Adventures in Babysitting

When I'm not being a summer custodian (I don't like the word "janitor," for some reason), I am a summer babysitter for a family with three children, ages 5, 3, and 1. All three of them are really cute, and we often go visit playgrounds, parks, the library, or even the grocery store. However, these outings have led to some interesting situations in which a variety of people ask me questions about the kids, like how old they are, if we live in the area, or if their hair color came from their dad, since it obviously didn't come from me. The questions leave me in a somewhat awkward position, seeing as option one would allow me to just answer the questions, leading the people to believe they're my kids, and option two would have me inform them that I am just the babysitter, making them feel slightly awkward. The questions also leave me wondering....do I look old enough to have three children already? Do these people notice that I'm not wearing either an engagement ring or a wedding ring and assume that I'm an extraordinarily young single mother? How should I accept compliments like, "Oh, you have such beautiful children!" when I'm not even remotely related to them? One time I said something to the effect of, "Well, I'm just the babysitter, but they are cute, aren't they?" The lady replied, "Oh really? You look just like them!" I'm not convinced I agree with that - I have brown hair, blue eyes, and a ton a freckles, while they have red hair, brown eyes, and no freckles - but it was interesting nonetheless. Maybe one day I will write to an advice column and ask for tips on babysitting interaction-with-people propriety.