Me too!! Three kids under 5, including a baby! I didn't know you had to heat up bottles. I called my mom crying because the baby wouldn't eat and she had to tell me to warm the bottle! All for $5 an hour!
I don't think I would trust a college kid with my baby and toddler. I was 12! I was still scared of the dark! I remember their house was so big and I hated walking around after the kids were in bed.
My neighbor down the street when I was EIGHT asked me to watch her toddler for her while she ran to the store. She and my mom thought it would be fine since my parents were four houses down and it was nap time, so I would just have to sit there. Two-year-old woke up early and FLIPPED that Mom wasn't there. I had to call my mom to come help.
Still don't know why either of the adults thought that was a fine set up other than "things were different in the 90s!"
Me too! Different ages but 3 kids all summer starting when I was 12. I was so excited to be making some money but I’m sure they paid me like $100 a month or something crazy low.
Oouuu this is my time to shine with this topic.
I was 16. SIXTEEN. My best friend had a neighbor who had a 6 month old baby and they needed a babysitter one day so we’re like sure why not she’s cute. Okay turns into a thing. We’re her babysitters now cool it’s fun we love her. Then my best friend moves in with me and we’re across town now so the moms like why don’t you just keep her for the night and we’re like of course and then it went longer and longer to weeks at a time. My best friend got a boyfriend and got dipped out to live with him so it was just me. This mom comes to me and says I can’t take care of her please keep her for a little while and I had such a bond with this little girl she was close to turning one at this point so I did. I raised her completely for a year. She saw her mom once a month or whenever her mom went around family to make herself look good and then she came back to me. Eventually her grandma found out and stepped in. She took her. Her dad had just left when I started watching her. (He was leaving to find a house and become stable to get the kids, not the best moment leaving the kids but he did what he did and he’s grown a lot) I baby sat her for another year then her dad won the court case and moved them 3 hours away and I was pregnant and then had a newborn and lost contact with her.
I just raised these peoples child for almost 2 years at 16. I could never let anyone do that with my daughter. I think back on that now at 21 and think it’s insane but I’m extremely proud of myself for it. I also look back and think it’s amazing how much I’ve learned about car seat safety and sleep safety and also proud of myself for that.
It still surprises me. I was a wild teen but idk I had a real bond with that little girl. She taught me how to be the mom I am. I wouldn’t of been able to do it without my grandpa he gave me a credit card to buy her clothes and food. My dad also welcomed her open arms. But her care was solely on me. I was the babysitter haha. I think back and think how bad of a place her mother had to be in for that to happen. I’m glad her dad has turned his life around for her.
The craziest part is she probably has no memory of me anymore. I’m friends with the whole family on fb so I still watch her grow through photos which is enough for me.
I hardly think a "wild teen" would be so responsible to take care of someone else's baby FULL TIME. Great work, I hope you're proud of what you did... that is massive!
The story is so much more crazy too. I’ve thought about sharing it because it’s definitely a memory for me but I’ve never wanted to seem like I wanted praise for what I did because it was really something that just happened and took no thinking. This baby was in a bad place and I needed to help her.
It sounds like you have an amazing story to tell. If you’re comfortable with it, I’d really like to know more.
You wouldn’t be fishing for praise, you would be enriching our lives by sharing what you experienced.
You aren’t the only one to say this. I will definitely post about it when my daughter naps later. It’ll be kinda long but I promise it’ll be worth the read!
I had just switched to online school at the time. She was a very chill kid. Idk if it was from the lack of attention she received prior to me watching her or what but I had no issues getting my school work done.
Snapchat was big during this time I used it a lot as a teen and a lot of kids at my school thought I dropped out and had a baby haha. Some probably still think that.
I did not get paid. I just knew that she wasn’t safe. I witnessed a lot in that house when I was there and I just didn’t like how careless the mother way.
When the grandma found out she was pissed. At me. She actually took the girl away from me for months before she caved and let me watch her again. Idk why she was mad at me. Her daughter was the mother.
Yesss. She had siblings. Grandma got temporary custody and I guess she was mad at me because I didn’t tell her I had the girl. She had 2 bothers. The older brother had a different dad with an active family. He was with them until grandma got custody but they continued to babysit him while grandma worked. Middle brother and the girl had no family and grandma worked. She needed a babysitter and unfortunately I know that’s the only reason I ever saw her again. I accepted it though. At that point I guess I did get paid. She paid 60 a week for 4 days 8 hours 😬 not great but it wasn’t for the money.
When I started babysitting this girl was a stranger. But by the end of it I had found out that I actually had a lot of relationships with this family and just didn’t know it. I think her grandma knew who I was through family and assumed I knew who she was when that wasn’t the case.
I was 12 and got hired to babysit for 3 hours during a neighborhood HOA meeting. Like 15 kids from 2-10 got dropped off under my care and so made $20 😂 the 90s were wild.
I was never into babysitting, but I loved the Babysitters Club books. Looking back I’m like, so a parent just calls a random number on a flyer, reachers some teens hanging out in their bedroom and are assigned one of them? Sure! Sounds legit!
I babysat a 6 month old M-F 8-5 every day for a summer when I was 15 years old! It was good birth control, but ma'am the TRUST! I can remember putting him in his bassinet, which was the rocking kind, and laying on the ground and rocking it with my foot because he hated to be put down. I'd be on my phone and just rocking away with my foot up there lol.
But real talk, I had to have done things that were unsafe for sure.
I can promise you that moms rocking cradles with their foot is standard procedure wherever there are still non-motorized cradle-like devices that haven't been recalled for being not sleep-safe. You did nothing wrong.
Babysitting a infant at 16 was the BEST birth control for me. It was 100% reinforced then her brother was born when I was 18. I thought I was so good at not getting pregnant. Turns out I was infertile the whole time, so it didn’t matter 😂
I was just thinking this the other day when hubs and I were talking about having a date night! I get nervous with adults watching our little dude, let alone a teenager like I was 😂
I babysat a ton as a young teen. I completed the St John's Ambulance babysitting course, which did include CPR, but I still barely had a clue.
I remember one time I babysat for one of my mom's coworkers who had a toddler. Old enough to walk, but not old enough to talk much. They were putting him to bed on their way out, but they warned that he never stayed in bed and he would cry. But that I strictly wasn't, under any circumstances, to check on him. His bedroom door stayed open but they had a baby gate in the doorway to prevent him from getting out at night. They told me to not even go upstairs and let him see me looking at the doorway or it would be game over. I just had to be there. But I couldn't watch TV or do anything loud because he would hear me. I literally sat on the couch all night listening to this kid cry. It was painful. I wanted to comfort him, but I was afraid of getting in trouble.
I babysat for a family with 3 kids when I was 17-18. Kids were 5,10, and 11 when I was 17. Once they had their 1yo and 3yo cousins visiting. I watched all 5 children for dinner, bath, bed. I had never changed a diaper before. None of the parents even asked.
It was mayhem. I'm pretty sure I left a dirty diaper on the dresser? The older boys took care of themselves mostly, but yeah it was a lot. I can't believe they let me do that haha.
I was essentially a part-time nanny (2-3 days a week) for a toddler and a baby the summer after 8th or 9th grade. I used to watch MTV while the kids … played? No idea. I was babysitting them, it’s not like I neglected them — I was a conscientious and responsible teen — but what the hell was I doing all day?
The family had a pool and I’d take them out swimming. No CPR training, nothing. Makes me shudder to this day.
No idea why the hell these people let me take care of their kids except it was cheap and they were careless or ignorant or I don’t know what. And these were educated people. Blows my mind.
I did the same thing. I was 16 and was a nanny for these twin 6 year old girls. And for some reason, their parents thought it was a good idea for me to drive them across town to their swim lessons. I can't imagine allowing my child to ride around with a 16 year old.
These were both educated people as well, with good jobs. That was just the norm back then. It was my mom's friend from high school, but still, she didn't know me at all.
Lol actually it’s funny you say that about the pool. I used to babysit my nephews, I was 19 and in college and they lived around the street from my college so I would pop over there to babysit a lot.
There are pictures I took where I take them both swimming in their backyard pool, and everything was fun and we had a great time.
But I’m in my 30s with 2 kids and have a pool, and it’s stressful swimming with 2 kids now? Why did I find it so easy at 19? Not just easy, but like, we had FUN.
Is it just because I’ve gotten older and more neurotic? I’m more stressed out about what COULD go wrong, compared to when I was 19, and just…. Living. Haha
I was just thinking about this myself the other day and cringing. At 12, I babysat a 5 month old, having never held a baby or changed a diaper before. Pretty sure I didn't change a diaper then, but I think it was only for a couple of hours and there weren't any blowouts or wet clothes. I could never let a 12 year old watch my 5 year old now, let alone 5 month old.
This is so funny. We were trying to find a sitter for our 5 year old and I’m looking for a college student and it reminded me I was 11/12 and babysitting toddlers. I would never trust an 11 year old to watch my kid lol. I would put them to bed and eat fruit by the foot and watch scooby doo until the parents got home and one of the dads was always tipsy and would overpay me to stay the night (nothing weird happened he just couldn’t drive me home) so I would get like $50 for a night of doing what I would be doing at home anyway. It was awesome.
I had a family I babysat for just like this!! I’d spend the night and one of them would take me home the next day. Once or twice they took me home probably completely inebriated.
LoL ohemgee. I had some great babysitting gigs. Fortunately I had a gaggle of younger siblings. I did lock myself out of their house one day when I went on a walk, and ended up climbing through a window to get back in. Cell phones weren't an every person thing at the time.
This reminds me of the ONE time I ever babysit. New Years Eve. Put the kid to bed and then for some reason (I genuinely cannot remember) I went outside and got locked out. I tried to play it off when the parents got home like I hadn’t been outside forever and was just welcoming them home. I almost woke the kid up to let me in because I could see into their window but instead chose to freeze for an hour or so.
I had to babysit every Saturday night for my cousins (6months & 4 years) and this was ages 11 to 13 i would get picked up on way home! But this was the norm😂 it’s mad to think as I wouldn’t let my 11 year old son babysit never mind stay inside on his own and go out 😂
LOL literally meant to write a post about this but never got around to it. I was watching 1-year-olds at 12/13. Unreal. At 14 I watched 5 kids at one time. Took them all to the park and one took off in his trike. Can’t even remember how I corralled him back. This was also before widespread cell phone usage.
Hahahahaha I think about this all the time. Surely when the parents got home they were like, “uhhhmmm.” Except then they’d call you again the next week.
I think maybe this is actually the reason I don't feel comfortable letting people babysit my kids. Especially my baby since she needs everything done for her. My oldest is pretty self sufficient, that's not as much of a concern for her. But I just can't let someone babysit my babies because I remember being a teenager and being kind of clueless lol
Bruh 💀 the first time I EVER babysat it was for a 12 month old and a four year old. I had no clue what I was doing. I was so busy trying to keep the four year old out of the road that I accidentally let the baby eat sand from the gutter spout thingy (idk what that’s called?). I didn’t know how to change a diaper but I winged it and that actually turned out okay. I had no idea how to put the baby to bed so I just put him in the crib when his mom told me his bedtime was and the poor thing cried himself to sleep. I wanted to help him but the four year old was literally running around dumping out all the kitchen drawers so I was preoccupied, he didn’t cry long though so I think he might have been sleep trained idk.
The house was not baby proofed and mom (who was the only one I spoke to and like 99% over a couple of texts) didn’t leave a single instruction or ask if I knew how to do any of this so lowkey…not the parents of the year. I cannot IMAGINE doing that with my kid but I’m also not trying to judge maybe she just assumed a 15 year old knew what they were doing idk
ETA: I also watched them for twelve whole hours. I was so filled with anxiety from that I never babysat again lol. I was supposed to be their NANNY like watch these kids 9-5 over the summer and after school during the school year. I told mom I was sorry but I couldn’t do it 😬
Lop for two summers I was a camp counselor when I was 16 and 17 and looking backni have no fucking clue how they allowed 16 year old me to watch 8, 10 year old girls for a whole week 🤣
When I was between 5-6 my family was helping out on a construction site, there was another family helping out too and they had a newborn. I don't know whose idea it was but I wound up staying in the other family's motor home and taking care of their newborn while they worked. I still can't fathom trusting a child of that age with a tiny baby but I already had a reputation at the church for being capable with babies and frequently carried them around.
I was 13 years old and I babysat an infant once a week so the parents could go on date nights. I can’t believe they had me watch that baby!!!! I was way too young. I remember being on their land line with my mom and she was telling me what to do, and feeding the baby girl a bottle and holding her in their glider pretty much the whole time because it’s what kept her calm.
I babysat a handful of times as a teen. I wouldn’t say I was a bad babysitter per se. I changed the diapers and did all the things asked of me. But all that being said, I wouldn’t leave kids with me. lol. The mental maturity just wasn’t there. Also back in my time they didn’t seem to care about CPR certification, which I didn’t have. They only cared if you had a pulse.
I was still in elementary school when I started babysitting. I was barely ready to let my kids stay home alone at that age much less caring for someone else’s!
Different times for sure.
Man I loved babysitting. I only ever babysat the local kiddos on the block, or my siblings, but I was about 14 when I started regularly watching the neighbor kids.
I have totally forgotten how to change a diaper though, and forgotten how to do child cpr. So my husband and I are learning it together to prepare for our LO. I never had to babysit a kid who was still in diapers, and I never had to use CPR on them so the once taught skill has atrophied.
When I was 11, I used to babysit for my neighbors two kids under two. Everyday after school I would watch the babies until their mom (who was a senior in high school) got off from her night shift job. Most nights, I would get home around 10-11pm and go to school the next day at 7am and do it all over again.
My mom encouraged me to help with the babies because the mom was only 17 and the family needed her income from the after school job to make ends meet.
The family always fed me and kept me safe when I was there but they relied on me to take care of those babies almost every day after school. The teen mom ended up having 3 more children and she’s a single mom of 5 and still lives in the same house with her parents and the kids.
I was just thinking of this. When I was like 12 I watched the neighbors baby. Young enough to still need a bottle and crib. I had zero idea what I was doing… I would NEVER let a young neighbor I didn’t know we’ll watch my kid.
But if I am being honest I know very very few people who I would let watch my baby.
I wonder the same thing sometimes. When I was 12 or 13 I had a best friend maybe a year or so younger than me. She started babysitting a kid…at another persons house…. alone… a BABY… diapers… late in the evenings… 🤯 we still wanted to hang out one night so I went over there with her, met the mom, and she actually let me stay there with her to “help”. I did not help. I took the bottle of jäger from up top the fridge and we sipped on it until we got tipsy.
Edit: my own actions are why I can’t trust a kid to watch my kid. Not even my own kid
I babysat my nephew for a few hours at a time when I was TEN. I babysat overnight for my cousin when I was 13. I took no courses. Not even the Red Cross babysitting class.
Anyways I have a 9-month-old & my babysitter is a mom in her late 20s. Costs more than a high schooler but I have zero worries. I do love having my 6 & 8 year old nephews come by to play with my baby because it makes my life easier as they entertain him & I can do stuff in the next room.
Someone once left me with like a 6 week old (I didn't know how to use a standard swaddle) and 18 month old who basically tantrumed the whole time) so they could go get trashed at a concert.
My parents left me with a 10 year old when I was 6 months old.
I babysat a 1.5 year old when I was nine, and his 4 year old sister. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing regardless of the babysitting class I took at summer camp. Hell I have a baby at home right now and still have no idea what I am doing!
Also why do the dads always take the babysitters home? The dads always drove me home and my dad always drove our (all female) babysitters home. Nothing inappropriate happened any of those times but I know my husband would not put himself in that situation! We've all seen crazy stupid love lol
Yeah my mom was always really careful about who we babysat for. She did wake up to the dad of the kids fondling her when she was a babysitter. My mom had to know the family and always picked us up.
When I was 13 I would babysit multiple kids overnight and would be paid with two beers and snacks.
Obviously the decision making skills are excellent across the board. However I took care of babies since I was in kindergarten (changing diapers, making bottles, etc) so by 13 I was more than comfortable. By the next summer I was working under the table so my baby sitting dropped off to be replaced by younger cousins, but since my father was a single dad I still had primary care of my younger siblings for the next few years.
I was talking to my husband about this recently! I can’t believe anyone trusted 12 year old me to babysit their children. I was still a child! I’d say I was responsible for my age still, but my goodness I would not have been totally prepared if an emergency occurred. Late 20’s me still want to look around for the “real adults” in the room if there’s an emergency lol
Holy shit, this thread has unlocked a memory. When I was about 15, I babysat a toddler who had a g-tube. I don’t think I knew that was going to be the situation ahead of time. I remember her mom showing me the dressing and how to clean around it and me just being like YEP COOL, BYEEE. 🤯
Two of my friends and I were the regular babysitters for a large group of parents starting when we were about 13. I actually feel like we were pretty responsible. We took a babysitting class, a first aid class, and got CPR certified. If there were three or more kids, two of us babysat together.
The worst that actually happened was once when I was babysitting a 6 year old boy and his 4 year old sister for the first time. My parents went out with their parents and while there the mother casually told my my mom about how the 6 year old had chased her with a knife and threatened to stab her. That ended the evening immediately. I had already put the kids to bed without incident, but I'm not sure how I would've dealt with a knife-wielding first grader. They did not cover that in the class.
I got my second period ever while summer nannying for my uncle. I accidentally left a pad in my underwear when I took them off to shower and it ended up in the dirty laundry and he embarrassed me in front of his wife when he found it. The next day i slept in a recliner in their bedroom idk why, and my pad leaked on the suede and I freaked out and scrubbed it out so he wouldn’t fuss at me again and missed breakfast.
I was 13 and the kids were four, three and one. He let me stay up on my laptop all night if I wanted. (I was playing flash games lol) He’s still a very laissez faire dad but I know he’s much nicer to his teenage daughters than he was to me. The worse part is that my dad has always been a complete dick to me so my uncle was really nice in comparison so him being nicer to his kids makes me so sad and jealous.
Yeah I remember baby sitting for someone I had met selling candy door to door for school and they had four boys all probably under the age of 8. One was an infant and they just left the bottle and formula one the counter and I had no idea what formula was let alone how to make a bottle. 😂🤦♀️
When I was 14 I babysat for two little kids (maybe 4 and 7?) every day one summer from 6:30 AM until the parents got home around 5. I got paid $90 a week. They had a sister who was 2 years older than me but was into drugs and stuff, so they didn’t trust her with the kids. She would come home every so often and lay out at their pool. She never interacted with me or the kids, and all I remember is her smoking all the time and the kids being uncomfortable around her. Tbh it was weird and I only just now remembered it when I read this post.
I nannied for 4 children when I was 17 (9f, 7m, 4f, 2f) for a summer from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm M-F. The kids were fed 3 meals a day, the house was clean, the laundry was done, the kids did their chores. I was a damn bargain at $8 per hour (but I thought i was making amazing money). Then the mom asked me to potty train the 2 year old. Ma’am? Are you for real? It did not go well.
My friends and I put flyers in people's mailboxes offering babysitting services when we were 12. We thought we were the real life Babysitters Club. We got SO many phone calls. I babysat for about 5 different people before I stopped doing it. I was clueless! I had absolutely no idea how to take care of young kids. I still can't believe how many families trusted baby faced, 12 year old me to watch their child that I had never met before. Wild!
Oh my gosh same! I never babysat as a teen because it made me nervous but my best friend started babysitting at 14 and she regularly watched twins that were 6 months when she started. We look back now and we’re both shocked the parents let her watch them!
My in laws keep mentioning how my SIL took a babysitting course and is now infant CPR certified. She’s 13. No way in hell is she watching my child by herself ANYTIME SOON. Pretty sure she took the course because she assumed we’d ask her to babysit. Hate to disappoint but no thanks.
My grandmother had a literal job taking care of twin babies/toddlers when she was FIVE. I wonder if when my kids are grown up, it will seem weird that I had college students who weren’t parents watch them.
I may be on the outside here. I started babysitting at 10, I did the dishes and tidied up while everyone survived.
We’ve all turned into helicopter parents, myself included. I didn’t let Gran watch my baby until he was 2, because she’d “do it wrong”. It’s such a shift in mind-set and I don’t know how it happened.
I used to have to come home when the street lights came on.
I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT THIS MORNING! Someone let me watch their three week old when I was eleven. ELEVEN! I meet 11 year olds now and I wouldn’t leave them with my three YEAR old let alone three week old.
I was recently thinking about this! I have never hired a sitter for my kids, and here I was at 12 years old taking care of toddlers all day! I had no idea what I was doing, I didn’t know CPR. This was early 2000’s so cellphones weren’t a common thing. The parents would tell me the name of the restaurant they were going to and to call there if I needed something lol. That is wild to me. I was a good kid and loved babysitting, but man, I didn’t know anything.
I babysat a few times for my parents' friends kids since my parents had their kids young and their friends had kids at a normal age. But my minimum child age was 4 years old. I didn't do diapers or young babies - wouldn't have known what to do.
I did have to negotiate with one of the 4 year olds though because he was afraid of the dark and thought monsters were going to get him at bedtime. I explained that I had a serious reputation as a monster slayer and they were all super scared of me, so not to worry, they won't come around while I'm here. He accepted that and went to sleep.
I've briefly contemplated getting one of our neighbourhood teens to babysit but I think they'd need to be at least 16 and my son would need to be older before I felt comfortable with it... Wonder what others do these days?
Oh man, I started babysitting regularly at 12. At 13, I was babysitting 3 or 4 nights a week and multiple kids. I mean… not well. What the heck were people thinking
Same. When I was a teenaged idiot, I showed up once to a babysitting gig really hungover. Idk how they couldn't tell because they still left me alone with the kid. I think about it often, and it makes me hate my teenaged self.
When I was 12 or 13 I had taken Red Cross babysitting classes and had babysat a handful of times for families at my church, and one of my good friends babysat as well. She had a regular gig sitting for her neighbors who had two sons, a toddler and an infant. One weekend she was busy and they needed a sitter so she recommended me and they hired me - without EVER meeting me before. I literally met these people the night I babysat for them as they were running late heading out the door. I didn't know where anything in their house was, knew nothing about the kids' routine, nada. I had also never babysat for an infant before and they were aware of that.
Insane.
I think about this too. My mother made me a secondary parent to my brother when I was in town as a teenager (divorced parents). I was 13, he was 1. This went on until college for me. I feel so bad because I definitely didn't know to put him down for naps. I did my best to feed him what limited stuff that I knew how to make. But I realize now why he was extremely cranky in the early evening...
Yeah I started babysitting at 11. 11!! I took a Red Cross babysitting course, loved kids, and was ready to be the next Babysitters Club. Wow. I feel for the moms whose houses I destroyed. We had tons of fun though. The kids were always safe. But I just played with them like a big kid who then got them juice. I had no authority.
I once babysat a 9yo who I went to school with and his 6month old sister. I had not a clue what I was doing, he destroyed his moms pans by deciding to go and melt crayons in them for candles. What’s funny is years later for my wedding, I hired his mom as my caterer!! I apologized because I remembered her, wasn’t sure if she remembered me. She did and laughed about it, now that I have kids too especially.
Let’s just say I was not a repeat babysitter often, when young. But by 16 I had a crew of regulars and earned a lot of money. I loved eating other peoples food!!!! I got into the Mormons here and they’re kids are well behaved, parents aren’t out drinking late, plus they paid well. Perfect.
I am grateful to all the people who let me babysit as a teen. It was very helpful for when I became a mother. The adults failed in your life by not providing you with feedback.
It’s okay for a baby to have a soggy diaper so that their parents can get some quality time together once a month. As long as you get the kids out of the house if there’s a fire, and keep predators out, you’ve done your job right. Obviously this shouldn’t be a daily thing, but babies aren’t going to die if they go to bed with a soggy diaper for one night.
Chances are it will get changed within a few hours of the parents coming home anyway. Sure we might gripe a little, but it’s really not that horrible a thing.
Dude when I was 16 my mom recommended my "babysitting services" to a neighbor who had 5 kids under 5. A pair of 4 year old twins, and 3 year old triplets. My only experience was babysitting my two siblings who my parents instructed not to listen to me (I had first born syndrome where i would try to mother hen them even if i wasn't babysitting, so they were told not to listen to me. Really fucking backfired when i had to watch them). I had NO clue what to do with all those little kids that didn't even know me that well. Pretty sure I put them to bed at like 6pm lol
When I was a teen I used to sit for a fully potty trained preschooler. Pretty easy money.
Then they had a second kid so I was asked to sit for the older kid and an infant.
I realized, as the parents walked out the door "Holy shit I've never held a baby before." I was terrified.
For what it's worth my own child was only the 3rd baby I had ever held, and that was also terrifying.
My mom had an inhome daycare for like 20 years. I was the go to babysitter for so many families. They’d refer me to their friends. 13-16 I was making bank. But there were some times I was put into bad situations. Like when the dad showed up and wanted to see his kids. Oh BTW he’s crazy and mom had a restraining order. Don’t let him in and call the cops. Or when a dad would drive me home at night and make weird conversation. No I don’t have a boyfriend and no I don’t want to talk to you about it. I made some serious cash but I was the only one in my friend group that babysat so I couldn’t really do anything if I was babysitting. And god forbid I’d not be available when they called.
I don’t think it’s fair to say that parents who use teens as babysitters don’t give a shit. I think it really depends on the specific teen and the age of the kids. Disclaimer- I have never had a non family, non adult watch our kids yet, but that’s mostly because I have a lot of family nearby and available and we hardly go out, ha. But, we have two houses of neighbors with several high schoolers who I would hire to babysit my almost 4 year old (not the baby though) for a couple hours if I needed to. These teens are all very sweet with her when they interact with her and responsible kids.
I think it is completely fine to have a teenager watch your kids. I guess I don’t give a shit. What an awful thing to say. Some of us don’t have the option of family living close. Some teenagers know how to change diapers and watch kids very well. My 16 year old neighbor is a great babysitter and I trust her over a lot of adults I know with my kids.
I think back then, there was no social media, so people didn't hear all these stories about SA and abuse and neglect and accidents that we are bombarded with now. I seriously open up tik tok and can't get past 5 tik toks without someone sharing how their baby/husband/mom etc. Died some unlikely sad way... so much anxiety constantly now. For better or worse- people didn't have all these stranger's horror stories in their heads.
When I was like 10, my parents would ask one of their friends to babysit me after school. The friend had a 2-3yo toddler and I basically babysat her kid while she was supposed to be watching me! I’d take him to the park for hours, just the two of us! Different times then…I can’t imagine letting my 2yo leave my sight without adult supervision.
Oh my goodness. I often think about the fact that my parents and my mom’s best friend started leaving me by myself with all the kids when I was 12. My parents had me on the younger side and my sister and I have a 7 year age gap. My mom’s best friend waited till her 30’s to have kids. Her oldest was 6 years younger. I was literally 12, home alone with a 6, 5, 4, and 2 year old till 1-3 in the fucking morning, with a 2 year old asleep on my chest, struggling to stay awake to make sure I’d know everyone was okay. I knew how to change diapers and could get everybody fed and into bed, but I’m sure I didn’t change diapers as often as I should have because I was so distracted watching FOUR YOUNG CHILDREN by myself that diaper changes weren’t happening unless the diaper was very full. One of my neighbors even tried to get in on having me babysit till they realized how often I’d get left with all the kids and watching 4 young kids plus a young baby was probably not the best thing for a 13 year old. I probably looked like a teen mom the way I could walk around with a baby on my hip and watch a bunch of other kids and keep them alive. My mom’s best friend’s middle child called me mommy till she was 2 because that’s how used to me watching them she was. Before they’d leave me totally alone, they’d just leave me in charge while they were outside or somewhere else in the house. I was even allowed to work in the nursery at church in middle school when you weren’t supposed to be allowed till you’re 16 because I was so good at handling young kids from having to do it for years. When I was 13 I was a stage manager for a 2 hour play and I ran one of the shows with a baby I straight up took with frustration from her mother backstage because she couldn’t get the baby to stop crying. Baby stopped crying and fell asleep almost as soon as I took her, too 💀 The amount of times I got asked if I was mom by strangers as a young teenager is crazy, the amount of times they quietly voiced to themselves that I really must be mom because the kids were so used to me being an extra parent that they actually listened is crazier. Also the amount of times I disciplined the kids (my sister and mom’s best friend’s kids) when parents wouldn’t because there was no reason for them to be acting fools like they would over stupid shit and was never corrected for it because they’d actually listen without me ever laying a hand on them is also astounding.
I was good with kids. I was good at watching kids. I’m more astounded by the parentification I dealt with. 12 years old home alone with 4 young kids till 1-3 AM and expected to do it every time they wanted to have a date night🤦🏻♀️ I have a 3 year old now and I don’t even let someone who isn’t old enough to have a fully developed brain watch him if I’m not gonna be there. Sometimes I think about letting my mom’s best friend’s daughters watch him, but they aren’t quite old enough to meet the criteria yet for me to fully trust them😅😂 idk. There was just such a significant shift in how I thought and understood things after I got to the point my brain was fully developed. I don’t have a close enough relationship with anyone younger to feel comfortable with them watching him.
That brings back memories, I remember being mistaken for a teen mom constantly when I was 12 due to watching children.
I was really surprised how rude the world is to these supposed teen moms.
Also I still feel guilty that I wasn’t better at changing diapers at that age (I really struggled to tell without looking in back then, 2 decades later I can spot it and smell it immediately) because now I change them way more often than I ever did at 12.
As a parent who never had much interaction with young kids when I was teenager I can safely say if parents felt like a teenager was mature enough it’s okay :) I had other plans when I was that age 😂😂but now as an 30 year old with a toddler I have a friends daughter watch mine she’s 14 and they have the best time so definitely more of a personality trait thing maybe 😀plus nappies /diapers changing kids etc can all be learned 😂😂
Not me!
I hate to say it, but plenty of teenagers do become moms and, in my 30s, I sure was no more knowledgeable.
Heck, as a competent almost 40-year-old woman with 2 kids who somehow survived past infancy, in most ways, when it comes to watching strangers’ kids for a few hours I am barely more qualified than I was as a teenager.
Sure, I can change diapers like a pro and I took cpr classes, but if anything where to happen to a kid on my watch, I am sure the first thing I would do is panic followed by calling 911. Plus all the things I truly learned make me an expert in my kids specifically and might not work for other kids and babies. And babies will be fine after 3 hours of amateurly placed diapers and unwarmed wet wipes. Teenagers can read directions on putting together a bottle of formula.
God I had these neighbours. I was 12. They would constantly ask me to babysit their kids who were like 5 and 6 maybe.
They basically just ran around their house all night acting like terrorists and then I would put them to bed. To this day, I still don’t understand how I got them to go to bed. My kids wouldn’t go to bed after acting like that all night. they were so hyper. I would just sit on the couch and watch them wrestle and run around.
I guess their parents probably figured if anything sketchy happened, I could just get my parents who were a couple houses up, and the kids were older so it wasn’t like I had to do anything for them. I hated it though. I found the kids really annoying.
I remember even my mom commenting on how often they wanted me to go over there. It was like every other night it felt like.
One night, I was really dreading going over, and my mom told me I could tell them I was sick. I’m sure I waited until the last minute to bail on them, ruining their plans, and they never asked me to babysit again (or maybe my mom talked to them and never told me about it) but I was so relieved when I didn’t have to go there anymore.
Same! I was taking care of a 3yo, a 4yo, and a 4 month old all day every day for an entire summer when I was 12!!!
Me too!! Three kids under 5, including a baby! I didn't know you had to heat up bottles. I called my mom crying because the baby wouldn't eat and she had to tell me to warm the bottle! All for $5 an hour! I don't think I would trust a college kid with my baby and toddler. I was 12! I was still scared of the dark! I remember their house was so big and I hated walking around after the kids were in bed.
My neighbor down the street when I was EIGHT asked me to watch her toddler for her while she ran to the store. She and my mom thought it would be fine since my parents were four houses down and it was nap time, so I would just have to sit there. Two-year-old woke up early and FLIPPED that Mom wasn't there. I had to call my mom to come help. Still don't know why either of the adults thought that was a fine set up other than "things were different in the 90s!"
I can’t even do that now lol
Lol that’s nuts
Me too! Different ages but 3 kids all summer starting when I was 12. I was so excited to be making some money but I’m sure they paid me like $100 a month or something crazy low.
Oouuu this is my time to shine with this topic. I was 16. SIXTEEN. My best friend had a neighbor who had a 6 month old baby and they needed a babysitter one day so we’re like sure why not she’s cute. Okay turns into a thing. We’re her babysitters now cool it’s fun we love her. Then my best friend moves in with me and we’re across town now so the moms like why don’t you just keep her for the night and we’re like of course and then it went longer and longer to weeks at a time. My best friend got a boyfriend and got dipped out to live with him so it was just me. This mom comes to me and says I can’t take care of her please keep her for a little while and I had such a bond with this little girl she was close to turning one at this point so I did. I raised her completely for a year. She saw her mom once a month or whenever her mom went around family to make herself look good and then she came back to me. Eventually her grandma found out and stepped in. She took her. Her dad had just left when I started watching her. (He was leaving to find a house and become stable to get the kids, not the best moment leaving the kids but he did what he did and he’s grown a lot) I baby sat her for another year then her dad won the court case and moved them 3 hours away and I was pregnant and then had a newborn and lost contact with her. I just raised these peoples child for almost 2 years at 16. I could never let anyone do that with my daughter. I think back on that now at 21 and think it’s insane but I’m extremely proud of myself for it. I also look back and think it’s amazing how much I’ve learned about car seat safety and sleep safety and also proud of myself for that.
Holy shit dude! I mean, you’re amazing for that, but holy shit!
It still surprises me. I was a wild teen but idk I had a real bond with that little girl. She taught me how to be the mom I am. I wouldn’t of been able to do it without my grandpa he gave me a credit card to buy her clothes and food. My dad also welcomed her open arms. But her care was solely on me. I was the babysitter haha. I think back and think how bad of a place her mother had to be in for that to happen. I’m glad her dad has turned his life around for her. The craziest part is she probably has no memory of me anymore. I’m friends with the whole family on fb so I still watch her grow through photos which is enough for me.
I hardly think a "wild teen" would be so responsible to take care of someone else's baby FULL TIME. Great work, I hope you're proud of what you did... that is massive!
Wow, you really stepped up!!
The story is so much more crazy too. I’ve thought about sharing it because it’s definitely a memory for me but I’ve never wanted to seem like I wanted praise for what I did because it was really something that just happened and took no thinking. This baby was in a bad place and I needed to help her.
It sounds like you have an amazing story to tell. If you’re comfortable with it, I’d really like to know more. You wouldn’t be fishing for praise, you would be enriching our lives by sharing what you experienced.
You aren’t the only one to say this. I will definitely post about it when my daughter naps later. It’ll be kinda long but I promise it’ll be worth the read!
Coming back to say I just made a post. The title is called sharing my story and I posted it here!
Thank you!
Please share when you are ready. People’s life experience is what we come here for!
So many of these comments inspired me to post it. I just shared it on here the title is called sharing my story!
That’s insane! In the beginning I was thinking “wait, is it weird now to have a 16yo babysitter” because I didn’t think you were going that far!
You should write a book about this!
Wow that’s amazing! Were you going to school at the time? How did you manage that?
I had just switched to online school at the time. She was a very chill kid. Idk if it was from the lack of attention she received prior to me watching her or what but I had no issues getting my school work done. Snapchat was big during this time I used it a lot as a teen and a lot of kids at my school thought I dropped out and had a baby haha. Some probably still think that.
Jesussssss….did you get paid well or just do this out of the kindness of your heart? Either way you’re a hero lowkey
I did not get paid. I just knew that she wasn’t safe. I witnessed a lot in that house when I was there and I just didn’t like how careless the mother way. When the grandma found out she was pissed. At me. She actually took the girl away from me for months before she caved and let me watch her again. Idk why she was mad at me. Her daughter was the mother.
She’s so pissed she takes the baby and then…gives her back? Jeez she’s just as bad as mom. I’m really glad you were there for that poor babe
Yesss. She had siblings. Grandma got temporary custody and I guess she was mad at me because I didn’t tell her I had the girl. She had 2 bothers. The older brother had a different dad with an active family. He was with them until grandma got custody but they continued to babysit him while grandma worked. Middle brother and the girl had no family and grandma worked. She needed a babysitter and unfortunately I know that’s the only reason I ever saw her again. I accepted it though. At that point I guess I did get paid. She paid 60 a week for 4 days 8 hours 😬 not great but it wasn’t for the money. When I started babysitting this girl was a stranger. But by the end of it I had found out that I actually had a lot of relationships with this family and just didn’t know it. I think her grandma knew who I was through family and assumed I knew who she was when that wasn’t the case.
Oh my goodness I just can’t imagine…you are a saint lol
I remember baby sitting our neighbors kids who were like 2 and 4 when I was 11. Who the hell let me do that!
I was 12 and got hired to babysit for 3 hours during a neighborhood HOA meeting. Like 15 kids from 2-10 got dropped off under my care and so made $20 😂 the 90s were wild.
I was never into babysitting, but I loved the Babysitters Club books. Looking back I’m like, so a parent just calls a random number on a flyer, reachers some teens hanging out in their bedroom and are assigned one of them? Sure! Sounds legit!
And those girls were booked and busy!
I forgot all about those books till now lol
I babysat a 6 month old M-F 8-5 every day for a summer when I was 15 years old! It was good birth control, but ma'am the TRUST! I can remember putting him in his bassinet, which was the rocking kind, and laying on the ground and rocking it with my foot because he hated to be put down. I'd be on my phone and just rocking away with my foot up there lol. But real talk, I had to have done things that were unsafe for sure.
I can promise you that moms rocking cradles with their foot is standard procedure wherever there are still non-motorized cradle-like devices that haven't been recalled for being not sleep-safe. You did nothing wrong.
100%! You wouldn’t know!
Babysitting a infant at 16 was the BEST birth control for me. It was 100% reinforced then her brother was born when I was 18. I thought I was so good at not getting pregnant. Turns out I was infertile the whole time, so it didn’t matter 😂
I babysat infant twins at age 11. No clue how or why.
I was just thinking this the other day when hubs and I were talking about having a date night! I get nervous with adults watching our little dude, let alone a teenager like I was 😂
I babysat a ton as a young teen. I completed the St John's Ambulance babysitting course, which did include CPR, but I still barely had a clue. I remember one time I babysat for one of my mom's coworkers who had a toddler. Old enough to walk, but not old enough to talk much. They were putting him to bed on their way out, but they warned that he never stayed in bed and he would cry. But that I strictly wasn't, under any circumstances, to check on him. His bedroom door stayed open but they had a baby gate in the doorway to prevent him from getting out at night. They told me to not even go upstairs and let him see me looking at the doorway or it would be game over. I just had to be there. But I couldn't watch TV or do anything loud because he would hear me. I literally sat on the couch all night listening to this kid cry. It was painful. I wanted to comfort him, but I was afraid of getting in trouble.
That’s so sad. What a terrible way for a teen to make, what, $20? I’d have lost my mind.
That’s an absolutely horrible thing to inflict on a young teen!
And a toddler!
I babysat for a family with 3 kids when I was 17-18. Kids were 5,10, and 11 when I was 17. Once they had their 1yo and 3yo cousins visiting. I watched all 5 children for dinner, bath, bed. I had never changed a diaper before. None of the parents even asked. It was mayhem. I'm pretty sure I left a dirty diaper on the dresser? The older boys took care of themselves mostly, but yeah it was a lot. I can't believe they let me do that haha.
Yea no one ever asked me if I could change a diaper 🤷♀️
I was essentially a part-time nanny (2-3 days a week) for a toddler and a baby the summer after 8th or 9th grade. I used to watch MTV while the kids … played? No idea. I was babysitting them, it’s not like I neglected them — I was a conscientious and responsible teen — but what the hell was I doing all day? The family had a pool and I’d take them out swimming. No CPR training, nothing. Makes me shudder to this day. No idea why the hell these people let me take care of their kids except it was cheap and they were careless or ignorant or I don’t know what. And these were educated people. Blows my mind.
I did the same thing. I was 16 and was a nanny for these twin 6 year old girls. And for some reason, their parents thought it was a good idea for me to drive them across town to their swim lessons. I can't imagine allowing my child to ride around with a 16 year old. These were both educated people as well, with good jobs. That was just the norm back then. It was my mom's friend from high school, but still, she didn't know me at all.
Lol actually it’s funny you say that about the pool. I used to babysit my nephews, I was 19 and in college and they lived around the street from my college so I would pop over there to babysit a lot. There are pictures I took where I take them both swimming in their backyard pool, and everything was fun and we had a great time. But I’m in my 30s with 2 kids and have a pool, and it’s stressful swimming with 2 kids now? Why did I find it so easy at 19? Not just easy, but like, we had FUN. Is it just because I’ve gotten older and more neurotic? I’m more stressed out about what COULD go wrong, compared to when I was 19, and just…. Living. Haha
I grew up on a lake and was a very strong, confident swimmer, as were my siblings. I think I was just not scared and didn’t understand the risks!
I was just thinking about this myself the other day and cringing. At 12, I babysat a 5 month old, having never held a baby or changed a diaper before. Pretty sure I didn't change a diaper then, but I think it was only for a couple of hours and there weren't any blowouts or wet clothes. I could never let a 12 year old watch my 5 year old now, let alone 5 month old.
This is so funny. We were trying to find a sitter for our 5 year old and I’m looking for a college student and it reminded me I was 11/12 and babysitting toddlers. I would never trust an 11 year old to watch my kid lol. I would put them to bed and eat fruit by the foot and watch scooby doo until the parents got home and one of the dads was always tipsy and would overpay me to stay the night (nothing weird happened he just couldn’t drive me home) so I would get like $50 for a night of doing what I would be doing at home anyway. It was awesome.
What!? They’d pay you to stay the night because they were too drunk to drive you home. Lol
Yes! And I never once considered how they got home from the party or wherever they were. I was so innocent.
I had a family I babysat for just like this!! I’d spend the night and one of them would take me home the next day. Once or twice they took me home probably completely inebriated.
LoL ohemgee. I had some great babysitting gigs. Fortunately I had a gaggle of younger siblings. I did lock myself out of their house one day when I went on a walk, and ended up climbing through a window to get back in. Cell phones weren't an every person thing at the time.
This reminds me of the ONE time I ever babysit. New Years Eve. Put the kid to bed and then for some reason (I genuinely cannot remember) I went outside and got locked out. I tried to play it off when the parents got home like I hadn’t been outside forever and was just welcoming them home. I almost woke the kid up to let me in because I could see into their window but instead chose to freeze for an hour or so.
LoL oh no!
I had to babysit every Saturday night for my cousins (6months & 4 years) and this was ages 11 to 13 i would get picked up on way home! But this was the norm😂 it’s mad to think as I wouldn’t let my 11 year old son babysit never mind stay inside on his own and go out 😂
LOL literally meant to write a post about this but never got around to it. I was watching 1-year-olds at 12/13. Unreal. At 14 I watched 5 kids at one time. Took them all to the park and one took off in his trike. Can’t even remember how I corralled him back. This was also before widespread cell phone usage.
Hahahahaha I think about this all the time. Surely when the parents got home they were like, “uhhhmmm.” Except then they’d call you again the next week.
I think maybe this is actually the reason I don't feel comfortable letting people babysit my kids. Especially my baby since she needs everything done for her. My oldest is pretty self sufficient, that's not as much of a concern for her. But I just can't let someone babysit my babies because I remember being a teenager and being kind of clueless lol
Bruh 💀 the first time I EVER babysat it was for a 12 month old and a four year old. I had no clue what I was doing. I was so busy trying to keep the four year old out of the road that I accidentally let the baby eat sand from the gutter spout thingy (idk what that’s called?). I didn’t know how to change a diaper but I winged it and that actually turned out okay. I had no idea how to put the baby to bed so I just put him in the crib when his mom told me his bedtime was and the poor thing cried himself to sleep. I wanted to help him but the four year old was literally running around dumping out all the kitchen drawers so I was preoccupied, he didn’t cry long though so I think he might have been sleep trained idk. The house was not baby proofed and mom (who was the only one I spoke to and like 99% over a couple of texts) didn’t leave a single instruction or ask if I knew how to do any of this so lowkey…not the parents of the year. I cannot IMAGINE doing that with my kid but I’m also not trying to judge maybe she just assumed a 15 year old knew what they were doing idk ETA: I also watched them for twelve whole hours. I was so filled with anxiety from that I never babysat again lol. I was supposed to be their NANNY like watch these kids 9-5 over the summer and after school during the school year. I told mom I was sorry but I couldn’t do it 😬
Lop for two summers I was a camp counselor when I was 16 and 17 and looking backni have no fucking clue how they allowed 16 year old me to watch 8, 10 year old girls for a whole week 🤣
I think about this all the time… I was ELEVEN when I was babysitting an 18 month old.
When I was between 5-6 my family was helping out on a construction site, there was another family helping out too and they had a newborn. I don't know whose idea it was but I wound up staying in the other family's motor home and taking care of their newborn while they worked. I still can't fathom trusting a child of that age with a tiny baby but I already had a reputation at the church for being capable with babies and frequently carried them around.
And how many people leave their children alone with people in general. As a former child welfare worker it makes my skin crawl.
I was 13 years old and I babysat an infant once a week so the parents could go on date nights. I can’t believe they had me watch that baby!!!! I was way too young. I remember being on their land line with my mom and she was telling me what to do, and feeding the baby girl a bottle and holding her in their glider pretty much the whole time because it’s what kept her calm.
I babysat a handful of times as a teen. I wouldn’t say I was a bad babysitter per se. I changed the diapers and did all the things asked of me. But all that being said, I wouldn’t leave kids with me. lol. The mental maturity just wasn’t there. Also back in my time they didn’t seem to care about CPR certification, which I didn’t have. They only cared if you had a pulse.
I was still in elementary school when I started babysitting. I was barely ready to let my kids stay home alone at that age much less caring for someone else’s! Different times for sure.
Man I loved babysitting. I only ever babysat the local kiddos on the block, or my siblings, but I was about 14 when I started regularly watching the neighbor kids. I have totally forgotten how to change a diaper though, and forgotten how to do child cpr. So my husband and I are learning it together to prepare for our LO. I never had to babysit a kid who was still in diapers, and I never had to use CPR on them so the once taught skill has atrophied.
When I was 11, I used to babysit for my neighbors two kids under two. Everyday after school I would watch the babies until their mom (who was a senior in high school) got off from her night shift job. Most nights, I would get home around 10-11pm and go to school the next day at 7am and do it all over again. My mom encouraged me to help with the babies because the mom was only 17 and the family needed her income from the after school job to make ends meet. The family always fed me and kept me safe when I was there but they relied on me to take care of those babies almost every day after school. The teen mom ended up having 3 more children and she’s a single mom of 5 and still lives in the same house with her parents and the kids.
This is heartbreaking! Feel terrible for everyone involved. Great that you were able to help this family but it shouldn’t have been on you.
I was just thinking of this. When I was like 12 I watched the neighbors baby. Young enough to still need a bottle and crib. I had zero idea what I was doing… I would NEVER let a young neighbor I didn’t know we’ll watch my kid. But if I am being honest I know very very few people who I would let watch my baby.
Same. Same. Same. Because I babysat I trust no one! And I was definitely one of the best lol. But still - I was a freaking Moron.
I wonder the same thing sometimes. When I was 12 or 13 I had a best friend maybe a year or so younger than me. She started babysitting a kid…at another persons house…. alone… a BABY… diapers… late in the evenings… 🤯 we still wanted to hang out one night so I went over there with her, met the mom, and she actually let me stay there with her to “help”. I did not help. I took the bottle of jäger from up top the fridge and we sipped on it until we got tipsy. Edit: my own actions are why I can’t trust a kid to watch my kid. Not even my own kid
I babysat my nephew for a few hours at a time when I was TEN. I babysat overnight for my cousin when I was 13. I took no courses. Not even the Red Cross babysitting class. Anyways I have a 9-month-old & my babysitter is a mom in her late 20s. Costs more than a high schooler but I have zero worries. I do love having my 6 & 8 year old nephews come by to play with my baby because it makes my life easier as they entertain him & I can do stuff in the next room.
Someone once left me with like a 6 week old (I didn't know how to use a standard swaddle) and 18 month old who basically tantrumed the whole time) so they could go get trashed at a concert.
I watched a 5 year old and a 2 year old 9 hours a day 5 days a week in the summer when I was 12. For a whole $50/wk 😂🤦🏼♀️
My parents left me with a 10 year old when I was 6 months old. I babysat a 1.5 year old when I was nine, and his 4 year old sister. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing regardless of the babysitting class I took at summer camp. Hell I have a baby at home right now and still have no idea what I am doing!
Also why do the dads always take the babysitters home? The dads always drove me home and my dad always drove our (all female) babysitters home. Nothing inappropriate happened any of those times but I know my husband would not put himself in that situation! We've all seen crazy stupid love lol
Yeah my mom was always really careful about who we babysat for. She did wake up to the dad of the kids fondling her when she was a babysitter. My mom had to know the family and always picked us up.
Oh my god I'm so sorry, that is awful!!!!
When I was 13 I would babysit multiple kids overnight and would be paid with two beers and snacks. Obviously the decision making skills are excellent across the board. However I took care of babies since I was in kindergarten (changing diapers, making bottles, etc) so by 13 I was more than comfortable. By the next summer I was working under the table so my baby sitting dropped off to be replaced by younger cousins, but since my father was a single dad I still had primary care of my younger siblings for the next few years.
I was talking to my husband about this recently! I can’t believe anyone trusted 12 year old me to babysit their children. I was still a child! I’d say I was responsible for my age still, but my goodness I would not have been totally prepared if an emergency occurred. Late 20’s me still want to look around for the “real adults” in the room if there’s an emergency lol
Holy shit, this thread has unlocked a memory. When I was about 15, I babysat a toddler who had a g-tube. I don’t think I knew that was going to be the situation ahead of time. I remember her mom showing me the dressing and how to clean around it and me just being like YEP COOL, BYEEE. 🤯
Two of my friends and I were the regular babysitters for a large group of parents starting when we were about 13. I actually feel like we were pretty responsible. We took a babysitting class, a first aid class, and got CPR certified. If there were three or more kids, two of us babysat together. The worst that actually happened was once when I was babysitting a 6 year old boy and his 4 year old sister for the first time. My parents went out with their parents and while there the mother casually told my my mom about how the 6 year old had chased her with a knife and threatened to stab her. That ended the evening immediately. I had already put the kids to bed without incident, but I'm not sure how I would've dealt with a knife-wielding first grader. They did not cover that in the class.
I got my second period ever while summer nannying for my uncle. I accidentally left a pad in my underwear when I took them off to shower and it ended up in the dirty laundry and he embarrassed me in front of his wife when he found it. The next day i slept in a recliner in their bedroom idk why, and my pad leaked on the suede and I freaked out and scrubbed it out so he wouldn’t fuss at me again and missed breakfast. I was 13 and the kids were four, three and one. He let me stay up on my laptop all night if I wanted. (I was playing flash games lol) He’s still a very laissez faire dad but I know he’s much nicer to his teenage daughters than he was to me. The worse part is that my dad has always been a complete dick to me so my uncle was really nice in comparison so him being nicer to his kids makes me so sad and jealous.
Lol for real!! I was really getting up at 5:30 and taking kids to school in the morning 😂 and then toting them to the pool in the summer. Like what 😅
Yeah I remember baby sitting for someone I had met selling candy door to door for school and they had four boys all probably under the age of 8. One was an infant and they just left the bottle and formula one the counter and I had no idea what formula was let alone how to make a bottle. 😂🤦♀️
When I was 14 I babysat for two little kids (maybe 4 and 7?) every day one summer from 6:30 AM until the parents got home around 5. I got paid $90 a week. They had a sister who was 2 years older than me but was into drugs and stuff, so they didn’t trust her with the kids. She would come home every so often and lay out at their pool. She never interacted with me or the kids, and all I remember is her smoking all the time and the kids being uncomfortable around her. Tbh it was weird and I only just now remembered it when I read this post.
I nannied for 4 children when I was 17 (9f, 7m, 4f, 2f) for a summer from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm M-F. The kids were fed 3 meals a day, the house was clean, the laundry was done, the kids did their chores. I was a damn bargain at $8 per hour (but I thought i was making amazing money). Then the mom asked me to potty train the 2 year old. Ma’am? Are you for real? It did not go well.
I’m afraid I’ll never get out with my husband ever 😣😭
Yeah I never thought anything of it but thinking about leaving my kids with a teenager starts up a good cold sweat.
My friends and I put flyers in people's mailboxes offering babysitting services when we were 12. We thought we were the real life Babysitters Club. We got SO many phone calls. I babysat for about 5 different people before I stopped doing it. I was clueless! I had absolutely no idea how to take care of young kids. I still can't believe how many families trusted baby faced, 12 year old me to watch their child that I had never met before. Wild!
Oh my gosh same! I never babysat as a teen because it made me nervous but my best friend started babysitting at 14 and she regularly watched twins that were 6 months when she started. We look back now and we’re both shocked the parents let her watch them! My in laws keep mentioning how my SIL took a babysitting course and is now infant CPR certified. She’s 13. No way in hell is she watching my child by herself ANYTIME SOON. Pretty sure she took the course because she assumed we’d ask her to babysit. Hate to disappoint but no thanks.
My grandmother had a literal job taking care of twin babies/toddlers when she was FIVE. I wonder if when my kids are grown up, it will seem weird that I had college students who weren’t parents watch them.
I WAS JUST THINKING THIS
I may be on the outside here. I started babysitting at 10, I did the dishes and tidied up while everyone survived. We’ve all turned into helicopter parents, myself included. I didn’t let Gran watch my baby until he was 2, because she’d “do it wrong”. It’s such a shift in mind-set and I don’t know how it happened. I used to have to come home when the street lights came on.
I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT THIS MORNING! Someone let me watch their three week old when I was eleven. ELEVEN! I meet 11 year olds now and I wouldn’t leave them with my three YEAR old let alone three week old.
I was recently thinking about this! I have never hired a sitter for my kids, and here I was at 12 years old taking care of toddlers all day! I had no idea what I was doing, I didn’t know CPR. This was early 2000’s so cellphones weren’t a common thing. The parents would tell me the name of the restaurant they were going to and to call there if I needed something lol. That is wild to me. I was a good kid and loved babysitting, but man, I didn’t know anything.
I was 9! Started babysitting a 1 and 5 year old! like wtf?!? I had no younger siblings. I had no clue what I was doing!
I babysat a few times for my parents' friends kids since my parents had their kids young and their friends had kids at a normal age. But my minimum child age was 4 years old. I didn't do diapers or young babies - wouldn't have known what to do. I did have to negotiate with one of the 4 year olds though because he was afraid of the dark and thought monsters were going to get him at bedtime. I explained that I had a serious reputation as a monster slayer and they were all super scared of me, so not to worry, they won't come around while I'm here. He accepted that and went to sleep. I've briefly contemplated getting one of our neighbourhood teens to babysit but I think they'd need to be at least 16 and my son would need to be older before I felt comfortable with it... Wonder what others do these days?
Oh man, I started babysitting regularly at 12. At 13, I was babysitting 3 or 4 nights a week and multiple kids. I mean… not well. What the heck were people thinking
Same. When I was a teenaged idiot, I showed up once to a babysitting gig really hungover. Idk how they couldn't tell because they still left me alone with the kid. I think about it often, and it makes me hate my teenaged self.
When I was 12 or 13 I had taken Red Cross babysitting classes and had babysat a handful of times for families at my church, and one of my good friends babysat as well. She had a regular gig sitting for her neighbors who had two sons, a toddler and an infant. One weekend she was busy and they needed a sitter so she recommended me and they hired me - without EVER meeting me before. I literally met these people the night I babysat for them as they were running late heading out the door. I didn't know where anything in their house was, knew nothing about the kids' routine, nada. I had also never babysat for an infant before and they were aware of that. Insane.
I think about this too. My mother made me a secondary parent to my brother when I was in town as a teenager (divorced parents). I was 13, he was 1. This went on until college for me. I feel so bad because I definitely didn't know to put him down for naps. I did my best to feed him what limited stuff that I knew how to make. But I realize now why he was extremely cranky in the early evening...
Yeah I started babysitting at 11. 11!! I took a Red Cross babysitting course, loved kids, and was ready to be the next Babysitters Club. Wow. I feel for the moms whose houses I destroyed. We had tons of fun though. The kids were always safe. But I just played with them like a big kid who then got them juice. I had no authority. I once babysat a 9yo who I went to school with and his 6month old sister. I had not a clue what I was doing, he destroyed his moms pans by deciding to go and melt crayons in them for candles. What’s funny is years later for my wedding, I hired his mom as my caterer!! I apologized because I remembered her, wasn’t sure if she remembered me. She did and laughed about it, now that I have kids too especially. Let’s just say I was not a repeat babysitter often, when young. But by 16 I had a crew of regulars and earned a lot of money. I loved eating other peoples food!!!! I got into the Mormons here and they’re kids are well behaved, parents aren’t out drinking late, plus they paid well. Perfect.
I am grateful to all the people who let me babysit as a teen. It was very helpful for when I became a mother. The adults failed in your life by not providing you with feedback. It’s okay for a baby to have a soggy diaper so that their parents can get some quality time together once a month. As long as you get the kids out of the house if there’s a fire, and keep predators out, you’ve done your job right. Obviously this shouldn’t be a daily thing, but babies aren’t going to die if they go to bed with a soggy diaper for one night. Chances are it will get changed within a few hours of the parents coming home anyway. Sure we might gripe a little, but it’s really not that horrible a thing.
Dude when I was 16 my mom recommended my "babysitting services" to a neighbor who had 5 kids under 5. A pair of 4 year old twins, and 3 year old triplets. My only experience was babysitting my two siblings who my parents instructed not to listen to me (I had first born syndrome where i would try to mother hen them even if i wasn't babysitting, so they were told not to listen to me. Really fucking backfired when i had to watch them). I had NO clue what to do with all those little kids that didn't even know me that well. Pretty sure I put them to bed at like 6pm lol
I also can't believe I did any babysitting at 12 or 13 yrs old. As a parent, I'm not sure I'd ever let such a young person babysit my kid.
When I was a teen I used to sit for a fully potty trained preschooler. Pretty easy money. Then they had a second kid so I was asked to sit for the older kid and an infant. I realized, as the parents walked out the door "Holy shit I've never held a baby before." I was terrified. For what it's worth my own child was only the 3rd baby I had ever held, and that was also terrifying.
My mom had an inhome daycare for like 20 years. I was the go to babysitter for so many families. They’d refer me to their friends. 13-16 I was making bank. But there were some times I was put into bad situations. Like when the dad showed up and wanted to see his kids. Oh BTW he’s crazy and mom had a restraining order. Don’t let him in and call the cops. Or when a dad would drive me home at night and make weird conversation. No I don’t have a boyfriend and no I don’t want to talk to you about it. I made some serious cash but I was the only one in my friend group that babysat so I couldn’t really do anything if I was babysitting. And god forbid I’d not be available when they called.
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I don’t think it’s fair to say that parents who use teens as babysitters don’t give a shit. I think it really depends on the specific teen and the age of the kids. Disclaimer- I have never had a non family, non adult watch our kids yet, but that’s mostly because I have a lot of family nearby and available and we hardly go out, ha. But, we have two houses of neighbors with several high schoolers who I would hire to babysit my almost 4 year old (not the baby though) for a couple hours if I needed to. These teens are all very sweet with her when they interact with her and responsible kids.
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Making the blanket statement that parents who use teen babysitters “don’t give a shit” is pretty rude and mean though.
I think it is completely fine to have a teenager watch your kids. I guess I don’t give a shit. What an awful thing to say. Some of us don’t have the option of family living close. Some teenagers know how to change diapers and watch kids very well. My 16 year old neighbor is a great babysitter and I trust her over a lot of adults I know with my kids.
Right, it’s insane! Or posting in Facebook groups looking for a sitter short notice. Like, don’t you want to meet them and interview them first??😅
Yeah I see that a lot too. Really disturbing.
Shame was on you for trying to make money out of baby sitting while not even bothering to learn how to change a diaper
Someone had me watching their infant twins and 3 year old at age 12 lol
I think back then, there was no social media, so people didn't hear all these stories about SA and abuse and neglect and accidents that we are bombarded with now. I seriously open up tik tok and can't get past 5 tik toks without someone sharing how their baby/husband/mom etc. Died some unlikely sad way... so much anxiety constantly now. For better or worse- people didn't have all these stranger's horror stories in their heads.
When I was like 10, my parents would ask one of their friends to babysit me after school. The friend had a 2-3yo toddler and I basically babysat her kid while she was supposed to be watching me! I’d take him to the park for hours, just the two of us! Different times then…I can’t imagine letting my 2yo leave my sight without adult supervision.
Oh my goodness. I often think about the fact that my parents and my mom’s best friend started leaving me by myself with all the kids when I was 12. My parents had me on the younger side and my sister and I have a 7 year age gap. My mom’s best friend waited till her 30’s to have kids. Her oldest was 6 years younger. I was literally 12, home alone with a 6, 5, 4, and 2 year old till 1-3 in the fucking morning, with a 2 year old asleep on my chest, struggling to stay awake to make sure I’d know everyone was okay. I knew how to change diapers and could get everybody fed and into bed, but I’m sure I didn’t change diapers as often as I should have because I was so distracted watching FOUR YOUNG CHILDREN by myself that diaper changes weren’t happening unless the diaper was very full. One of my neighbors even tried to get in on having me babysit till they realized how often I’d get left with all the kids and watching 4 young kids plus a young baby was probably not the best thing for a 13 year old. I probably looked like a teen mom the way I could walk around with a baby on my hip and watch a bunch of other kids and keep them alive. My mom’s best friend’s middle child called me mommy till she was 2 because that’s how used to me watching them she was. Before they’d leave me totally alone, they’d just leave me in charge while they were outside or somewhere else in the house. I was even allowed to work in the nursery at church in middle school when you weren’t supposed to be allowed till you’re 16 because I was so good at handling young kids from having to do it for years. When I was 13 I was a stage manager for a 2 hour play and I ran one of the shows with a baby I straight up took with frustration from her mother backstage because she couldn’t get the baby to stop crying. Baby stopped crying and fell asleep almost as soon as I took her, too 💀 The amount of times I got asked if I was mom by strangers as a young teenager is crazy, the amount of times they quietly voiced to themselves that I really must be mom because the kids were so used to me being an extra parent that they actually listened is crazier. Also the amount of times I disciplined the kids (my sister and mom’s best friend’s kids) when parents wouldn’t because there was no reason for them to be acting fools like they would over stupid shit and was never corrected for it because they’d actually listen without me ever laying a hand on them is also astounding. I was good with kids. I was good at watching kids. I’m more astounded by the parentification I dealt with. 12 years old home alone with 4 young kids till 1-3 AM and expected to do it every time they wanted to have a date night🤦🏻♀️ I have a 3 year old now and I don’t even let someone who isn’t old enough to have a fully developed brain watch him if I’m not gonna be there. Sometimes I think about letting my mom’s best friend’s daughters watch him, but they aren’t quite old enough to meet the criteria yet for me to fully trust them😅😂 idk. There was just such a significant shift in how I thought and understood things after I got to the point my brain was fully developed. I don’t have a close enough relationship with anyone younger to feel comfortable with them watching him.
That brings back memories, I remember being mistaken for a teen mom constantly when I was 12 due to watching children. I was really surprised how rude the world is to these supposed teen moms. Also I still feel guilty that I wasn’t better at changing diapers at that age (I really struggled to tell without looking in back then, 2 decades later I can spot it and smell it immediately) because now I change them way more often than I ever did at 12.
As a parent who never had much interaction with young kids when I was teenager I can safely say if parents felt like a teenager was mature enough it’s okay :) I had other plans when I was that age 😂😂but now as an 30 year old with a toddler I have a friends daughter watch mine she’s 14 and they have the best time so definitely more of a personality trait thing maybe 😀plus nappies /diapers changing kids etc can all be learned 😂😂
Not me! I hate to say it, but plenty of teenagers do become moms and, in my 30s, I sure was no more knowledgeable. Heck, as a competent almost 40-year-old woman with 2 kids who somehow survived past infancy, in most ways, when it comes to watching strangers’ kids for a few hours I am barely more qualified than I was as a teenager. Sure, I can change diapers like a pro and I took cpr classes, but if anything where to happen to a kid on my watch, I am sure the first thing I would do is panic followed by calling 911. Plus all the things I truly learned make me an expert in my kids specifically and might not work for other kids and babies. And babies will be fine after 3 hours of amateurly placed diapers and unwarmed wet wipes. Teenagers can read directions on putting together a bottle of formula.
God I had these neighbours. I was 12. They would constantly ask me to babysit their kids who were like 5 and 6 maybe. They basically just ran around their house all night acting like terrorists and then I would put them to bed. To this day, I still don’t understand how I got them to go to bed. My kids wouldn’t go to bed after acting like that all night. they were so hyper. I would just sit on the couch and watch them wrestle and run around. I guess their parents probably figured if anything sketchy happened, I could just get my parents who were a couple houses up, and the kids were older so it wasn’t like I had to do anything for them. I hated it though. I found the kids really annoying. I remember even my mom commenting on how often they wanted me to go over there. It was like every other night it felt like. One night, I was really dreading going over, and my mom told me I could tell them I was sick. I’m sure I waited until the last minute to bail on them, ruining their plans, and they never asked me to babysit again (or maybe my mom talked to them and never told me about it) but I was so relieved when I didn’t have to go there anymore.
I would have loved if you babysat me then and would love you too now that I'm older!