What do you expect from your babysitter?

On the few occasions I got a babysitter for my babies I always told her my methods and ways of doing things. But I also gave her leeway to do it however she felt comfortable with. Of course I specified no spanking and no duct taping them to the walls!

On the other hand, I’ve baby sat babies whose parents gave me a veritable shopping list and expected me to follow it to a T, in spite of the fact that I was an experienced parent. Well, that never worked out very well because I’m not the parent, and my personality is different than theirs.

So what have your experiences been regarding babysitters, either as a parent or as a babysitter?