random - would you let a tween babysit your LO?

redshoegirl

I was reading this thread and was surprised at how many people suggested babysitting as a job for a tween who wanted to earn some pocket money.

I know people used to hire 11-13 year-olds all the time to babysit (hence the Babysitter's Club books lol) but it seems to have gone out of vogue. I'm not sure if this is on the part of tweens not being as interested in babysitting obnoxious little kids, or because parents seem to prefer hiring more experienced adults to watch their children these days.

Personally, I wouldn't trust a 12 year old to take care of my dudes for several hours on their own, and I doubt I would even if the boys were a couple of years old - maybe I'm overly protective?

lelekay

Probably not, but it really depends on the kid and the circumstances.  A family member who I know to be very responsible/great with my child for an hour in the afternoon while I run to the store, and all they had to do was wait for my child to wake up from his nap then play with him for a few minutes?  Probably.  A random kid from the neighborhood for a whole evening out?  Nope.

MrsNJSwimmer

I agree that it depends on the kid.  I was babysitting at 11, but I was more mature than most 11 yr olds.  I don't know that I would have taken on twins at that age though!  I don't think I took on multiple kids til I was a little older.

I talked to my mom about this awhile ago and she pointed out that  the other parents knew my parents were just down the street and if I needed anything I could call them. 

MauiWedding08

I'm not sure.  depends on the person.  I was really mature and did start babysitting "early" (12ish?) but didn't babysit small children at that age.  My sister was 6 and I remember walking to meet her her at the bus stop at 3:00 and my parents would get home at 4:30, often other elementary age children would come over and I would get paid for watching them until their parents came home from work.

I think if Jack was that age and I knew a mature 12 year old I could trust I would let them babysit for date night if we were just going out to dinner or something close by, but would probably prefer someone a bit older!

eta: like PP I think it really depends on the other layer of support - now that I think about it everyone knew everyone in my parents' neighborhood so even though I was "babysitting" there was also SAHMs and retired neighbors that could be there in a second if I needed it.

mrspresley

funny you ask this b/c on our flight they played the movie "Life As We know It" and the couple there hired a kid to watch their infant.... I turned to DH and said, "can you believe they're trusting a kid w/their baby?!" but sure enough the baby wouldn't stop crying and she carried him into the kitchen, and started bouncing him around in her arms w/the kitchen exhaust fan on and he calmed down right away LOL

so, I guess it depends on how experienced/mature the kid is but I really don't think I'd really be comfortable with a tween babysitting our kids until they were older, like preschool age at least.  I do remember babysitting kids that were kindergarten age when I was in 6th grade (and felt competent enough to do so), but even though I was responsible/mature I didn't know anything about babies and probably would not have felt comfortable babysitting an infant.

lola808

I think a teen can absolutely be mature and responsible enough to babysit on their own. I grew up helping to raise my twin nieces and spent lots of alone time with them in my teens -- prepping their meals, taking them on field trips, comforting them when they cried for their mama in the middle of the night. Granted, I think I was more mature than most kids my age, but it also worked because I had long-standing, close relationships with the girls -- I wasn't just the hired help from down the street.

In the past, when neighbors were more neighborly and people had closer social ties to the community, I bet it was a lot easier to entrust others -- even young ones -- to help watch your kids.

jaysgirljulie

I just was talking to one of my friends about having her 14.5 year old daughter baby sit for us every once in a while so we can have a date night. I don't think I would trust someone I didn't know really well but I know that this girl is responsible & capable. She's helped with her brother that is 6 and she's on her second semester of child developement and getting her certification so she can work at the daycare at her highschool, and she's cpr certified. Her mom is doing a fantastic job with her and she's the most innocent, funny, smart teen I know. She's going to come over and 'hang out' with us a few times as a practice run so everyone can get comfortable and I can let her know our likes/dislikes and what we expect from her. When it's the real time, Ryan will probably only be awake for a few hours and then she'll put him to bed. Her mom will be 4.5 miles away. We will stay in the area so we can get home quick if we need to.

But at 12, I still probably wouldn't let her babysit. Acutally I don't think she was allowed to stay by herself until she was 13. I was going to offer her $8 an hour and the mom said "absolutely not! She's 14, she needs to know money doesn't come easy. No more than $5 an hour."  Whooo-hooo for us! and the girl is still thrilled with $5

mrspresley

well I think a teenager in HS is a little bit different than a tween that is 9-12 years old right?  of course there are some 12 y/o's that are way more mature than a 14 yr old but I think in general I'd be way more comfortable letting a teenager babysit for us than a tween....

plus I think it depends on how old your LO is, right? I am not sure how many people would trust any child with a a newborn or fussy infant whereas I am sure some would be more ok with them babysitting a 9 month old child that is more 'manageable'....

Married2MrWright

Not only no, but HELL no! I personally wouldn't want a teen to watch my baby, even if they were 15-16. I would consider an older teen (17+) as a mother's helper but I am not even sure I'd want a 17-19 year old babysitting an infant...maybe a toddler, but again, depends upon the situation and the children (both toddler and teen) involved.

I think 16+ would be fine for kids that are school-age...but under 5 is probably best with someone at least in their 20's and some life experience under their belts. JMHO. FWIW, I never really babysat as a teen...except my cousins on rare occassion. But in my 20's I was the the "GO TO" babysitter for all of the infants in my life...my nephew, my BFF's baby, etc. I made good money and was able, often times, to spend the time studying because the kiddos were in bed and I was just there while mom/dad had a date night, etc.  In my late 20's early 30's I watched a colleague's (opera singer) two children for long weekends and all day, every day while she was out of town at gigs. They were very well behaved, but I was always exhausted after that and vowed that I could never have my own 24/7. Boy things change!

redshoegirl

mrspresley:

well I think a teenager in HS is a little bit different than a tween that is 9-12 years old right? 

Totally agree, and that's part of the reason I was surprised at the post I linked to, since it was specifically for tweens, not teens. And while I might be OK with letting an older teen (like 17/18) with lots of babysitting experience watch my kids, I just can't imagine handing them over to an 11 year old, even if that 11 year old was mature and responsible for their age. Because let's face it, a mature 11 year old is like what? A 13 year old?

I also agree that it probably depends on the age of your LO, too. I'd be more likely to let an older teen babysit my kids if they were preschool age than right now. Which is kind of weird because at least right now they can be pretty easily contained in a babyproofed room lol!

Oh and whoever (can't remember who right this second, sorry!) said that it was likely different back when your local community was more tight knit - that's probably true. Perhaps if I knew the family really well, and knew that the kid's parents were right down the street, I'd feel differently (although I still doubt I'd be down with a tween babysitting for me). But hiring a random kid? Not so much.

lola808

redshoegirl:

mrspresley:

well I think a teenager in HS is a little bit different than a tween that is 9-12 years old right? 

Totally agree, and that's part of the reason I was surprised at the post I linked to, since it was specifically for tweens, not teens. And while I might be OK with letting an older teen (like 17/18) with lots of babysitting experience watch my kids, I just can't imagine handing them over to an 11 year old, even if that 11 year old was mature and responsible for their age. Because let's face it, a mature 11 year old is like what? A 13 year old? ]

Actually, when I read the MM post, I interpreted "underage teen" to be someone who is too young to readily acquire a more typical job. I wasn't thinking tween (9-12 year olds), so maybe that's why there were so many babysitting suggestions?

redshoegirl

lola808:

Actually, when I read the MM post, I interpreted "underage teen" to be someone who is too young to readily acquire a more typical job. I wasn't thinking tween (9-12 year olds), so maybe that's why there were so many babysitting suggestions?

You're right, it seemed like the OP was probably talking about older (but still underage) teens, but a few of the people specifically mentioned tweens as well which was why I was so surprised.