Stay at Home Moms
alli2672
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would you let an 11 y/o babysit?
alli2672
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I wanted to go to lunch with my mom and a couple of her sisters who are in from out of town. I had a sitter lined up, but she is sick and had to cancel. I asked a friend if her HS aged sitter was available, and she isn't, but her little sister is.
Anyway, my kids are almost 3 and 4 years old. I also have a baby, but I would bring her with me. If there was a problem, I would just come home. It isn't mandatory that I be there or anything, and the restaurant is just up the street. I would only be gone about 2 hours. I am thinking that they could just watch a movie or play in the fenced in backyard.
Am I crazy for considering this?
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Re: would you let an 11 y/o babysit?
Of course it depends on the 11 year and how responsible she is but I can tell you that I have used our 11 year old next door neighbor for babysitting throughout this last month while we have been trying to move and she is FANTASTIC! I haven't left her completely alone with both 6yr and 1yr but I have left her with just my 6yr for a few hours.
She has three younger siblings (age 8, 3, and 11months) so she knows how to help get snacks, help use the potty, change diapers, work the DVD player, and more importantly knows NOT to answer the door!
You are close by in case of emergency and your children are at a pretty self-sufficient age, I'm betting they can ask for help and communicate their needs well. I say yes, do it!
eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11
Personally, my answer is probably not if I never met her before. I am thinking of two of my cousins at age 11- HUGE difference in maturity. Has your friend used the 11 year old to babysit?
The restaurant being so close does make a difference. Such a tough call!
This made me laugh! That's a positive way of putting it
Thanks though. I'm glad to know that someone I consider a good mom would do this!
I'm not sure that's legal? Like, if god forbid something happened, I think you could be in a lot of trouble for leaving preschoolers in the care of an eleven-year-old. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think I remember hearing that a babysitter has to be at least 12.
Anyway, no, I wouldn't be comfortable with it unless I knew the little girl very well and was convinced that she could handle it. My niece is about that age, and very responsible...I do let her walk my kids to the neighborhood playground (where I can still hear/see them) but I don't think I'd be leaving them with her for two hours.
haha! Well, what I meant was, it's not like they are 2yrs and maybe having trouble asking for a drink or need help with the potty... watching a movie with a 3yr and a 4yr is a nice, easy task for a tween sitter.
And thank you for the compliment, I'm really flattered you think so!
eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11
Ahhh, yes... some states do have minimum age requirements so, it would be wise to first check into that.
CA doesn't have a legal age requirement so it wasn't in the forefront of my answer.
eclaire 9.10.06 diggy 6.2.11
The age thing is probably a local thing. Here, in KS, it's legal for children to be left without care from infancy. Learned that one in sociology from my professor who works for the welfare office. Fantastic, right?
Jeez...We already could have saved a boatload in childcare if we'd just known that and moved to KS!
This.
Absolutely this. She'd probably be more attentive than some older teens, too, if you consider the teens texting and Facebooking from their phones incessantly. I baby-sat around that age, as I'm sure a lot of girls in our generation did; I think I'd be fine leaving mine with a responsible tween!
While my initial reaction was, "hmm, 11 seems young..." I just thought back and realized I was doing a fair share of babysitting by the time I was 12. We're talking a couple hours here or there, and in reality, it was not a big deal at all.
I think if the 11 year old is mature and responsible, going up the street to a restaurant is no big deal at all. It's the same as letting an older sibling take the kids down the street to the local neighborhood park. If the 11 year old has younger siblings or babysitting experience, I would say this is also a bonus. So, you're not crazy at all. I would do it.
No- but that is just me.
I would have an 11yr old help watch a child if I was there- but not alone
I think it's because of the circumstances.
If someone came on here and said I'm leaving my 3 and 4 year old with an 11 year old to go to a dinner/movie 30 minutes away, I'd say hell nah.
A 40 minute lunch up the street where you could be home in 10 seconds if necessary? I don't think it's a big deal assuming this isn't her first time watching children.
Probably not. Although it depends on the 11 year old.
As a Mother's Helper? Yes. But not really where I had to leave the house.
Really? You didn't stay home by yourself for an hour here and there when you were 11 or 12?? I was already babysitting my younger siblings at that point (for an hour or so)!
I did drive there. We do live out in the country. It is about a mile away, so 2 minutes or so in a car.
We had lunch at a small winery where it just wasn't appropriate to have preschool age boys. Even when they are well-behaved, they have a tendency to be loud and turn silverware into swords.
Another friend was able to take the boys over to her house, so we didn't end up using a babysitter. I may use her in the future though. She turns 12 in three weeks
I was too. We stayed "home" on our own (really mostly at the pool and in the woods) when my brother and I were 7 and 9 while my parents were at work.
I would say no. Regardless how mature she may be for her age, she is still only 11 yrs old and her brain hasn't developed enough IMO to be responsible for 2 young kids.
I used an 11 year old mother's helper for the first time last week, but I wouldn't leave my kids home alone with an 11 year old. She was here for three hours with them while I unpacked boxes, and I checked on them every 20 minutes or so.
I taught sixth grade for four years, so I know 11 year old kids pretty well. They can be great at entertaining toddlers and younger kids, but IMO are not responsible enough to handle emergencies that may arise.
That's funny- me too for the bolded!
I never had to handle an emergency though, and looking back, I wonder how I would have done.
I've been going back-and-forth about letting my 12 year old sister babysit DD while I work from a coffee shop nearby. (Our house is so small that it would distract me to stay here and work with her here.) She is great with DD and is overall very responsible and cautious. She's taken a babysitting/first aid course. However, since starting middle school and getting a cell phone she is texting or looking at her phone ALL.THE.TIME. It kind of worries me that she would get distracted by it and DD is a typical 2 year old testing things out and pushing boundaries.
We may try it though. So no, I don't think you're crazy. Especially since your kids are a bit older than mine and you'd be close-by.
DD2: Lucia (Lucy) 07/13
This. My favorite quote all day.