by Pam Thompson

Created on: January 18, 2009   Last Updated: February 15, 2009

A favorite saying of mine is that it takes twelve years to grow a good babysitter, and twelve years is well worth it. Asking your older child to babysit younger siblings may seem like an easy alternative to hiring an outside babysitter, but be careful of the pitfalls that are involved with this arrangement.

*Pitfall 1:

An older sibling may or not be ready for the responsibility of caring for younger siblings. It is important that you require just as much training in first aid an CPR of your child as you would expect of an outside babysitter. You need to be sure that your child can handle the responsibility of caring not only for herself, but for others at the same time.

*Pitfall 2:

Younger siblings may not behave well for a sibling babysitter. An older sibling may be either too heavy handed, or too lenient with siblings. It is important that you make it clear to both the younger siblings and the babysitter that there is a clear line of authority that extends from you, the parent, to the babysitter.

*Pitfall 3:

Your babysitter may be in too comfortable surroundings. When your sitter is in his own environment, he may be inclined to play video games, chat online, invite friends over, or talk too long on the phone. Make it clear to your sitter that he is on the job, and is responsible for the well being of his younger siblings, which takes his complete attention.

*Pitfall 4:

Your child does not want to work for free, and for that matter, neither would you. Make sure that you pay your child at least as much as you would pay her counterparts. If you demand too much free babysitting, you just may find she will take some higher paying jobs elsewhere, leaving you to hunt for a sitter on your own!

It is beneficial for a teen to earn her own money, and you may find that you have to hand out less money when social events come up. Babysitting can be a great way to earn money, and learning to manage it. Ask other parents how much they pay their babysitters to come up with a fair wage, as it can vary from area to area and is dependent on the ages of the children being cared for.

All in all, the benefits of your child watching younger siblings outweigh the possible pitfalls. Caring for younger siblings can strengthen the bonds between brothers and sisters, and can teach responsibility. Often for a shy or insecure child, caring for younger siblings can give her the confidence to babysit for other families. And no parent can argue against the convenience of not having to drive to pick up and drop off a sitter!

Give your teen some good training and reward him handsomely for caring for the family and the benefits will last for years to come!

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