Trying to find a responsible and reliable babysitter can sometimes feel like attempting to locate the proverbial needle in a haystack. Sure, there may be a lot of children who are anxious to start babysitting and making a little extra money, but are they really ready for this kind of responsibility? Not only can it be frightening to relinquish the care of your precious angel over to a stranger, but it’s all the more difficult to leave your child alone with another who is little more than a child, themselves. For this reason, ensure that your babysitter is a minimum of 14 years of age; while there are exceptions to every rule, most children are not responsible, nor are they emotionally ready to take on the responsibility of watching another child. In fact, a good rule of thumb is that, the younger your child, the older your babysitter should be.

Now, you have a good idea of an age range for your sitter (or nanny, as the case may be), but how do you go about finding them? There are a wide variety of options and, given the opportunity, most people with children are quick to offer sage advice. For many, referrals from friends, relatives, co-workers, or neighbors can be worth their weight in gold. Not only does this grant you an idea of what sort of references the babysitter might have, many people are more comfortable going with someone that is already familiar with the family or close friends.

If you don’t have any family or friends living nearby, checking through the phone book will often reveal agencies that can help you locate a reliable sitter or nanny. Churches often know of responsible individuals in the area and, if those ideas fail, you can always try running an advertisement in the local paper or up on a community billboard. Online classified websites may also offer an option, as well, though regardless of what method you use, you should always do so with caution.

Whether your potential sitter came from a friend, a relative, a member of your church, or a well-respected agency, it is essential that you ask for a list of references (and make sure that you call each and every one of them) and that you take the time to interview these individuals carefully. Don’t jump at the first person you meet and don’t trust blindly; remember that the safety of your child will rest in your babysitter’s hands.

An interview is very important. Not only are you able to give the sitter some alone time and see how they interact with your child in your home environment, but you can also sit down and get to know this person better. Ask your potential babysitter what their disciplinary strategy is, say, if your child slaps another, or if they touch something they shouldn’t. How do they handle temper tantrums? Feel free to come up with different scenarios and ask them what they would do if this or that thing occurred. What would they do if someone knocks at the door? What would they do in the event of a fire? Have they taken the Red Cross or another equivalent babysitting course? What qualifies them for this position and why do they want to babysit?

Ask your interviewees whether or not they know children’s CPR. Do they know general first aid, like what to do in case your child is choking? Do they know the phone number to the Poison Control Center or how to contact police, in the event of an emergency? All of these questions are important to ask and, even if the potential babysitter doesn’t know all the answers, it will help you to get a better feel for how this individual will react under pressure or in a tense situation.

Once you do decide on a babysitter, try some trial runs, allowing her to babysit for short periods of time, when you are close at hand (perhaps when you are outside, working in the yard, or enjoying a cup of coffee at the neighbor’s house). Even once you’ve become established, never allow yourself to become too comfortable with a sitter; be sure to come home early from time to time or call unexpectedly, just to check on things and make sure everything is going well.

Never rely on just one babysitter, either. Emergencies can occur and it’s not always easy to find an available sitter, if you only rely upon one person. Make sure that you have back-up sitters as well as a good repertoire with your neighbors so that, in the event of an emergency, your sitter may be able to contact them as well.

When you do choose a sitter, take the time to sit down and discuss your expectations, as well as theirs. Ensure that they understand the forms of disciplinary actions that you feel are appropriate and which are not. Also discuss whether or not your sitter is allowed to speak with friends on the telephone or if they are able to have study partners over, to do schoolwork. Ensure that you have not only posted all your emergency information up by the telephone, but that you have drawn your new sitter’s attention to where it is and always ensure they know where you will be going.

Along with your emergency numbers, ensure that you have posted your full name, your address and phone number, as well as the names and ages of your children (things which can easily be forgotten during times of emergency). A letter or form of consent is also an excellent idea (check to see if they are acceptable and available in your area), allowing your sitter to have your child taken to the hospital and treated in the event of an emergency.

Finding and adapting to a new babysitter can be a stressful situation but, hopefully, this information will help to ease some of your troubles. Above and beyond all else, find someone that your children enjoy and who treats them with love and respect in return. Always listen to your children’s concerns and trust them. Babysitting should be a fun and safe experience for both children and sitter, alike, along with a well-earned break for parents!

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This condition is known as Anarchic Hand. It is a neurological condition whereby a person appears to have no control over one of their arms. A person realises the hand is theirs but is frustrated by an inability to dictate its behavior.

Recorded incidences of Anarchic hand:

• Della Sala et al 1994 : A women at dinner finds that her left hand takes some fish bones from a finished meal and stuffs them in her mouth. Later it grabs the ice cream her brother is licking. Her right hand intervenes, admonishes her left hand and the ice cream falls to the floor. The woman is irritated with her left hand. Apologises greatly and says it has a will of its own.

• Parkin, 1996 : A patient has problems choosing the channel on the TV as her left hand swoops in, disagrees with her right hand and turns the channel.

What Is The Cause?

It was proposed that a surgical separation between the two cerebral hemispheres of the brain could be a cause; we all have two hemispheres in our brains, right and left. The surgical separation between two brain hemispheres is effectively known as a lobotomy.

Philosophers and writers found this enchanting and spoke of the duality of man and the existence of two squabbling consciousnesses. However this theory was refuted as if this was the case right handed people would only loose control of their left hand. The surgical separation of the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere would result in the separation of the right hemisphere’s motor cortex [which would govern the left hand] from the left hemisphere areas devoted to planning and the execution of motor activities. The discovery that some right handers could loose control of their right hand nullified this idea.

Sergio Della Sala in 1991 proposed another theory for the emergence of the anarchic hand following an examination of 39 detailed cases. He proposed that lesions on the frontal lobe of the brain could cause anarchic hand syndrome. In turn lesions could be caused by a stroke. In particular the focus was on lesions in the area known as the Supplementary Motor Area (SMA).

The SMA is an area that is believed to be significant in the changing of intention into action. Further evidence proposed by Blakemore et al in 2002 revealed that willed actions are associated with clear activity in the medial walls of the frontal lobes. More specifically that those with lesions of the SMA were at the mercy of external forces and unable to bring their will to force.

This all fits into place when we consider the role of the frontal lobe is to enable the interaction of an individual with their environment

A further discovery emerged: lesions on the left and right SMAs would result in a person not demonstrating or exacting their will over either arms. A person would experience a compulsion to use objects in front of them with little awareness of the inappropriateness or lack of will demonstrated in these acts. This is known as utilisation behavior.

Recorded incidences of utilisation behavior:

• Lhermitte in 1982 spoke of women who when in a doctor’s surgery would walk right up to equipment and on one occasion attempted to use a syringe on the researcher.
• Bocacardi et al 2002 documented the case of a young man who while being tested spotted an apple and a knife on a desk. He got up, took the apple and knife. Peeled the apple and ate it. When asked afterwards why they did that, he replied, “Well it was there.” When asked if they were hungry they replied nonchalantly, “no, well a bit.” Asked have you finished eating, “yes”. Asked “is this apple yours”, he replied, “no.” Asked “whose apple is it?” he replied “yours, I think so” And finally when asked “Why are you eating it?” He replied, “Because it is there”. With the same patient on another occasion a wallet was left on the desk. The patient picked it up and began flicking through the cards, taking them out and reading them aloud. When asked whose wallet it is, he replied, “Yours” and continued to look through it seemingly baffled by any questions.

It seems that unilateral legions to the SMA in the frontal cortex may lead to anarchic hand and bilateral legions in both SMAs may lead to utilisation behaviour.

In both situations people appear to be at mercy of external stimuli and the inner ability to exact will is softened or removed. Although with utilisation behaviour a person seems unaware of the inappropriateness of the activities.

Where does this leave us in terms of understanding will?

The will to do something seems to be an inbuilt human ability that can be thwarted or damaged.

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