Maybe there’s a reason Cleveland was recently ranked one of the easiest (read: cheapest) cities in which to find a babysitter. A couple of dollars and cents isn’t going to buy you much responsibility. For that kind of money, your kid’s basically promised a cold bowl of Kraft mac-and-cheese and seven hours alone on the couch, especially with babysitters like Alisha Schlagenhauser around.
19 Action News reports the 27-year-old was watching a 4-year-old autistic boy, his brother, and two other kids earlier this month at Wildwater Kingdom and couldn’t keep herself off the fire-water. (Coincidence that her last name sounds like a German liquor? Probably not.)
Cops say that fellow water-lovers enjoying the early evening noticed Schlagenhauser “hit and yell at” the autistic child, even dragging him across the ground in his harness.
When asked, the babysitter said she’d hit the tequila and beer while keeping an eye on the kids. Her purse contained, to much surprise, some pot and a pipe. Besides probably being out of a job, she’s also facing charges of child endangering, drug possession, assault, and not being at all like the naughty babysitters on Showtime’s late-night schedule.
This article appears in Aug 10-16, 2011.
Parents can reduce the risk to their kids by better screening using online personality tests such as NannyTest.
Such tests are often used by companies and government organizations and should be also used to screen for the most important job of all – taking care of of your kids.