At what age do children no longer need babysitting?

[annh]

My boys are 12 and 9, obviously we still need babysiters but I realised when we had a sitter on Sat that ds1 was taller than her and it suddenly occured to me that at some point in the not too distant future we will not need a babysitter! The problem is that I can't visualise when the boys could be safely left in each other's company! Either on their own would be fine (ds1 already stays in the house alone for short periods) but left together there might be bloodshed - and this is from kids who normally get on pretty well. So, any ideas from people who have been there before me? Are we looking at 15/12 or 16/13 or when they leave home?!

My friend has boys of 14 and 12 and she leaves them on their own if she goes out locally - but would get someone if she went out further than a few minutes away. But the older one doesn't really want a kid only a couple of years older with him. Sometimes she lets the neighbour know too; they have the neighbours's number to call if they're worried too.

I think we do over protect our children these days, obviously I don't know your children but 12 and 9, I would leave them alone for short periods.

I'd say 11 or 12 as long as they have someone to call who could be there in minutes..

My DC are 14 and 12 and we leave them when we go out locally. Further afield we get in a babysitter although she is a proper grown up!

Are you sure about the bloodshed? My 10 and 8yos argue, but we leave them at home together in the daytime and they are fine, they rise to the responsibility and cooperate better than when we are there. Do they want a babysitter? It's a big incentive to not fight, if you don't want a babysitter.

I don't konw about night time though, we don't leave them yet at night. not really sure what age people do that. 12 maybe?

I think my DH was 10 (his bro would have been 8) when his parents let them walk home by themselves and look after themselves alone until they got back from work. We had live-in au pairs so weren't alone for the same periods of time... though I remember when my mum went to hospital with meningitis and sceptacemia (sp?) I was 13 and though my uncle looked after us, I did all the cooking for the lot of us during that week (poor them... terrible, terrible cook...)

So, I'm with the previous posters; I think we over-protect our kids and I'm not sure it's doing them any favours!

Me too, I'm with the previous posters. Mine (now 10 and 13) were left alone at that age and were also allowed to go on shopping expeditions into town together. I found the fact that they were responsible made them behave more responsibly than usual (besides, if they fought and hurt each other, it would be their own silly fault). Wouldn't leave them overnight or, perhaps, very late at night, but that's more because they might not like it than because I think they couldn't cope.

It's a very British thing not to leave almost-teenagers alone: in Sweden, for instance, people would think you an overprotective, possibly damaging, parent if you got a sitter in for a 12yo. When my Swedish niece was that age she was doing the family shopping and cooking whenever her Mum worked late. Dd's Swedish friends went to the beach alone at least from age 11: dd kept them all in stitches with tales of how her English friends weren't even allowed to make themselves a cup of tea.

Thanks for all the views, I would leave them together if I was going out for a short time during the day e.g. occasionally I will go out in the evening, leaving about 5.45 and dh gets home just before 6.30. I probably shouldn't haven't used the word "bloodshed" in relation to them, to be fair, they really aren't physical with each other but they do know which buttons to press to wind each other up! However, i don't think it would be fair to the older one particularly to leave them alone in the evening although I agree that we are probably over-protective of our children in many instances and sometimes I think I am more worried about what the powers-that-be might think of my parenting rather than any actual harm coming to the boys!

My dd is nearly 14 and ds is 11- we are going out tomorrow for an early dinner- 6pm till 9, and are leaving them without a sitter.
DD is getting £10 and ds £5 for being responsible ie no squabbling etc- otherwise no money.
As we paid our babysitter £7 an hour, it's slightly cheaper and gives them the chance to earn some money for the holidays.
We usually leave them on a Saturday or Sunday, 5.30-7 while we go and have a drink, but they don't get money for this..