When did you stop getting babysitters?

[Anonymous]

Mine are 11 and 6. And definitely not yet. I’ll leave the older one alone for an hour or two to run errands or if she doesn’t want to come to her sibling’s game or something, but not at night yet and definitely not watching the younger one. They fight like cats and dogs, so I can’t imagine that going well any time soon.

She wants to be the babysitter when she turns 12. I’ve always said that was the earliest age she could sit for the younger one. But given their personalities I’m going to have to go with a wait and see approach on that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We started going out to a very early dinner at a casual restaurant close by when ours were around that age. We left them alone gradually for longer and later. The first time we left them in the dark without a sitter was when they were about 9 and 11, and we went to a neighbors house for less than two hours. So we were about a block away. It was gradual and they never put themselves to bed. Now they are teens and often stay up later than us on any given night.

I'd agree with this. Start with early, fast dinners, where you are home for bedtime. See how it goes and how they feel. Then try longer stints of time during the day. It's all about just allowing them to TRY before say, leaving for a wedding an hour away where you won't be home until 1am.

[Anonymous]

Around 11 or 12.