Vault: The Babysitting Job That Went Completely Off the Rails

Summary

Summary: The Bert Show – "Vault: The Babysitting Job That Went Completely Off the Rails"

Date: March 24, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this riveting episode, The Bert Show tackles a jaw-dropping listener story that spirals into uncomfortable territory. The central drama unfolds as "Marcia", a college-aged babysitter, confesses to a chaotic babysitting night that may have left her in deep trouble—and at risk of losing her job. The conversation, driven by authentic concern and candid humor from The Bert Show team, dives into thorny ethical territory around teen technology, privacy, and confession.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Marcia’s Shocking Confession (01:08–05:10)

• Background: Marcia, a 22-year-old long-time babysitter, recounts how an innocent evening went off the rails. She has babysat two siblings—the older being a 12-year-old boy—for many years.

• The Incident: One evening, after the kids were supposedly in bed, Marcia’s boyfriend came over (with the family’s prior approval), and they ended up "hooking up" on the family's couch (02:26).

  • "Honestly, I thought the kids were asleep, you know." – Marcia (02:20)

• The Twist: In the middle of their encounter, they hear a noise. Looking back, they see the 12-year-old boy standing there silently—he turns around and goes back to his room.

  • "...there’s a little boy, like, blank face. And he just does. Turns around and goes back to bed. Doesn’t say anything." – Marcia (02:38)

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2. The Cell Phone Revelation & Panic (03:30–05:10)

• Horrified Realization: The next day, a casually dropped detail—that the boy needs to retrieve his cell phone—makes Marcia suspect that the child may have photographed her and her boyfriend.

  • "I realized that the noise that I heard must have been the little…like when someone takes a picture with their phone." – Marcia (04:01)

• Dilemma: Marcia doesn't know what, if anything, the boy saw or recorded. She agonizes over whether to talk to the parents, confront the boy, or stay silent.

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3. Roundtable Reactions: Phones, Blackmail, and Damage Control (05:10–11:04)

• Hosts’ & Callers’ Advice:

  • Minimize Panic: The hosts suggest that if the boy intended to blackmail Marcia, he likely would have said something by now (06:10–06:30).
  • Technology Concerns: The reality that 12-year-olds often have and use cell phones for sharing—potentially inappropriate—content sparks concern.
    • "All his friends have your picture, by the way. Yeah, no, I mean, he's 12 years old. Of course he's gonna send it out to at least his guy friends…" – Caller 3 (05:35)
  • Potential Blackmail: Marcia could be vulnerable if the boy tries to use the photo as leverage.
    • "He has that to hold over her head from here on out." – Caller 2 (07:01)

• Scenario Illustration: One host suggests that Marcia could lose control if the photo is circulated, potentially getting her (and the boy) in serious trouble at school.

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4. Parent and Listener Perspectives (07:33–10:51)

• Caller Tammy’s Take: As a parent of a 12-year-old, Tammy shares that responsible parents check their kids' phones and might uncover evidence quickly (07:39). As for consequences, she’d be understanding toward Marcia but would no longer allow her boyfriend over.

  • "No, I think I could be understanding and forgiving, but the boyfriend would not come back." – Tammy (08:37)

• Caller Julie’s Warning: Recounts how sharing inappropriate pictures (even non-family related) led to school suspensions and parental outrage. Strongly advises confession to avoid a bigger scandal.

  • "She’s getting ready for a big windfall at the school. I think if she comes clean with the parents, she’s going to be much better off…" – Julie (09:27)

• Caller Michelle’s Caution: Warns that if the photos spread, not only will the boy be in trouble, but Marcia’s reputation—and the parents'—could suffer community backlash.

  • "It causes a lot of issues… do I really want my son being friends with this little boy that has access or able to take pictures like this?" – Michelle (10:51)

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5. The Path Forward: To Confess or Not? (10:14–11:59)

• Risk of Escalation: Burt points out there’s a slim chance the photos are illegible due to lighting, which would reduce the likelihood of them causing real trouble (11:04).

  • "…if it’s dark in there, whatever, like, maybe you may have attempted it and not gotten anything. And it may be a complete…other than your embarrassment, it may be a complete non-issue." – Burt (11:04)

• Hosts’ Consensus: Ultimately, the team leans toward Marcia confessing to the parents rather than risking a bigger blowup if the photo spread is discovered by someone else.

  • "I think that’s the only way to go." – Caller 2 (11:39)

• Marcia’s Nerve-Wracking Predicament: She’s scheduled to babysit again that night and is torn about what to do next. The show expresses interest in a follow-up.

  • "…in eight hours, what I’m supposed to do." – Marcia (11:54)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sheer Panic:

  • "I'm completely mortified. I mean, I care about the family. I don't know what to do." – Marcia (03:31)

• On Blackmail Potential:

  • "He has that to hold over her head from here on out." – Caller 2 (07:01)

• Parental Perspective:

  • "I have a daughter who's 12… The parents are going to find out if they're responsible. They're going to check the phone." – Tammy (07:39)

• School Trouble Warning:

  • "They were suspended. Any boys that had the picture were in so much trouble…" – Julie (09:09)

• Final Advice:

  • "I think if she comes clean with the parents, she’s going to be much better off…" – Julie (09:27)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Marcia’s Story Begins: 01:08
• The Hookup Incident: 02:22–02:38
• The Cell Phone Realization: 04:01
• Potential Photo Fallout and Blackmail Debate: 05:10–07:16
• Parental Callers Weigh In: 07:33–10:51
• Confession vs. Consequences Debate: 10:14–11:59

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Tone & Style

Consistent with The Bert Show’s mix of humor and candor, the episode treats a potentially scandalous situation with both empathy and a frank assessment of the risks, reflecting genuine concern for both Marcia and the family involved. The listener calls bring authentic parental viewpoints, adding depth and urgency.

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For listeners who missed the episode:
This recap distills the dilemma and advice—rooted in real-world parenting, adolescent psychology, and today’s tech-driven social dynamics—helping you grasp every twist, every cringe, and every hard-earned piece of wisdom shared in the studio.

Transcript

[Howie Mandel]

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[Burt (Host)]

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[Caller 1]

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[American Express Representative]

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[Burt (Host)]

You're on the Burt show. Hey, we're calling her Marcia. She is on the voice disguiser and she is having a issue with the 12 year old.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

Marcia.

[Burt (Host)]

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. How are you?

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

Hi. I'm alright, considering.

[Burt (Host)]

Okay, all right, you gotta fill us in because the only part of the story I know is that a 12 year old might have naked pictures of you.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

Okay? So it's a lot worse than just that, which. That sounds bad enough. I'm 22. I'm a college student. I've been babysitting this family for a long time, basically since I was in high school. So I know them very well. Little boy and little girl. Little boy is 12. Well, we all know how little boys are. So last Saturday, you know, just a few days ago, I'm babysitting them. Kids go to bed. It's pretty early the night still. My boyfriend comes over, which, you know, he's totally fine with the parents. He's been over before. No big deal. Well, we've always been very respectful of them, of the situation. But for some reason on Saturday, things got a little out of hand. We're on the couch. One can lead to another and we end up hooking up. Like, honestly, I thought the kids were asleep, you know.

[Caller 1]

Oh, no. So you did it on their couch?

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

Yeah.

[Caller 2]

You did it.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

Did it.

[Caller 1]

Oh my God.

[Caller 3]

With two kids in the house.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

I mean, I thought they were sleeping.

[Caller 1]

You didn't care?

[Burt (Host)]

Okay.

[Caller 2]

Okay.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

So basically in the middle of it, we hear this noise. Don't know, you know, don't really think about it, but look back, kind of startled, and there's a little boy, like, blank face. And he just does. Turns around and goes back to bed. Doesn't say anything. I didn't say anything. You know, I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I should go up and talk to him and see what he did see. I mean, there is a back of the couch, so I don't know. I have no idea what you thought. If he thought we were just making out or if you knew what was really going on. I have no idea.

[Burt (Host)]

Okie doke.

[Caller 1]

And how old is he again?

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

Well.

[Caller 1]

Oh, yeah, and he's the oldest.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

I mean. Yeah, this is primate. I mean, this is probably the worst age for this to happen because he's just now sort of asking about that type of thing to begin with.

[Caller 1]

Okay.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

So I'm completely mortified. I mean, I care about the family. I don't know what to do. And then to make it worse, I'm babysitting for them the next day. So Sunday comes and I go back and I'm babysitting for them. It couldn't get more awkward. And, you know, I still don't talk to them about it because, I don't know, I'm kind of, I guess, in the back of my mind hoping that he didn't see anything. And I don't know. So then we're leaving. Their mom is trying to rush them out of the house, and she gets home, we're all leaving together, and he says. And he's like, being kind of a brat about it, whatever, and he has to go back in to get his cell phone. Well, I don't know how I didn't know this, but I didn't know that he even had a cell phone. So immediately it's like one of those bells that goes off, and I'm like, oh. I realized that the noise that I heard must have been the little. Like when someone takes a picture with their phone. And I don't know why. I just had a heart attack together before. I. I just didn't think that he had a phone, you know, I just. It never occurred to me. So now I'm freaking out because he has a picture of something. I don't even know what it is. So I don't want to say too much to him, but I don't want to. Like, do I talk to the mom first? Do I try to figure it out? You know? Like, I don't know what to do. And I have to go there again tonight. I'm worried, you know, is she having me over to talk about this or to babysit? Does she have no idea? You know, if she doesn't have an idea, should I talk to her about it or talk to the kid first and see what he even knows? I mean, oof. I don't know. I don't know what to do. I don't feel more excited about this.

[Caller 1]

I don't think that really, what can you do? Because if you talk to the parents, you have to say, look, this is what I did, which is gonna get you fired anyway. And then I don't think a 12 year old is recording anything to show his mom.

[Pacific Source Narrator]

Right.

[Caller 1]

So I think that he's not telling his mom about what's going on.

[Burt (Host)]

And anybody who's gonna see it has

[Caller 1]

already seen it, has already seen it. And I mean, you did do it on the couch with a 12 year old in the house.

[Caller 3]

All his friends have your picture, by the way. Yeah, no, I mean, he's 12 years old. Of course he's gonna send it out to at least his guy friends in his cell phone.

[Burt (Host)]

Now.

[Caller 4 (Tammy/Julie/Michelle)]

Is 12.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

Oh my God.

[Burt (Host)]

Is 12 a normal time to have a cell phone? Like maybe he doesn't take it to school.

[Caller 3]

Oh, yeah.

[Caller 1]

I mean, I'm younger than that.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

Take it to school. Even now I'm afraid to ask these questions.

[Caller 3]

Well, I'm sure he sneaks it to school if he, I mean, if he's not even not allowed to. I mean, boys are rebellious, especially at that age. What, they're in middle school then? And then the curiosity. Besides that and all the hormones that fluctuate during middle school.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

Yeah.

[Caller 1]

When did this happen again?

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

This just happened on Saturday.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, it's not. He's going to show or he's going to do. I mean, it's Wednesday, right? Yeah, already done. Surprise. It's not online yet.

[Caller 2]

And I wonder too, if he tells the parents at any point, is it going to be worse that there was time in between, you know what I mean? Like today would be the day for her to talk to them. If she was going to talk to them at all. If she waits until the little kid says something.

[Caller 1]

Why would he say anything to his parents?

[Caller 2]

Because if he wants to hold something against her, like, say. Because I'm sure sometimes you have to discipline them.

[Burt (Host)]

So like, if he says, no, I am, I am playing until 10 o' clock tonight, right?

[Caller 2]

I am going to my friend's house or whatever. Even though you said I Can't. And if you don't, let me guess what I got.

[Caller 1]

Well, then he would give that threat to her. He hadn't given that threat to her, which means he has not showed the parent yet.

[Caller 3]

Well, you need to take. You need to get a cell phone.

[Caller 2]

But what I'm saying is he can. He has that to hold over her head from here on out.

[Caller 3]

He probably sent out the picture to his friend's cell phone. So even if you delete it out of his phone, there is a way for him to get that picture back.

[Caller 2]

Oh, geez.

[Burt (Host)]

Because if he sent it to someone else, he would just ask them to send it back.

[Caller 1]

Back.

[Burt (Host)]

He probably maybe even Twittered it.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, there's different ways for them to do something now. And. And, I mean, there's an age where, you know, there's an age where as a kid, you want to tell your parent when something's going wrong, and there's an age when you don't. And he said that's where he. I don't think there's a danger from telling the parents.

[Burt (Host)]

Hey, Tammy, welcome to the show.

[Caller 4 (Tammy/Julie/Michelle)]

Hey, how are you?

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

Good.

[Burt (Host)]

How are you?

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

Pretty good.

[Caller 4 (Tammy/Julie/Michelle)]

My comment is that I have a daughter who's 12 and she's in sixth grade middle school, and I check her phone anyway, so the parents are going to find out if they're responsible. They're going to check the phone.

[Burt (Host)]

Okay, so let me ask you a question, Tammy, because this is my thought, and I'm not a parent and whatever, so I may be totally off on this, but is there any chance that you, as the parent, if the babysitter came to you, has been a babysitter for years? At least four years. Because, I mean, how long? You said Marcia from high school. Right, right. So you've been at least four years with them. So four year long babysitter, great track record. They know your boyfriend. They know you got. Have you guys been together for a while?

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

Yeah, we've been together for a long time.

[Burt (Host)]

Okay, so it's an adult relationship. And is there any chance that, Tammy, as a parent, if the babysitter came to you and confessed the 100% truth, you would be understanding and forgiving, or is that girl fired?

[Caller 4 (Tammy/Julie/Michelle)]

No, I think I could be understanding and forgiving, but the boyfriend would not come back.

[Caller 1]

So if the, if the baby. If the babysitter said that I did it with my boyfriend on your couch and your son saw us, you would not fire that baby.

[Burt (Host)]

I'm sorry, I just let her go.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, but. Because that's that's the honest truth.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

I'm just saying the truth.

[Caller 1]

But I think it's not that I did it. It's the fact that I did it. And your son caught.

[Burt (Host)]

Hey, Jolene. Welcome to the show.

[Caller 4 (Tammy/Julie/Michelle)]

Julie.

[Burt (Host)]

Julie. Yeah, go ahead.

[Caller 4 (Tammy/Julie/Michelle)]

Yeah, Yeah. I have four kids, and my oldest is 18 boy. And when he was in middle school, there was some pictures that a boy came to school with. They weren't of a babysitter or anything like that, but those boys were in a boatload of trouble. They were suspended. Any boys that had the picture were in so much trouble. And I think if this thing comes out, especially at school, he's already got a cell phone. She's getting ready for a big windfall at the school. And I think if she comes clean with the parents, she's going to be much better off than have this thing come out.

[Burt (Host)]

The pictures that your son got in trouble for, were they passed around electronically like phone to phone?

[Caller 4 (Tammy/Julie/Michelle)]

No, they were printed and he didn't. It was a friend of his that passed them, but then another boy just had him sitting in his desk because he didn't know what to do with it. And that boy was suspended, and it was a really big issue. And it, you know, out of a magazine or whatever, it wasn't particular person that they knew. But I think she's really going to be sorry if she doesn't come clean to that mom, especially if her parents know that these parents. Because this could really backfire on her.

[Burt (Host)]

And you know what, Marcia? Not to freak out even more, but Michelle makes a great point. It doesn't necessarily have to be the boy who took the picture that gets busted for it. Hey, Michelle.

[Caller 4 (Tammy/Julie/Michelle)]

Hi. I was just gonna tell her. What's gonna be really bad is he's already shown them at school if he's got them. And when it circulates and one of the other boys accidentally tells his mom or his big sister, and it circulates around, and then you've got parents coming to these parents. Why is your son showing my son naked pictures or pictures of a couple making out?

[Caller 2]

Oh, geez.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

I mean, you really.

[Caller 4 (Tammy/Julie/Michelle)]

It's. And also it shows a reflection on the parents. And because then parents are going to start saying, well, do I really want my son being friends with this little boy that has access or able to take pictures like this? I mean, it causes a lot of issues.

[Burt (Host)]

Thanks for the call, Michelle. Now, I do want to point out that sometimes cell phone cameras, like, especially if it's dark in there, whatever, like, maybe you may have attempted it and not gotten anything. And it may be a complete. Other than your embarrassment, it may be a complete non issue.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

Was it dark?

[Caller 4 (Tammy/Julie/Michelle)]

Yeah.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

Well. And I feel like it's. I mean, it's my fault for doing it, but it's not my fault if he does something bad at school.

[Burt (Host)]

Yeah, but you gave him the opportunity.

[Caller 1]

Yeah, I mean, I. I still don't know what to tell her to do, though. Does she go to the parent? Is that the overall thing? As you go to the parent and you confess?

[Caller 2]

I think that that's the only way to go.

[Caller 1]

I mean, you're gonna lose your babysitting job.

[Burt (Host)]

Is tonight the next time you're babysitting or this weekend? I forget.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

No, yeah. No, tonight. And I just feel like now I'm even more freaked out. But I still don't know what to do, you know? I mean, I still don't know if I. Tonight, you know, in eight hours, what I'm supposed to do.

[Burt (Host)]

We certainly want to follow up with you and find out what happened, if that's cool.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

Okay. That sounds fine.

[Burt (Host)]

Good luck, Marcia. You're on the Burt Show.

[Pacific Source Narrator]

Jack Harndale was helping his daughter Emily lift an awkward dresser up a staircase when he slipped and fell backwards. A week later, Emily asked him how he was doing.

[Marcia (Babysitter)]

I'm good.

[Pacific Source Narrator]

Truth was, he wasn't good. Jack needed help. Then the darndest thing happened. Emily called Pacific Source.

[Burt (Host)]

My health plan.

[Pacific Source Narrator]

Jack learned that Pacific Source provides members with support beyond health care. In Jack's case, we got him in touch with the local food bank.

[Howie Mandel]

You guys do that?

[Pacific Source Narrator]

Yes, we do, Jack. Pacific Source Health Plan.

[Howie Mandel]

The Global Gaming League is presented by Atlas Earth, the fun cashback app. Hey, it's Howie Mandel and I am inviting you to witness history as me and my How We Do It Gaming team take on Gill to King and wallow. Two six seven million dollars gaming in an epic global Gaming League video game showdown. Plus a halftime performance by multi platinum artist Travy McCoy. Watch all the action and see who wins and advances to the championship match right [e-mail] that's globalgamingleague.com in partnership with Level Up Expo. Tyler Redick here from 2311 Racing Victory Lane. Yeah, it's even better with Chumba by my side. Race to Chumbacasino.

[Caller 1]

Com.

[Howie Mandel]

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