babysitting...would this be ok?

[mrspreg]

Hi

I have 15 yr old, 14 yr old and 4 year old.

we have arranged childcare for the 4 yr old but the older two are insisting on "we are too old to be babysat"

My mum lives round the corner and has said, she will ring them to check they are ok.

Maybe I am being over cautious, I have researched the internet andthere is no legal age limit for babysitting as long as common sense is used

My intention is to leave the 15 yr old girl in charge, leave phone numbers etc

Sorry if we sound over cautious, we will be home about 11.30
do you think this would be ok?

tia

do you trust your kids? if so, i would, esp if your mum is close by.

yes I do, its just me being the worrier, dh thinks its all fine and I must start giving them a bit of trust and independance, my mum also agrees with dh

It sounds completely fine to me. I was doing paid babysitting by the age of 14, I best most women of my age were.

fine to me too, I was 13/14 when mum used to go out and trust me to be okay by myself for a few hrs in the eves

I was getting paid as a babysitter at that age. It is absolutely fine, if they can get hold of you and your mum lives around the corner. Mine flatly refused to have a babysitter by that age and I don't blame them. (This is as long as they are generally sensible).

I'd leave all 3 of them if the eldest is 15!

I agree, I would let the other 2 look after the 4yr old.

Do it - it's an excellent opportunity for them to display their responsibility and earn some trust from you. Place heavy hints that their behaviour tonight will go some way to influence how much freedom they get over the next few years!

I would leave all 3 but the 4 year old has epilepsy, dd is doing first aid in school in Jan, but she feels that she wants to complete the course first before she takes on the responsibility with his epilepsy as he is only newly diagnosed iyswim

Definitely, in fact I am a little shocked they have got to that age without being left. At 16 they could get married, have babies, all sorts (I may be wrong, but I think they could even join the army) and you will only be out till 11.30 and contactable. When I was 15 my parents started leaving me at home while they and my sisters went on holiday (I was a moody thing who didn't want the sunshine and so on ) with just my Nana popping in once a day to see how I was. That was maybe a bit more than most parents would do, but I would think it a bit odd if you didn't trust them just for one evening. Unless of course they have SN or are particularly daft somehow, or you live in the middle of nowhere so there is no-one nearby in case of emergencies.

I think that the fact your eldest has just a responsible attitude to looking after the youngest shows she is probably responsible enough to be left on her own with the 14yr old.

At that age (14), I was being left in charge of my 7 and 5 year old siblings - in fact - when I was 12 and older brother was 17, M&D used to go away for weekends leaving us with the 5 and 3 year old. The theory being that older brother could drive us wherever we needed to be and I would do the cooking and what not.

We were always fine!