What type of childcare for leaving teens home alone for a long weekend?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t leave them overnight at all. Someone responsible needs to stay at the house. You need to wait a few more years. You and DH can handle it.

Are you kidding me. Kid is almost 16 years old. There is something very, very wrong if a 16 year old cannot handle himself and watch his brother overnight. He will be in college soon!

Then, how about waiting until they are actually 18 and in College?

It is irresponsible and poor parenting to leave your 16yr. old alone and on top, caring for a younger sibling for 4 days. See what CPS thinks?,

Sorry you’ve raised irresponsible and untrustworthy children who can’t handle being alone for a night. And I’m a prosecutor and so stop the chirping about CPS. You sound clueless.

What if one of them needs to go to urgent care? OP's kids can't even drive.

Op here. My kids have good friends in the neighborhood including 5 physicians on our block. We would not depend on them but we have good relationships with many people in the community.

I have decided not to go on the trip and we will not be leaving the kids home alone. It is less about childcare and more about just rescheduling a trip we can go altogether.

My older son is as responsible as one can get as a kid his age. He is more responsible than most college students. I absolutely would trust and be ok with him staying home alone overnight, probably not 4 nights though.

My 13yo is not the same as his older brother and I would not trust him alone and would never leave him alone overnight. It seems to big of a burden to put on his older brother.

MIL said she would come stay with them but we just decided not to do the trip.

What is your neighbor supposed to do? Doesn’t matter if they are a physician. They aren’t responsible for your kid and certainly aren’t going to give them medical care bc you are irresponsible and left them alone.
I’d be super pissed if my neighbors considered me their medical plan while they left their minor kids at home for 4 days.

And the purpose of my post was to figure out what childcare was appropriate for teenagers. I was never going to leave them home alone for 4 days.

Ok, but you literally said “but there are 5 physicians on my block” to someone legitimately asking what you would do if they needed to go to urgent care. That isn’t a plan..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t leave them overnight at all. Someone responsible needs to stay at the house. You need to wait a few more years. You and DH can handle it.

Are you kidding me. Kid is almost 16 years old. There is something very, very wrong if a 16 year old cannot handle himself and watch his brother overnight. He will be in college soon!

Sure, he can watch himself and his brother throw an awesome party and get wrecked. Because that's what HS kids do when parents go out of town!

NP. My brother did this when he was in HS and I was in MS. Normally good kid, but with a parent out of town he and his friends took advantage.

Years later, a friend of ours left town and his HS son threw a huge party and the police came. Huge issue.

I wouldn't risk it.

[Anonymous]

In terms of appropriate childcare, I really think relative is the only one for that age (or stay with a friend at night). Anything else feels awkward. (I have never used a nanny though, just babysitters.)

[Anonymous]

We are leaving our 15 year old home alone to drop off a kid at college. We have an adult a few streets away who will come over every morning to walk the dog and drive the kid to school. They’ll also be available in case of emergency.

I’m not at all concerned about parties. None of his friends can drive (none are walking distance) and it’s during the week when they come home exhausted from sports and have to get up early the next morning.

He’s our 3rd kid and we’ve done this before with no issues.

You know your kids and if they’re capable of this.

[Anonymous]

We have had a former teacher of DD stay for a week when we were away.
DD is independent at home, doesn’t need homework supervision, but we wanted an adult in the house at all times.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t leave them overnight at all. Someone responsible needs to stay at the house. You need to wait a few more years. You and DH can handle it.

Are you kidding me. Kid is almost 16 years old. There is something very, very wrong if a 16 year old cannot handle himself and watch his brother overnight. He will be in college soon!

Sure, he can watch himself and his brother throw an awesome party and get wrecked. Because that's what HS kids do when parents go out of town!

NP. My brother did this when he was in HS and I was in MS. Normally good kid, but with a parent out of town he and his friends took advantage.

Years later, a friend of ours left town and his HS son threw a huge party and the police came. Huge issue.

I wouldn't risk it.

Same! Except he is was 18 and I was 15. Police ended up at our house (had a busy body neighbor) and our parents got a call from jail. Oops. We were both “good” kids and he was a freshman at a top college, home on break to “watch” me. Party was his idea and mostly his friends also home on break

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t leave them overnight at all. Someone responsible needs to stay at the house. You need to wait a few more years. You and DH can handle it.

Are you kidding me. Kid is almost 16 years old. There is something very, very wrong if a 16 year old cannot handle himself and watch his brother overnight. He will be in college soon!

Sure, he can watch himself and his brother throw an awesome party and get wrecked. Because that's what HS kids do when parents go out of town!

NP. My brother did this when he was in HS and I was in MS. Normally good kid, but with a parent out of town he and his friends took advantage.

Years later, a friend of ours left town and his HS son threw a huge party and the police came. Huge issue.

I wouldn't risk it.

Same! Except he is was 18 and I was 15. Police ended up at our house (had a busy body neighbor) and our parents got a call from jail. Oops. We were both “good” kids and he was a freshman at a top college, home on break to “watch” me. Party was his idea and mostly his friends also home on break

So because you and your brother couldn’t be trusted you now don’t trust your own kids? Wow. Not great logic but ok.