Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
No matter how much you love your kid, it can be nice to have a break from parenting every once in a while. Luckily, there are plenty of teenagers out there who would like to earn some extra pocket money by babysitting.
Many American teenagers babysit as a first job. Often, they care for their neighbors’ kids, or the children of their parents’ friends. But some parents feel nervous about leaving their kids with a teenager, since teens don’t exactly have a reputation for being the most responsible group. Hear Mason and Amy talk about their babysitting experiences.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
![]() Amy |
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Amy: Were you ever a babysitter, or is that something that only girls did in their teenage years?
Mason: I actually was a babysitter, and because I was a guy babysitter, like I was kind of in high demand, because there aren’t a lot of that, and sometimes younger kids will want to have a guy around.
Amy: Did you plan lots of games and stuff like that?
Mason: There’s definitely a lot more roughhousing games with a guy babysitter.
Amy: Exactly.
Mason: But it was fun. I took it pretty seriously, like I went and got certified with the Red Cross and whatnot to do CPR and all that stuff. And even when I was that old, I couldn’t believe how much a babysitter can get paid.
Amy: I know. I remember getting $20 tips as a teenage babysitter.
Mason: Oh wow.
Amy: I know.
Mason: That’s kinda crazy.
Amy: Maybe they were just feeling especially grateful to get away from their kids with all their temper tantrums and have a night off. Maybe they were just so relieved.
Mason: Yeah. I can’t imagine what babysitters are getting paid now.
Amy: Do you think, if you had a child, would you leave your child with the younger you? Or would you be a little bit more selective about choosing a babysitter?
Mason: I would leave a kid with a younger me. I’m really lucky that I don’t have to think about this because all of my extended family is in town.
Amy: Oh, that’s so nice.
Mason: So when I need a babysitter, I’m just gonna give it to the fam.
Amy: Right.
Grammar Point
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Discussion
Amy asks Mason if he babysat as a teenager. Mason says he babysat a lot. He was a popular babysitter because he liked to play games and roughhouse with the kids, and he knew CPR.
Mason and Amy agree that they were surprised by how much money they could make as teenage babysitters. Amy thinks that maybe the parents were so grateful for a night off, they were willing to pay their babysitters really well.
Amy asks Mason if he would leave his kids with the younger him, if that were possible. Mason says he would. But he doesn’t think he’ll need to have a teenage babysitter, since he has lots of family close by who will be happy to help out once he and his wife have kids.
Have you ever been a babysitter? Would you trust your kids to a teenage babysitter, or would you prefer to leave them with family?
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