The need to stop yelling and other childcare woes

Okay, so here's the deal. Maybe my friends can help me out with this.

As most of you know, the only employment I've been getting since I arrived is babysitting work, which is fantastic since it pays HEAPS more than it does in the US (or at least, heaps more than I was getting when I was fifteen...) I actually had an interview for a full time nanny position last Saturday (I didn't count that in the last post because it was not achieved with a cover letter) and was passed up only because another interviewee had ten years of nannying experience vs. my... well... none.

The family I babysit for is really nice, always interested in things I'm doing outside of babysitting, always wanting to hear exactly what happened during the day/night while they were gone. The kids CAN be nice too. They do a lot of sweet things for each other. The oldest made a nice picnic for his siblings, he cleaned up his room, the hallway, and his sister's room last night. The middle child tried his best to help his brother get better at a Wii game a few weeks ago. The youngest goes to bed really well, so long as you read her a story.

But the problem is, they do a lot more naughty things than nice things, at least while I'm around. There's teasing, tantrums, hitting, kicking, smothering, screaming, crying, dying, throwing, hating, bad language, etc. Last night, when I told them it was time to get ready for bed (started half an hour early and even bribed with one story each, which they usually like), they started running around and tearing things out of each other's closets and tossing them into each other's rooms. I would grab one and tell him/her to get his/her pajamas on, only to be pelted with underwear by the other two. Then, I would try to grab one of them and lead him/her to his/her closet to get his/her pajamas on, and suddenly the first one is naked again and pelting me with shirts.

Now, you may be thinking that I'm simply not good at carrying out discipline, since I'm quiet and whatnot. But dangit, I have gotten EXCELLENT at maintaining time outs and scolding. Absolutely excellent. Last night it was like they didn't even hear the words I was saying. I raised my voice. I was yelling (which you're not really supposed to do!) and they STILL acted like there was absolutely no sound coming out of my mouth. No reaction whatsoever.

And when there are three of them misbehaving at once, running amok, and you only have two hands, how are you supposed to restrain them and make them stop misbehaving?

Granted, last night I lost my temper more than I should have. I'm still a bit sick, and having been sick so long, I feel like I've been weakened considerably. I took a short walk two days ago and felt like a newborn kitten. My patience has been worn thin.

BUT THE BIGGER PROBLEM, my friends, is after getting so frustrated with them, I still find those three kids adorable and endearing. I think there's something wrong with me.

Getting to the point: I have been considering going into childcare. Basically, there's a high demand for it in the city. It would require me to get a certificate, which I can do all online, but it costs about as much as a plane ticket home. And it pays really well.

AND there's going to be a demand for childcare basically everywhere I go, you know? The main worry here being this. Cal is going back to uni to get a teaching degree next year. Teaching is also in high demand, and he seems really into the idea. After getting a teaching degree, potential teachers are encouraged to first do a year of country service, which basically means going to middle-of-nowhere outback/rain forest to teach in a rural area. I am so stoked for that year. It sounds like it'll be an awesome adventure.

Except, seeing how few publishing/editing/writing jobs I'm finding in the city, how many do you think are going to be in the middle of nowhere? Not many, I'm thinking. But in the middle of nowhere, where Cal is teaching children, there ought to also be non-school-aged children who need some care, right? Right.

But then I'm all conflicted, because this certificate is something anyone can get. You know, no college education necessary. And then it's like, well, did I just waste four years and tens of thousands of dollars for NOTHING? (Okay, not nothing socially. Socially there is no replacement. But academically, anyway.)

Plus, maybe I don't have the temperament to be dealing with children (planning under-six, working in pre-school centers). If I can't even handle three without getting angry, can I really handle a bunch running around causing mischief? Yet I do find childcare enjoyable. It's so much more fulfilling than sitting in an office all day. Except I wouldn't want to be a teacher, because I just don't think I could handle that level of responsibility. Educating young minds and all that. I just want to play! (Also, insert props to Gwen here.)

I don't know what I want to do. What do you guys think?