Age to babysit siblings at night

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never, they are not the 13 year olds responsibility. Your kids. Use the sitter.

+1

Nope.

Ok, bad parent.

Couldn’t disagree with you more. Part of being in a family involves helping out, it’s no different than vacuuming or helping clean out the garage. I might cut the teen some slack in terms of his other chores that week if he/she is babysitting, but I am not going to feel obligated to pay. The teen is getting babysitting experience that can be used for a paying job, and knows that the help is appreciated. And it’s not like it’s every Saturday night. But the idea that a teen should be paid for helping out the parents from time to time to me is just ridiculous.

np. ita. I think DCUM is so weird with this idea that kids should never be expected to contribute to the family.

[Anonymous]

Probably about 8 and 11, but my oldest wasn’t responsible for my younger child and it wasn’t on a school night. They wouldn’t be putting themselves to bed and it wasn’t often. It was around these ages we realized we trusted both to be together in the house in the evening alone and worried less about that than having a sitter with them. I was always nervous with sitters and they never went to bed well anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the thoughts and advice. All helpful. Yeah, I was planning to pay the eldest and thinking about incentive pay for the other two.

I guess my big question is does the eldest go to sleep if parents are out late? Ours definitely needs her sleep and is usually asleep at the same time as our youngest or just after. Middle kid is the night owl.

I'm the one with six kids. When one of them is babysitting, we just say that one goes to sleep last. After the younger ones are in bed and settled. They don't have to wait until the others are asleep, but they have to be settled in bed, lights out (or secretly reading with a flashlight).

You shouldn't have your oldest parent the younger kids. Your responsibility.

My 14 year old would be pissed if I paid someone to be there to watch her siblings when I could just pay her….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never, they are not the 13 year olds responsibility. Your kids. Use the sitter.

+1

Nope.

Ok, bad parent.

Couldn’t disagree with you more. Part of being in a family involves helping out, it’s no different than vacuuming or helping clean out the garage. I might cut the teen some slack in terms of his other chores that week if he/she is babysitting, but I am not going to feel obligated to pay. The teen is getting babysitting experience that can be used for a paying job, and knows that the help is appreciated. And it’s not like it’s every Saturday night. But the idea that a teen should be paid for helping out the parents from time to time to me is just ridiculous.

np. ita. I think DCUM is so weird with this idea that kids should never be expected to contribute to the family.

That’s not contributing that is parenting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never, they are not the 13 year olds responsibility. Your kids. Use the sitter.

+1

Nope.

Ok, bad parent.

Couldn’t disagree with you more. Part of being in a family involves helping out, it’s no different than vacuuming or helping clean out the garage. I might cut the teen some slack in terms of his other chores that week if he/she is babysitting, but I am not going to feel obligated to pay. The teen is getting babysitting experience that can be used for a paying job, and knows that the help is appreciated. And it’s not like it’s every Saturday night. But the idea that a teen should be paid for helping out the parents from time to time to me is just ridiculous.

np. ita. I think DCUM is so weird with this idea that kids should never be expected to contribute to the family.

That’s not contributing that is parenting.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the thoughts and advice. All helpful. Yeah, I was planning to pay the eldest and thinking about incentive pay for the other two.

I guess my big question is does the eldest go to sleep if parents are out late? Ours definitely needs her sleep and is usually asleep at the same time as our youngest or just after. Middle kid is the night owl.

I'm the one with six kids. When one of them is babysitting, we just say that one goes to sleep last. After the younger ones are in bed and settled. They don't have to wait until the others are asleep, but they have to be settled in bed, lights out (or secretly reading with a flashlight).

You shouldn't have your oldest parent the younger kids. Your responsibility.

My 14 year old would be pissed if I paid someone to be there to watch her siblings when I could just pay her….

It’s ok to give her a job, but pay the going rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never, they are not the 13 year olds responsibility. Your kids. Use the sitter.

+1

Nope.

Ok, bad parent.

Couldn’t disagree with you more. Part of being in a family involves helping out, it’s no different than vacuuming or helping clean out the garage. I might cut the teen some slack in terms of his other chores that week if he/she is babysitting, but I am not going to feel obligated to pay. The teen is getting babysitting experience that can be used for a paying job, and knows that the help is appreciated. And it’s not like it’s every Saturday night. But the idea that a teen should be paid for helping out the parents from time to time to me is just ridiculous.

np. ita. I think DCUM is so weird with this idea that kids should never be expected to contribute to the family.

But they go off to college clueless. Unable to even care for themselves, let alone others.

[Anonymous]

Is your 12 year old supposed to put her younger siblings to bed? Will the younger ones listen to her? Does she have any interest in doing this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never, they are not the 13 year olds responsibility. Your kids. Use the sitter.

+1

Nope.

Ok, bad parent.

Couldn’t disagree with you more. Part of being in a family involves helping out, it’s no different than vacuuming or helping clean out the garage. I might cut the teen some slack in terms of his other chores that week if he/she is babysitting, but I am not going to feel obligated to pay. The teen is getting babysitting experience that can be used for a paying job, and knows that the help is appreciated. And it’s not like it’s every Saturday night. But the idea that a teen should be paid for helping out the parents from time to time to me is just ridiculous.

np. ita. I think DCUM is so weird with this idea that kids should never be expected to contribute to the family.

That’s not contributing that is parenting.

+1

No, I did a lot of babysitting for other families when I was 14 - 18. I was not their parent, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never, they are not the 13 year olds responsibility. Your kids. Use the sitter.

+1

Nope.

Ok, bad parent.

Couldn’t disagree with you more. Part of being in a family involves helping out, it’s no different than vacuuming or helping clean out the garage. I might cut the teen some slack in terms of his other chores that week if he/she is babysitting, but I am not going to feel obligated to pay. The teen is getting babysitting experience that can be used for a paying job, and knows that the help is appreciated. And it’s not like it’s every Saturday night. But the idea that a teen should be paid for helping out the parents from time to time to me is just ridiculous.

np. ita. I think DCUM is so weird with this idea that kids should never be expected to contribute to the family.

That’s not contributing that is parenting.

+1

Babysitting is not parenting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the thoughts and advice. All helpful. Yeah, I was planning to pay the eldest and thinking about incentive pay for the other two.

I guess my big question is does the eldest go to sleep if parents are out late? Ours definitely needs her sleep and is usually asleep at the same time as our youngest or just after. Middle kid is the night owl.

I'm the one with six kids. When one of them is babysitting, we just say that one goes to sleep last. After the younger ones are in bed and settled. They don't have to wait until the others are asleep, but they have to be settled in bed, lights out (or secretly reading with a flashlight).

You shouldn't have your oldest parent the younger kids. Your responsibility.

My 14 year old would be pissed if I paid someone to be there to watch her siblings when I could just pay her….

It’s ok to give her a job, but pay the going rate.

Do you pay your child to take out the trash, sort outgrown clothes for donation, walk the dog, prepare a family dinner or make a bed? Some parents tie allowance to chores and others don’t. I’ve seen a lot of debates about this on DCUM and there are valid points to each side. Some parents would also consider occasional babysitting of siblings part of that chore package, and alongside that, may or may not pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the thoughts and advice. All helpful. Yeah, I was planning to pay the eldest and thinking about incentive pay for the other two.

I guess my big question is does the eldest go to sleep if parents are out late? Ours definitely needs her sleep and is usually asleep at the same time as our youngest or just after. Middle kid is the night owl.

I'm the one with six kids. When one of them is babysitting, we just say that one goes to sleep last. After the younger ones are in bed and settled. They don't have to wait until the others are asleep, but they have to be settled in bed, lights out (or secretly reading with a flashlight).

You shouldn't have your oldest parent the younger kids. Your responsibility.

My 14 year old would be pissed if I paid someone to be there to watch her siblings when I could just pay her….

It’s ok to give her a job, but pay the going rate.

Do you pay your child to take out the trash, sort outgrown clothes for donation, walk the dog, prepare a family dinner or make a bed? Some parents tie allowance to chores and others don’t. I’ve seen a lot of debates about this on DCUM and there are valid points to each side. Some parents would also consider occasional babysitting of siblings part of that chore package, and alongside that, may or may not pay.

The chore package should be fair. If the older siblings have to babysit for free or below the going rate, the younger siblings should receive chores that the older ones don’t have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never, they are not the 13 year olds responsibility. Your kids. Use the sitter.

I agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never, they are not the 13 year olds responsibility. Your kids. Use the sitter.

I agree.

how many kids do you have?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Never, they are not the 13 year olds responsibility. Your kids. Use the sitter.

I agree.

It is family, everybody does something