I Know This Is Going To Sound Shady....

[Dave]

I have the solution. Ready for this?

Trust your babysitter.


This is a pretty trivial thing to want surveillance for. I'd let her know this is especially important to you and then go to work knowing that either she'll lay down the law or she won't. Either way it isn't the end of the world.

 

[Jiarn]

I trust her to be TOO nice to them and let them break some of the rules.

You're right, it is trivial, hence I wanted some cheap little gimmicky thing and not a $500 super survellience system.

 

[Officer_Charon]

Dude, the stuff you're concerned about is stuff that you could monitor through keeping an eye on your kid's behavior and environment. If they sleep more than usual... well, more than a pre-pubescent, anyways, then they are staying up too late, and this can be addressed. If you start finding plates and whatnot in the room, then you know that they are eating in the room, and this can also be addressed.

Just my $0.02. It sounds to me as though the trust issue is with your kids, not the babysitter; as you say, you're concerned about them taking advantage of auntie.

Also bear in mind that kids will be kids, teens will be teens, but ultimately, the virtues you've tried to instill in them will shine through. Mostly. My mother still despairs about my lack of cleaning ethic......

 

[Jiarn]

Like I said, I'm not truly worried of any wrong doing. ALso yes, I know that they will be kids. I also know that when they stay at my parents house they forget all the things I teach them and just run with it.

I was just hoping that if I could somehow surprise them with knowledge of what they were doing, it'd keep them thinking twice while I wasn't there.

Again, this entire subject is better left dropped and I will just go about my business without it.

 

[Officer_Charon]

It's cool man... besides, kids generally know that parents have eyes EVERYWHERE, anyways... *grins*

 

[Jiarn]

Again, they would never know there was one. I'd simply tell them that I know they had done it.

 

[Krisken]

Again, they would never know there was one. I'd simply tell them that I know they had done it.

Kids aren't stupid. They'll resent you for spying. They aren't going to think you come by your information through psychic ability.

 

[Hylian]

I know that if I was young and I found out my parents where spying on me I would resent them and become that much more secretive and probably do more stuff behind there backs just to prove a point.

 

[Jiarn]

Hence I dropped the subject about 6 posts back....

 

[Krisken]

Edit: I am dumb. I missed you saying just that. Whatever you do, I hope it works out.

 

[Espy]

Hire a robot that looks like a human that can survey them. A japanese robot.

 

[Null]

Hire a robot that looks like a human that can survey them. A japanese robot.

I don't know, things involving japanese robots either end very badly, or are awesome but leave entire cities laid to waste.

 

[Jiarn]

Why must it be japanese?

Would do just fine.

 

[Null]

You'd want a metal Robin Williams watching your kids?

CREEPY.

 

[Hylian]

Hence I dropped the subject about 6 posts back....

Like that has ever stopped us before?

 

[KCWM]

OT: Reread your original post from the POV of a stranger. #Solved.

Truth.

At least the situation has been clarified, the points about triviality made, and the subject dropped X posts ago.

Hire a robot that looks like a human that can survey them. A japanese robot.

And it needs to be a ninja robot so that we can have super secret japanese ninja robot wars that can be captured on the little spy cam and posted to YouTube.

 

[sixpackshaker]

My brother caught a Nanny slapping his toddler on one of those. So I say screw it, record the babysitter.

 

[Chibibar]

jiarn: Since it is your house, it is your rules you do whatever you want. We are just internet people respond to an inquiry that you post

If it was me, I would be upset later discovering that my parents were spying on me. As an adult, I would have understand NOW, but as a teenager? I probably be rebellious and try to do MORE things to see if I can get away with it. That is what I would do. I can't say for your kids, but that is what I would have done if I discover I was being spy upon.

 

[strawman]

I'd wire up the fridge and pantry with a camera so it would take a picture every time my kid took something out or put it away, then post it on their facebook page and update their status each time. I'd also put a scale in front of the fridge so it would give their weight every time they opened the fridge door. Maybe put the video of them stuffing their gaping maws on youtube.

Boom! No fat kids ever again!

I mean, why not? Just because it can be done means that it *has* to be done!

(personally, if it's important to you, then I don't think there's a problem with you monitoring your kids - you'd be doing it visually when you were at home, so what's the difference when you're not home? But then I'm much more lax than you - honestly it's took much trouble to micromanage them, and if I don't teach them that they need to do it even when I can't tell, then I suspect they will only follow my instructions when I can tell, and I can't be wiring up their friend's houses, the school, and ultimately their home when they move out and have a family of their own...)

-Adam