Byline: Jenna Sauber
Jul. 12--The four boys sprawl on the livingroom floor, engrossed in a card game. One listens to an iPod, while another absent-mindedly pets the family dog. A movie blares from the big-screen television in the background.
It's a typical summer day for them with an atypical twist: One of the boys is the baby sitter.
Although most high-school and collegeage males still opt to mow lawns, paint houses or flip burgers for summer cash, others turn to the job of watching kids.
Since last summer, 17-year-old Alex Bates of Hilliard has regularly watched the St. Clair boys: Matthew, 11; Andrew, 10; and David, 7.
'I started watching my little brother when he was 7, and I was about 13,' Bates said.
After seeing his older brother take care of some neighborhood kids, Alex became interested in babysitting. The job has an added bonus of helping him prepare for what he hopes will be a career in pediatric medicine.
'We do things like play video games, watch movies and play outside,' Bates said. 'I don't want it to feel like I'm a baby sitter, but more like I'm just an older person to hang out with, like a cool friend.'
The boys like having Alex around and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. They say they can relate to him more than they would a female sitter.
'Guys know more things than girls -- like games and sports,' David said.
Matthew observed: 'He's not like teenage girls that talk a lot.'
The term baby sitter suggests diaper-changing, spoon-feeding and bedtime storytelling.
In many cases, though, the male sitters are looking after boys only a few years younger than themselves.
'Some families love to have male (sitters),' said Candi Wingate, president of Nannies4 hire.com, a nationwide Web site for nannies and families looking to hire one. 'If they have all boys, they want someone who will do the sports and the wrestling and the boy things. Men can be just as nurturing as women.'
Often, parents choose male sitters for their sons as a way to keep them entertained and active, as well as to provide a role model.
Powell resident Cheryl Driesen knows her 12-year-old son, Jimmy, is too old for a sitter, but he still needs someone to keep him company in the evening. Jimmy was the one, she said, who began referring to the 18-year-old who comes over a few times a week as a 'buddy sitter.'
'Jimmy loves hanging out with him; he wants us to adopt him as a big brother,' Driesen said. 'When boys get to a certain age, they don't necessarily want girl buddy sitters, and this young man has a good and positive influence on my son.'
While there's some evidence that male sitters are increasing, they remain a minority.
'Our volunteer instructors tell us that, while they have seen a definite increase in the number of boys taking Red Cross babysitter training over the past couple of years, boys are still greatly outnumbered in our classes,' said Lynn Cook, director of communication and marketing for the American Red Cross of Greater Columbus.
For every family that prefers a male sitter, many more seek females to watch their children.
'Families want females,' said Julie O'Donnell, owner of Sitters Unlimited, a Columbus babysitting service. 'The only time I was able to place a male sitter was if the family had all boys. Unfortunately, the males I had hired were not getting enough jobs.'
Some males see the job as a quick way to make money -- and get a head start on potential careers.
Last fall, Ohio State University student Drew Sprouse was looking for an after-school job when he saw an ad in the paper for a baby sitter for two boys.
Sprouse, 21, saw the opportunity as a great way to gain experience for his major: early-childhood education.
'I would have never guessed that I would get into something like this,' Sprouse said. 'But I've really enjoyed it, and it's one of the best summer jobs you could ask for.'
Sprouse has watched Nicky and Joey Roslovic of Upper Arlington for about 10 months.
He is the authority figure, he said, but it's not a typical sitting job. His duties include driving the boys, 13 and 10, to different camps and taking them to the pool or COSI Columbus for the day.
'I'm pretty much here to keep them busy,' he said. 'They kind of look up to me as this college kid they hang out with, more so than their baby sitter.'
jsauber@dispatch.com
Copyright (c) 2006, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio
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