CM club - do any of you have older (teens) children of your own? What do they do when you are CMing?

[SaltireOShanter]

I have a 14 year old and 12 year old. They bicker and argue constantly with each other. The younger one also gets very stressed and wound up by much younger children (he's been like this since he was about 7a nd is like it with his younger cousins) so DH and I decided that the best thing would be for them to both go upstairs when my before and after school mindees are here, as DS2 in particular can be quite rude to them (the mindees are 9 and 5).
However all I cna hear is constant bickering and arguing and thumpiong and then DS1 appears downstairs wanting to go on PC. Then DS2 appears moaning as DS1 is downstairs.

I just wondered where I am going wrong

I am lucky I just have a 12 yr old dd and she disappears upstairs when she gets home. Hopefully someone helpful will be along soon: )

My boys are 14 and 15
Im lucky they have their own rooms and dont really bother each other, they come home get food and head for their room to fo homework

When my two boys were a similar age to yours we had similar problems. My only solution was to give notice to the older minded children and promise my boys that I would stick to very young childminded children in future.

This worked for us, perhaps because the tinies were less of a 'threat'.

As HSMM said, hopefully someone will be along to offer suggestions

DD is no longer ever here; but when she was I made her help or get lost - mind you her dad was normally around so she 'had' him iyswim