I read an article today that questions if a 14 year old is old enough to babysit younger siblings. In this particular situation, the father was comfortable with it, while the mom was not. Let me add, the ‘babysitting’ was to be overnight babysitting for the 14 year old’s younger siblings aged 12, 7, and 5. The mom worked days, and the father worked nights. However, due to a family emergency, the mom was going to be of town out temporarily.
So how old is old enough to babysit?
Work at home parents will still come across times where they need to be out of the house…be it for a meeting with a client, picking up supplies, maybe handling a part of the business that is outside of the home office (catering, dog walking, errand service…just a few examples that come to mind.)
The minimum legal age for nonagricultural work, including daytime babysitting, is 14, according to the Federal Department of Labor. The National Safe Kids campaign recommends that children age 12 and younger NOT be left home alone for any length of time.
About.com has a couple of quizzes parents can take to help them decide if their child is ready to stay home alone that are helpful.
Each family is different and all situations will be different, but how do you handle babysitting with your kids, especially when you are a work at home parent that will have unexpected babysitting needs arise from time to time?
