The noise was deafening, the smell was strong, and the questions ran out of mouths as fast as spooked bats fly out of caves. If you’re thinking that this is the sight of a fire or a school lunchroom, try again. This is simply looking through the eyes of almost every babysitter.

Receiving $10-15 an hour, babysitters work at being a second mom for only a couple of hours. Feeding the children, putting them to bed, drying their tears, and changing diapers while mom is away is what they are paid to do. While the babysitters might have to make up a few games, the kids are the ones who provide the real entertainment. Up until age 10, kids do things out of the ordinary. Even though they might be 10, some act older than they are.

“Once this girl told me I wasn’t old enough to have a boyfriend. I don’t have one, but I mean, okay mom,” said junior Gracie Boortz.

On the other hand, most kids act a lot younger. Although most babysitters prefer to watch potty trained children, not all get the opportunity, like sophomore Kennadi Kissinger who babysits her little cousin, Landon.

“I was supposed to give him a bath, so I put him in the tub and walked out for about three minutes to get his P.J.s, a pull-up, and a towel. When I came back there Landon said ‘Look I poopoo’, and I looked in the tub and it was floating in the water. Poop. I lost it. I even had to walk out of there to collect myself. Then I did what i had to do. I sent him to his room, and I had to you know, clean it out. I was totally underpaid for cleaning up someone’s crap,” said Kissinger.

It seems that babysitters Sarah Taylor, Kennadi Kissinger, and Holland Primm struggle with putting their kids to bed as well.

“It’s a constant fight. Bedtime stories never work,” Kissinger said. While this babysitter struggles with making the kids fall asleep, other babysitters deal with the odd actions and preferences from their children they are in charge of.

“I once had a kid tell me she normally sleeps in the dog bed. I called her mom to ask if it was okay and she said it’s normal…I don’t know,” said sophomore Holland Primm.

Senior Sarah Taylor has watched children fond of dog items as well.

“When the little girl I was babysitting was suppose to be asleep, I heard noises in another room so I went to check it out. She was in there on the floor of the laundry room in the dog food.”

Though it is common to assume that babysitters are always girls, there are few boy babysitters as well.

“Well someone has to sit on babies,” said Sophomore Jacob Velliquette.

Zane King, another male babysitter who looks after his younger sister, Lila Kate said, “Sometimes I have to make my sister food. Most the time I just tell her to be quiet. But I get paid $30 so why not.”

After all this hard work, these children send the babysitters wanting their mothers as well.

“They give me a headache. I’m exhausted and I start questioning having my own children,” said Kissinger.

“I’m tired, but I mean I got paid,” said Holland Primm whose opinion of the pay outweighs all the bad.

For those who do enjoy the young personalities, it is not much of a chore.

“It’s not that bad. I feel like a little kid again,” said junior Gracie Boortz.

By word of mouth and sources on care.com, babysitters will continue making Friday nights easier on mothers and fathers for many years to come.