my 13 yr old wants to be a baby sitter, i,m worried about her safety

[mrsfuzzy]

probably being daft but she wants to earn extra pocket money, can't afford to give her more [it's a big family] we talked about it and i said she could give it a go, she put up an ad in local shop but now i think about it i'm concerned, she will be in strangers homes and relying on lifts to get home , we don't drive. i'm concerned for her safety, feel better for writing this, but now i think i should encourage a saturday job instead, sorry for going on but what do other parents/ carers think ? am i being daft for worrying?

Could you not restrict her to doing it locally so that you can go and fetch her home at the end?

Or let her sit for friends / neighbours.

TBH it is a lot of responsibility for a 13yo in an unfamiliar house with unfamiliar children - if you cannot travel to her easily, what will you do if she rings you saying she can't calm the children / the burglar alarm has gone off / she is scared for whatever reason.

tbh if she's only 13 i really don't think she'll get many phone calls from people that she doesn't know willing to trust her with their dc.

I wouldn't want a 13 year old being left in charge of my kids. Sorry.

Isn't it illegal to leave someone under the age of 16 in charge of other children?

No way on this earth I would employ a child of that age, sorry.

try a paper round or dog walking.

I Would have thought her best bet is through friends of your other children / local people. I would never get a babysitter from an ad but would ask other mum's who they use or ask a friend's teenage children (but I would want someone at least 15).

I waitressed, cleaned and worked in pub kitchens as a teenager (which pays better than babysitting) but I think you have to be a bit older.

I doubt anyone who was a stranger to you and your family, would employ a 13 yr old to 'sit' for them anyway. If they did, then I would be worried about their judgement, and then begin to worry further, yes.
My dd is 13 (14 in a couple of weeks) and has done some 'Mother's Help' type babysitiing, where she's looked after little ones while the parent was working at home, and a couple of times where she's looked after her little cousins, whilst I've been in the house (ie, getting experience of all the 'doing' but I'm there for parental reassurance), but always with people who know she's pretty mature for her age, and never with sole responsibility without an adult nearby as back up. There's no way in the world you'd employ an unknown 13 yr old from a card in a shop window.

I think 13 is a bit young - at that age I did a little bit of babysitting for one or two well known friends/neighbours - but my home was literally minutes away. I wouldn't think of employing an unknown 13 yr old to look after my own child.

thank you so much everyone for such quick replies, i'm really happy that everyone is so against it, i think i got caught up with her enthusisam and lost the plot abit! at least if she mentions it again i can show her the replies on here, thanks once again, it means a lot!

She could get a paper round, or, as my dc have, a round delivering the free paper once a week which therefore doesn't involve getting up in the mornings.
Dog walking or pet sitting might be a possibility, but you have to think about liability if anything went wrong with that sort of thing.
What about ironing ? A lot of people hate it, and it's somethig a 13 yr old could do. Or cleaning for someone you know ?

Some of the young kids round by me go round asking people if they want their cars washing.

Does she have any experience with small pets - like rabbits? I've seen ads in our local PO offering pet sitting for small furries. Easier than dog walking.

backforgood , you are one fantastic person, ironing, my d loves it, i know of a couple of neighbours, who would probably like some help with that and abit of gardening i'll speak to them tomorrow i'm sure that would sort things out for her thanks so much, i never thiught of it.

backforgood , you are one fantastic person It's not everyday anybody says that

mind

ironing, my d loves it It's not everyday someone says that either

I could do with some ironing done-where are you?!

Alternatively if she has a little entrepreneurial spirit she could buy something then sell it on e-bay for a few extra pounds? It's easy to find wholesalers and invest a few pounds in something. Kind of fun too.

Is she crafty at all? Etsy (an online market place) stores are really easy to open, but you might need to open it on her behalf as I think you need a credit card...I had a little business making friendship bracelets at her age and selling them at school!!!

I started babysitting at 15, but that was in the 90s with a family we knew and tbh despite me having a sensible head in my shoulders that was young enough.

Can she not just do odd jobs and the odd bit off babysitting for friends and acquaintances? Tbh I would feel the same about a 13 year old child entering a stranger's home.

thanks so much to everyone for their great ideas, this is so brilliant and i feel a bit teary that everyone is so thoughtful and caring,[ blows nose, dabs eyes,] i was dreading telling d no, sorry no can do, but now it seems skys the limit, move over richard branson she is going to love these ideas!

I'm not sure that many people will employ a 13 year old they dont know to babysit, nowadays. Some good ideas from other posters, though.

I think it is great that your daughter has the work ethic at such a young age!

I used to go round to the neighbours' gardens that were covered in leaves and offer to rake their yard for a bit of money. Mind, this was the '80s and in a small town in America, but it could work. Is she good at gardening? Lots of branches down here after the storm - just tidying branches and raking leaves could really make a garden look good after about an hour's work!

I did lots of babysitting at that age but it started off with neighbours and then word of mouth, so friends of friends.

I wouldn't want a 13 yr old going to people's houses that I didn't at least loosely know tbh.