* Educate the babysitter on the iron-clad house rules, which are those required to ensure safety.

Certain rules are just not meant to be broken. For example if you have a pool in your back yard, one rule may be that your young children cannot go outside unattended.

This kind of rule would be a must-keep when the babysitter is at your house, too. Think about the rules that are in place to keep your home secure and to keep your kids safe.

These are the rules that you must educate your babysitter about, with the expectation that they will be strictly enforced.

For example, you may want the garage door kept down as an added security measure. Or perhaps you keep the alarm set at night. These are the kinds of things your babysitter needs to know to do.

Other strict rules could be around your children's needs. If you have a child who is lactose intolerant, you will need the babysitter to keep dietary rules in place.

You will probably also want rules around Internet usage enforced. For example, you may require your elementary-aged children to use the computer in the family room, and only when an adult is in the room. This kind of rule is wise to keep in place when a babysitter is present.

For the must-keep rules, be sure to make a list of them and go over them with your babysitter. If they are this important, you need to very clear about what is expected and what is acceptable.

* Consider some rules that can be tweaked a bit to make the evening more fun.

You want to make the babysitting experience pleasant for the babysitter and your kids. One way to make things fun is to provide some flexibility with certain rules.

That way, the babysitter will not be stressed out about every little thing, and your kids

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