At what age did YOU babysit?

[Anonymous]

Another former babysitter who started at 12 in the mid-80s. My parents were also always home, "just in case". I was booked just about every Friday and Saturday night. I grew up in CT and many NYCers had weekend homes, so lots of the families we didn't know. I also did the meals, baths, bedtimes, etc. In 9th grade, I started a regular Saturday morning job that lasted until I graduated high school. The parents always picked me up and brought me home (rural community).

While I do think I was responsible for my age, now that I'm a parent, some of the stuff I did or didn't do makes me shudder. But I always left the kitchen cleaner than I found it which my mom told me was the surefire way to get rehired!

The worst part of being a young babysitter was that I easily freaked myself out...does anybody remember the urban legend or horror movie where the diabolical murderer was calling the babysitter from INSIDE THE HOUSE???

I've hired a couple of neighborhood 12-year olds as "mothers' helpers"; I see it as training my next set of babysitters for when the current crop goes off to college.

[Anonymous]

11 in late 80s. I was the oldest of 6 kids at the time, and in high demand. $1-$2/hr, in the Midwest. I brought a bag of games and crafts. The kids loved me. Babies were my favorite--still are!

[Anonymous]

I think I was 13, but I really can't remember. In any case, my two oldest kids have been babysitting since they were 13 (BTW, in MoCo that's the minimum legal age for babysitting). They both took the Red Cross course and later became lifeguards. When they started babysitting, I would stay home in case they needed back-up, but they're 17 and 20 now, so it's no longer necessary. They're guys, so are particularly in demand as sitters for little boys, who love to hang with the big guys, esp. at the pool. They're totally reliable and have made a lot of money babysitting -- I'm actually shocked by what people pay them. Aside from the money, it's been a good experience for them. They both love kids and I think they've gotten a glimmer of how tough it is to be a parent. Last summer the older one spent a week working 9-5 for a family with 3 boys. The first day he commented: "they're a handful". Day 5: "Jesus, I'm not having kids for a long time -- you don't get a minute to yourself."

My youngest is almost 13 and will start sitting soon (again, I'll have her do the Red Cross course). She has been a parent helper for a couple of years now -- keeping 1 or 2 kids entertained while mom and/or dad work at home. She's very high energy and is kind of a Pied Piper, so is also in high demand. A couple of the families she's worked for have already asked her to babysit, but I've had her turn down the jobs. Apart from the legalities, I really think an 11/12 y.o. -- even a pretty mature and responsible one -- is too young to handle an emergency without an adult on site.

[Anonymous]

13, in the 70's. I had to figure out how to change a diaper myself - I didn't have the slightest idea how to change diapers or take care of babies. Parents, and this was in Bethesda, were WAY less uptight then.

[Anonymous]

10 in the Midwest in 1985. My mom ran a daycare out of our house so I had a lot of experience with kids. The kid was one and as others have said my parents were home 'just in case'.

Paradoxically, my own parents would get babysitters when they left the house because of my severely mentally impaired brother who they thought I shouldn't have to handle.

By the time I was 12 I pointed out that (1) the babysitter they were hiring was afraid to be alone in our house so she would keep us up until my parents pulled into the driveway, and (2) after said then-six year old mentally impaired brother managed to get his diaper off and smear the contents all over his bedroom, the babysitter they hired couldn't handle it. I had to take over - I cleaned him up, then told her to give him a bath while I cleaned his room up (she also couldn't stop gagging long enough to do so). So there was really no point in paying someone else to take care of us since they *weren't* - I was.

So I agree, it depends more on the kid and their experiences than age.

Of course, I look at 10 year olds now and think "They left THAT alone with their kid?"

[Anonymous]

I was 11 in the late 1980s when I was regularly baby-sitting.

My dad was from a huge family who lived on a farm and the older kids would just take care of the younger kids. He said they never had a bedtime, he would just be carried upstairs after falling asleep by an older brother. Parents and oldest kids were out working the farm.

Times have changed!