I think it has a lot to do with the fact that this world, whether true or not, appears to be a lot less safe now as it appeared to our parents/society 20 years ago. Parents have a lot more "worst case scenario" examples out there than they used to. Giyen- do you have a YMCA in your neighborhood? You could get Paige into a junior counselor/counselor in training gig with a local after-school program or summer camp and that would give her some experience, as well as some "cred" to her resume in childcare- that's what I did when I was in HS, and then I moved on to babysit once I got into college.

i am 13, not a mom, but was reading everythng that was being said. i started baby sitting when i was 7.that was verry scarry, but i cought on quick. i am looking for a babysitting job, i am only 13,14 in 3 months, young,i know, but verrry mature. i baby sit my cousins all the time.even under 1 years old. most people wouldnt trust "tweens" but i think that if there willing, they must be mature. if you dont agree put a camera up, see what they do.i know how it is when your a "tween" looking to babysit, because im doing that now. why cant ya'll give us a chance? most of us can be mature, and play w/ the kids as weel, instead of sitting them in front of the tv and talking on the phone. i can cook&clean. i need a job. i live in woodriver, so if anyone(within 5 or 10 miles) needs a babysitter so you can have a date night or last minute thing,. i'll gladly help out, for 5 dollars an hour, or 20 dollars a day. you can email me at mkatie12@live.com. thanks, -Katelynn, :B

I refused to have a babysitter for my brother and me when I was 10, so I stayed home alone six nights a week while my mother worked. My brother was three and I was mean as shite to him. He was my remote control; his job was to change the channels on the t.v. By the time I was 12, I was babysitting for my mother's girlfriend's children. It was a business, and the process made me decide never to have children, not because of the kids, but because of the mothers, who were basically all single downtrodden mothers involved with abusive men. Despite that early decision, I have two sons. Finding childcare was a harrowing experience. My oldest had 15 different childcare people in his first two years. Some tidbits: #1 was a nanny from Denmark (found in flagrante delicto on my couch). #2 was Ildiko from Hungary. She graduated from Ho Chi Minh teacher's college, and I liked her. She got married. Somewhere in there was a Filipino lady who showed up to work with her husband. I thought that was weird, and fired her. Mrs. Samuels was excellent, had to go to work because her husband's illness had sucked up their retirement. She was very religious with a tendency to proselytize, but so good with my son I ignored it until the day I stubbed my toe and he ran over and put hands of my foot, closed his eyes and said, "In the name of the Lord, heal this toe!" She also made no secret of the fact that she didn't approve of me working. Finding the occasional babysitter was even more difficult. I asked a neighbor once for a reference (she had a child around my son's age). She shot me a worried look and told me she wouldn't share her 'Mormon' girls, cause then what if she needed them, but I'd already booked them? Wut? Sandra www.bloodmother.com

So far, the youngest babysitters we've had were 17 and seniors in high school who can drive. I'm pretty comfortable with that, and they've been great with the kids. I've been told that the 14-year-old who lives in the house behind us is a great, responsible sitter. Now that the kids are 5 & 7, I might just give her a call sometime--but only if the 17-year-olds aren't available. :)

As a parent who hires babysitters, our rule is they need to be a responsible driver. If for no other reason than I can't drive a sitter home if the kids are sleeping.

Our babysitter was a teenager, the daughter of one of my husband's coworkers, who VOLUNTEERED to watch our 2 year old for us. She lived around the corner from us, so DH would take her home when we got home because she didn't drive. And this was no big deal to me. She has since moved away and I am very sad to have lost my cheap, teenager babysitter. We have yet to find someone else. We have a family member babysit on weeknights as well, so that's typically when we go out, anyway. But I would love to find another teenager to babysit, I just like the idea of it. Plus, did I mention it was cheap? And, at this point, my 2 year old is in bed by 8:30 anyway, so dinner and some play time is about all that's required anyway, and he goes to sleep like a dream. Easy $20 right there. But I do very much think it depends on the kid. My niece is 15 about to be 16, and has ZERO interest in babysitting, despite the fact that she loves kids. I have mentioned her babysitting my son when we go visit her family (they live in another city), and my sister-in-law is not really keen on the idea. And honestly, I don't think she would do that well. I don't know what it is, but she just doesn't seem great with kids by herself. I don't know if it's a confidence thing, or the fact that she can't pick him up without assistance (he's 35 pounds, but come on!). I, too, was a teenage babysitter, I was 13 when I started babysitting my cousins, who were 6, 4, and 1. It was a small town and my grandmother was right down the street, but still....wow.

Confessions of a Teenage Babysitter: I use family members and close friends for babysitting because I was a teenage babysitter. Like Giyen's daughter I was desperate for jobs, and couldn't wait for someone to put me in charge. Unbeknowst to me I was not ready, but I talked a good game. Between the ages of 13-15, some parents in my neighborhood were so desperate for a cheap babysitter that I ran a muck. I was fun and loved the kids, but if some of those parents knew the things I'd done to this day they'd probably be angry. First of all I wasn't confident enough to set my own price; that should have been an indication of unpreparedness right there. "Whatever you think is fair" I'd say, and end up getting $4 for 6 hours. When I went back (like an idiot), knowing I'd be underpaid, I took out my frustrations on unsuspecting parents' refrigerators, eating anything that wasn't nailed down. When I got bored with that I'd go snooping; even having the kids navigate my way through their parents closets and drawers. On good days I was the doting replacement mother with a heart of gold and the patience of a saint, but on other days I was the evil babysitter who terrorized the brat that I felt wasn't respecting my authority- maybe even pulling on a ponytail or two. Shriek! When I got a little older, more cheapo parents started suggesting that I allow their kids to do overnites at my house. I rarely said 'no' to jobs because looking back, I was probably just a passive aggresive doormat. The kids always loved me (because I was a kid), and until the parents were gone, I projected complete rationality. At 15 my parents could go away on weekends, because they too saw me as the responsible kid I was, but it was only true to a degree. I was responsible enough to cover my tracks. When they were gone, I could do an overnite job and have a party at the same time. A tablespoon of Nyquil and a closed bedroom door took care of the kid for the night. The next day I'd have friends with a great story, as well as $30 to $50 cash. Basically, no kids or teens will be babysitting for me, lest my karma come back and bite me square in the @ss. A kid with enough determination to get certified is probably a safe bet. It's not so much about the training as it is about fully comprehending the importance of having someone's child in your care. Though I know they exist, I don't believe every other teenager (due to the nature of their age) fully comprehends the importance of child care... I think it's probably closer to every 50th- if that. I'm guessing of course. Just because a teen thinks they're ready for that type of responsibility doesn't mean they are- the same goes for driving. Wanting to is not the same as being ready.

I started babysitting in middle school and then throughout high school and even some of college, by which point I had a pager (oooh technology) and the people I babysat for had internet... and yet it all still worked out fine. It really does just depend on the babysitter. I don't know any babysitters who have/had CPR/Heimlich training or certification. In fact, I know very few parents who do. Sure, it would be very reassuring and helpful but is it a dealbreaker if the teen is otherwise very responsible and knowledgeable about what to do in an emergency? It's hard to say. I would probably feel much, much better knowing someone who knows CPR is watching my child but if someone hadn't mentioned it, I'm not sure it would have crossed my mind.

I was babysitting when I was twelve years old too....from newborn babies to kids just two or three years younger than me. But the one thing I would add here, is that every stay at home mom I know (and her sister) is available to babysit, and many are actively trying to get babysitting gigs to bring in a little extra money. So, I think that teenagers just can't compete anymore. Often, you can have a woman with kids of her own, who has a college degree, who understands your parenting philosophy for the same price of a sixteen year old watching your kids. All things being equal, I know I'd choose the mom my age over the teen.