Babysitting Job Lessons: What My Daughter Taught Me About Commitment

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One random day in November, my 16-year-old daughter got a phone call.

A mother she barely knew had heard good things about her — that she was responsible, mature, and good with kids, and offered her a babysitting job every Sunday morning from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Three kids under 10.

Every Sunday.

For the entire school year.

The pay was very good for a teenager.

But there was one major downside: Sunday morning was her only chance to sleep in.

She thought about it carefully. Asked her siblings what they thought. Debated whether it was worth it.

And finally she decided: the money is good. I can do this.

So she committed.

And from that point on, every Sunday morning, she got up and went.

Through freezing weather.

Through Montreal snowstorms.

Through midterms.

Through holidays.

Through exhaustion.

Even when she went away for school trips, she still came back Sunday morning to do the job.

And honestly?

She really didn’t enjoy it.

In fact she hated it!

Not because the family wasn’t nice. Not because the kids were difficult.

It was just long, repetitive, tiring, and inconvenient.

Every week she secretly hoped the mother would cancel.

But the cancellation text never came.

So she got up.

Put on her boots.

Walked 10 minutes in the freezing cold.

And showed up anyway.

The Lesson: Commitment Is Not About Motivation

Watching this unfold over the year taught me something really important, not just about teenagers, but about life, coaching, and personal growth.

We live in a world that constantly pushes motivation.

People want to feel inspired.

Excited.

Passionate.

But real growth often has very little to do with motivation.

Real growth is commitment.

There’s actually a well-studied concept in psychology called grit — the ability to keep going even when something becomes repetitive, uncomfortable, or boring.

Not talent. Not motivation. Not inspiration.

Persistence.

Research consistently shows that long-term success is far more connected to consistency and perseverance than raw ability or intelligence alone.

And that really shows up in real life.

Because most meaningful things eventually stop feeling exciting: relationships, parenting, building a business, healing, learning a new skill.

At some point, everything becomes less about feeling motivated… and more about choosing to continue.

What I See Every Day in Sleep Coaching

I also see this constantly with my sleep coaching clients.

At the end of the day, it often didn’t matter how complicated or simple someone’s sleep struggle was.

The clients who changed were not always the ones with the “easiest” cases.

They were the ones who showed up.

The ones who practiced the tools between sessions. The ones who listened to the recordings even when it felt repetitive. The ones who stayed open, even when it felt uncomfortable. The ones who came back after a difficult night instead of giving up. The ones who stopped looking for quick fixes and committed to the process.

And honestly, sometimes it wasn’t exciting.

Sometimes it was boring. Sometimes it felt like “I already know this.” Sometimes it felt slow.

But they kept going.

And over time, something shifted.

Not just their sleep, but their confidence, their nervous system, and their relationship with themselves.

Because coaching is not passive.

You can have the best coach in the world. You can pay thousands of dollars. You can have powerful insights, tools, and strategies.

But the coach cannot do the work for you.

The client has to show up.

And that is where real change happens.

I wrote more about this idea here — how healing isn’t a race and why real change happens through lived experience, not pressure or urgency:

https://www.chevymermelsteinsleepcoach.org/post/why-healing-isn-t-a-race-the-sleep-coaching-journey-you-live

The Part Nobody Talks About: Growth Can Be Repetitive

One of the biggest misunderstandings about healing and coaching is that it should feel constantly inspiring.

But in reality?

Growth is often repetitive.

Healing is often boring. Progress is often gradual. Change often looks like doing the same simple things again and again.

The people who succeed are not always the ones who feel the most motivated.

They are the ones who stay in it long enough for the change to actually happen.

My Daughter’s Lessons From Her Babysitting Job

Over the year, my daughter learned a few powerful things:

A commitment is a commitment.

Making money is not always enjoyable. Sometimes work is honestly just boring… and you still have to do it.

She also learned something important: how to make difficult things easier for herself.

She stopped fighting the experience so much. She figured out small ways to make the hours go faster. She adapted instead of resisting.

Now the school year is almost over, and she’s very happy the job is ending.

But I think deep down, she’s proud of herself.

Because sometimes confidence doesn’t come from talent.

Sometimes confidence comes from proving to yourself: “I can do hard things even when I don’t feel like doing them.”

And honestly? That lesson will probably stay with her far longer than the paycheck ever will.

Maybe that’s the real lesson here.

Not just about babysitting.

Not just about a teenage job.

Not even just about commitment.

But about life.

Because the truth is:

You don’t always need more motivation. You don’t always need more clarity. You don’t always need a perfect plan.

Sometimes you just need to keep showing up long enough for things to change.

What about you?

What’s something you stayed committed to even when you didn’t enjoy it… but looking back, you’re grateful you didn’t quit?