Friending your sitter isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If she (or he) is a smart person, the stuff that can get them into trouble with employers usually doesn’t get posted.

I[‘ rather friend them and dump as needed! Never did think burying one’s head in the sand was wise. Never thought teenagers babysitting my most valuable peeps on earth was wise either. So we don’t. But if we did, you can betcher ya yas I’d be ALL OVER Facebook, Tumblr and Formspring like any responsible employer would do before hiring an employee.

I wouldn’t care that they dressed as a slutty nurse or wear a thong or smoked pot. As long as they wouldn’t do it WHILE TAKING CARE OF MY KIDS. Just like any other job, what happens off the clock, on the weekend is their business – even if that business is all over social networking. When I was in my 20′s & 30′s, I was an Olympic Caliber Pothead, but amazing at my job because I wasn’t a pothead AT my job. And yeah, I don’t need to SEE them ‘off the clock’ (so I wouldn’t ‘Friend’ them), but if I knew about such shenannigans, it wouldn’t bug me.

It drives me crazy that employers are now seeking out what potential hires do on their own time. Have we all become Mrs. Kravitz from ‘Bewitched’? There are plenty of people who do terrible jobs and they do nothing more than listen to Kenny G in their apartments while quietly putting together a puzzle house.

Wear, not where. Sigh. Sorry.

I do agree that babysitters shouldn’t be friends with their clients on Facebook but I don’t think those pictures are related to the article. There is nothing indicating those girls are caregivers of children…They are just trashy young girls that don’t care how they appear to others. If anything the photos are proving that youth today is disgusting!

Well, I will be the first to tell you that it has nothing to do with JUST this generation. I got into some old pictures of my parents and their friends back in “the day” to find them getting into the same thing as some of these girls. I am almost 24 and I was a freaking MORON up until I was 21. I may have been an idiot outside of sitting but I loved the kids I cared for and always treated them like gold and I was always on my best behavior around them. I never dabbled in drugs but I definitely spent a lot of time drinking with friends which is when the weird stuff seemed to happen. I will say that I am a hypocrite in this department. If I were to find out my babysitter did any of this or did anything I did, they’d get the boot. There are people my age around who go to college and will babysit who got that out of their system a long time ago.

Another thing. If I knew that my babysitter smoked pot, I would not keep them around my kids. Who knows what kind of judgement they have when left alone with them. There was a woman in my town that was in her 30′s and she smoked pot while watching a friend of mine’s 2 year old daughter. She went outside to get high with some of her pot buddies, and left her own child with the little girl she was babysitting by themselves in the house. The 2 year old pulled a stand with wheels on it down on her that was holding an 85 pound tv. My friends daughter died at the hospital within two days from severe brain damage because a woman that was supposed to be a good mother and babysitter had poor judgement. This is just one more reason why I say that young people are the only ones that have poor judgement.

Social networking is exploding in popularity and sites like Facebook are attracting fans of all ages. In fact, parents have become one of the fastest growing demographics on Facebook, and they’re using the interactive tool for more than just chatting with their friends. They’re using it to screen for – and check up on – their nannies.

As part of their research before hiring a new nanny, parents often screen candidates on Facebook, and sometimes what they see online makes them decide not to hire a particular candidate. Additionally, once parents hire a nanny, they’re trusting this person to care for their most precious commodity – their children – and many parents are turning to social networking sites to see what their nannies are posting.

When families hire nannies to take care of their children, they do due diligence to check out the candidate. Most parents check potential nannies’ references and, now more than ever before, research them on social networking sites – before and after they’re hired. Sometimes, these parents find suggestive or offensive information about these candidates – such as drinking alcohol, posing suggestively or posting inappropriate comments.

Additionally, many parents find it awkward when they get a Facebook “friend” request from their nanny. Like any other professional relationship, it’s a good idea to separate business and pleasure. It can be awkward to read the daily musings of your nanny – and visa-versa – just as it could be uncomfortable to share intimate details of your life with your boss, client or other professional contacts.

As the president of Nannies4Hire, parents come to me often for advice on hiring – and working with – nannies. Recently, I had a conversation with a mother who was Facebook “friends” with her nanny and found uncomfortable information on her nanny’s social network. I recommended that the parents have a conversation with the nanny about their concerns. It was yet another reminder that people – nannies as well as employees everywhere – need to be mindful of their Facebook etiquette. Photos of inappropriate behavior will not serve you well in your professional life, so think carefully about what you post and how you’re presenting yourself.

Social networking sites are wonderful in many ways, but nannies – and all professionals, really – should have an online presence that’s presentable and in good taste.

I am sad to say this is my generation -_- I should have been born in the 50s… Anyways, I don’t think it is right to judge someone completely based on what they do outside of work. Yes it is idiotic that people are not smart enough to keep things like this private and not post it all over facebook for the whole world to see but still. People do stupid things every day but that is hardly bases for firing/hiring. If someone is outstanding at work and is never late then what is the problem? As long as what they are doing is not interfering with their performance then leave it alone and mind your own business.

1F 4NYTH1NG, TH1S 1S 4 R34SON /TOO/ FR13ND YOUR B4BYS1TT3R. TH4T W4Y, YOU KNOW WH4T SH3′S UP TO!