I have been on the other end of the same situation on many occasions. I have done a lot of babysitting and have seen they different way that kids react when their parents come and go. I had babysat for the same family for a few years and it was interesting to see how their reactions changed as they grew older. When I began babysitting for this family had three children ages five, three, and one. When mom and dad left the older two children would be fine, but the youngest would cry for about five minutes. I remember thinking to myself, " Please stop crying!!" The older children would be fine, but as time grew closer to bed time they would whine and ask how long til their parents would come home. Bedtime was special for this family. The parents would spend a little time with each kid before he or she went to bed.
As the kids grew older and the more I babysat them the crying got less and less and then not at all. The kids were excited to see me when I came over, but they were still excited to see their mom and dad come home, too.
It was important for me to understand that I wasn't doing anything wrong as a babysitter, it was natural. Kids should be attached to their parents. Once I had developed a relationship with the children they were attached to me, too.
I want to be a Family and Consumer Science teacher. Knowing about a kid's attachment is important so that I observe the relationships my students have with family members and how that impacts the students socially, mentally, and physically.