Adventures in Babysitting-I don't know if you recall the 1980's movie by that name or not. It was not exactly the run of the mill night of babysitting, in fact, it was downright dangerous! Too bad the babysitter didn't have American Red Cross Babysitter's Training. She would have been better prepared for dealing with the emergencies she faced in the movie.

Even though Elizabeth Shue wasn't trained, as of today, June 17, 2010, 60 11-15 year olds are now certified in not only Babysitter's Training, but also First Aid and Infant and Child CPR!! They are the graduates of the first ever St. Louis Area Chapter Supersitters Babysitting Boot Camp, which took place this past week at St. Anthony’s Hospital.

I was only able to participate in one day of the camp- the day the young people learned infant and child CPR. I was impressed with their focus and attention span. They worked very hard to learn the skills required by the course and asked amazing questions. I was able to watch several youth who were not very confident in their abilities master the techniques and beam proudly when I gave them a "high five" and said, "You did it!!" I was there from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 pm and left exhausted- but very pumped. These tweens and teens are our future and I felt better knowing that I was able to help them grow.

 

Will I volunteer again next year?? You bet! You can too, even if you are not an instructor.  If you like spending time with young people, you can assist the camp "counselors" as an aide. You'll be happy that you did. I hope to see you there next year!

If you missed the camp, but are interested in babysitter's training, click here for more upcoming classes.

 

Mbo