Would you let a 13 year old boy watch your 12 month old?

J+O · March 2009

Well, actually TWIN 12 month olds?

Maybe I'm anal, but I don't think I could do that. ?I was talking to DH and just happened to find out that my SIL's son, who is 13 (just turned 13 by the way) is at home watching his twin 1 year old brother & sister alone. ?It just rubbed me the wrong way.

DH & my MIL seem to think it's okay. ?Am I being a worry-wart??

KMLP · March 2009

No freaking way! ?

clarice928 · March 2009

Holy shizno -- not in a million years. Indifferent

longhorn14 · March 2009

When I was 13, I watched and cared for my 3 month old brother over the summer while my mom was at work. I don't think she ever worried. But then again, I think I was a pretty mature 13 y/o.

Lucky_Dragonfly · March 2009

personally no.

mlf625 · March 2009

Totally depends on the 13 year old and how long the parents are gone for. ?I've got a super responsible sweetheart of a 13 year old cousin, and he occasionally watches his 5 month old baby sister while his parents run a quick errand. ?Most 13 year old boys? ?No.?

LittleMamaB · March 2009

No way. Our thirteen year old is barely responsible enough to watch himself though. LOL.

soon2bemrsmarr · March 2009

not a chance.

caroline:) · March 2009

It would depend on the boy. If it's her kid and she trusts him, I don't know...maybe he's pretty mature. I know plenty of 13 yo girls that babysit, it would be a double standard to assume that they're automatically more mature and capable to babysit.

Karma1969 · March 2009

I baby sat when I was 10.

I can't imagine letting anyone under 15 watch my LO, expect myabe my twins niece and nephew who are almost 15.

Pelusa214 · March 2009

It would depend on a lot of factors. My immediate reaction would be probably not, but if it was MY 13-year old boy watching his own siblings, and he was a very responsible, mature 13-year old, and if it was for a short period of time (like, if I ran to the store for 20 minutes), I might. I wouldn't leave them for a few hours, though. Nor would l leave them unless it was my own 13-year old, and only if he was comfortable with it & he was very mature.

emiliemadison · March 2009

I think it's ok. I mean, he's 13. How many of US babysat at 13? Probably most of us did. And he's their brother. Would it be ok if mom and dad left the 13 year old home with the twins while they went out for a night of binge drinking until 2am? Of course not. But for an hour or two? Why not? Is it because of his age, or that he's a boy?

Worcbride · March 2009

It depends. I was babysitting outside the home at 12 years old. I was watching my brother (who's 4 yrs younger than me) for short periods of time when I was 8 or 9 (my mom always said I was 8 going on 40 so maybe I was a bit more mature than others). This boy is the twins' brother so he knows them/the routine. It's not like he's a babysitter coming from outside the home. And I'd assume he's responsible.

meggiekins · March 2009

Heck no! But I also wouldn't let a 13 year old girl watch my baby, espcially twins. Maybe I am uber-paranoid, but its 18+ sitters only in this house. I want my sitter to legally be able to sign a consent for treatment form, or anything else she may need to do in my absence. I also would probably never let a man/boy other than my Dad or FIL watch my children alone, but I have my own issues & reasons for that, whether its fair or not.

ETA: I just re-read my response. Of course I would trust my DS alone with my DD. I was thinking more of "real" sitters. At 13 I would probably let DS watch DD for a little while, but she would be 9, not 1. If I had twin 1 year olds, I still can't imagine letting their 13y/o brother watch them.

That being said, we have never left either kid with a "real" sitter. Grandparents and best friends only.

heaven81906 · March 2009

that might be too much for me to handle let alone a teenager!

raceyrae · March 2009

I also started babysitting at 10 yr. old. ?But now that I have my own DD, there's no way I'd let a 10-13 yr babysit. ?I'd want at least a 16 yr old.

nottie24 · March 2009

HELL to the no.

jenbowman · March 2009

Ummmm no! I can't believe I did it when I was that age! I teach 12 & 13 year olds so it scares me to even think about someone their age watch Livvy!

lanie26 · March 2009

Definitely.

Val&B0604 · March 2009

I was fine with freshman babysitting, but DH wants babysitters to have a license. ?That way we don't have to take the sitter home after we get back.

Temp174496125006552 · March 2009

Absolutely not.

I have a very mature 15.5 year old, and I wouldn't let her watch Ben for any length of time. He is too much of a handful.

That being said, I did leave him with her twice when I had to run out for 5-10 minutes. I was only at the store which is 2 minutes away and I had my cell phone with me.

internetbaby · March 2009

No, not for a child under 2 or 3. The minimum age we would hire is 16, but I would still hesitate. Our babysitter is 51, because I wanted someone mature, level-headed for emergencies. Especially since DD can't speak and I wanted someone who is aware, can read the baby's body language, etc.

In the case of a 13 year old, they can't drive during an emergency and may not have the depth of ability to "read" a non-speaking/non-articulate child, etc.

Hibiscus2007 · March 2009

Our nephew just turned 13 and he is very responsible for his age...he stayed with us for 2 weeks when his mom went out of town and was extremely good with ds. I didn't leave the house but I trusted him with ds while I was out of the room. Not sure how I would feel about leaving him for extended periods just for my fear of ds getting hurt or something and him not knowing how to handle an emergency situation. But with that said...he would probably do a good job, it's just my nerves would be shot...