At what age did you stop getting babysitters for your (only) child?

[mumblechum1]

Just musing on differing parenting styles really, my friend's dd is 13.5 and when my friend and I go out she still either hires a babysitter if her dh isn't around, or we can't go out till her dh is back from work. We normally just go to the pub which is next to my house and across the road from hers.

I was a lot more laid back with my ds, leaving him for an evening when we were just elsewhere in the village from 11, but if we were going any distance away from 12.5 iirc.

Is it usual to get a babysitter for a 13.5 yr old or was I just a lax parent?

It really depends on the situation I think.

Across the road at the pub or at a friends in the village - 12/13 sounds about right, depending on the child and how happy the child is to be left, for an evening but not home terribly late (11/midnight).

A proper night out (in another village/town) I'd probably say 14 or so if there are good neighbours and/or you can be home fairly quickly.

Isolated location, you going a long way away - about 30

It is hard but I think she's being a bit over cautious - but not knowing her DD it's difficult.

It's actually a girl, she's 5 foot 6 and looks about 16! My son, who's 18, often babysits for her which he finds faintly ridiculous; they go to the same school so sit there slagging off various teachers and he gets paid for it.

Sounds a bit extreme unless your friend's DD is totally nervous about being left alone but doesn't want anyone to know?

My DS is 11 and I do leave him for about an hour and half in the evening but otherwise I have a very good friend who will come and stay the night - bit difficult to employ the teenage sister of his friends' who are the local babysitters round here and I am too mean to pay.

No Maryz, the child in question is 13.5 but looks 16. She's a girl.

My ds babysits for her. He's 18.

mine are a bit younger but I envisage leaving the eldest when she is 13

my sis doesn't leave her 14 yo as 'I trust her but I don't trust her friends not to come round' -err so actually you don't trust your dd do you sis?

I think 13.5 is too old to need a babysitter, surely she's old enough to babysit other children at that age (well, 14 ish)

?

God, how awful Mary.

As it happens, ds is out every weekend now so not sitting very frequently, but you're right.

Agree with Maryz (and wondered that, but couldn't think how to put it without sounding awful).

13 was the age my dd started staying home on her own in the evenings. Before that, if dp and I were both going out, we would arrange for dd to have a sleepover at one of her friends. She hasn't had a babysitter as such since she was 9 or 10.