Not sure about this...what do y'all think
SS12 is out of school for the summer. He goes to the Y some days. At BMs I assume he sits on his butt all day. ANYWAY so he asked me if DS5 can stay home with him on the saturdays he is with us...I am not sure how I feel about this.
SS12 asked for this so I'm guessing he's lonely all day by himself and knows that DS5 will never give up going to my sisters during the week because she has a pool that they live in. My sister has offered for SS to come over during the week if he wants.
I work from 6-230 on Saturdays and they will probably sleep until 10-11(DH lets them stay up late if they do all their chores all week without being asked)which means they will be awake and alone for about 4-5 hours. My sister is 10 mins away and so is my BFF. SS was wonderful help when I was working overnight. But I was still home during the day. I would certainly pay him even though he didn't ask for money.
I hate making these decisions because I'm extremely paranoid. So I never know if I'm being paranoid or not.
What do y'all think?
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Depends on his maturity and
Depends on his maturity and how well he gets along with DS5. If they are going to agure and fight all the time. Then no.
When I was 12 I babysat kids all the time and overnight. But I was mature.
I would list out the pros and cons. Where do you think there might be issues? How will you work through them?, etc
Well every circumstance is
Well every circumstance is different, I would not leave bios home with SD but if you trust your SS to be home with him why not try it out sometimes but not every single Saturday? Maybe the first time ask your sister to pop in and check on them?
SS12 and DS5 get along great.
SS12 and DS5 get along great. Sometimes SS irritates me because he lets DS watch shows and play video games he's not supposed to. But honestly DS is so desensitized at this point I don't know why I even bother to be upset about it. They play video games together, watch their new favorite sport,soccer, and watch cartoons together. SS, thanks to me, can make food. I wouldn't like for him to cook when I'm not home but he is certainly capable of making sandwiches or heating up spaghetti Os. I could even set up breakfast, lunch and snacks for them.
LOL he is very aware of his
LOL he is very aware of his surroundings. I don't think I would let them go outside without supervision though. He is good in emergency situations. We have taught the kids not to freak out when something happens. He's proven it. When he was 9 DS (then 2) fell and got a nasty gash on his eyebrow. He didn't freak out he picked him up and brought him to me and said DS was hurt. So we took him to the ER. DS cried a little but I think he was calm because everyone else was calm. I told him we'd try it and my sister and BFF will both pop in and check on them and both agreed to be on-call.
I like the idea of leaving
I like the idea of leaving out some snacks/lunch stuff for them.
Leave him a list of emergency numbers as well. This is a great opportunity to learn independence for your SS and your DS. If I were you, I would even implement either a chore chart or maybe summer school activities that they could block out a half hour to do to earn a reward maybe. It gives them one structured thing to do in the event that they get bored.
In my opinion I would not
In my opinion I would not leave a 5 year old home without an adult there to watch them. Too many accidents can happen but I am such a worry wart that I probably won't leave my kids home along until they are well in their teen years.
I'm seriously paranoid BUT SS
I'm seriously paranoid BUT SS is never going to learn responsibility if no one ever gives him any.
I've left them alone for an hour to go grocery shopping to find them in the same exact spot I left them in eyes glued to the TV or sucked into the XBOX.
He asked to do this but didn't ask for baby sitting money. Which makes me think he might be a little lonely. He's texted me a lot today to see what I'm doing, what I'm making for dinner, can we go to the pool when I get off work, to let me know we're out of sun-screen, did I feed the dogs this morning or should he do it. He never texts me this much.
I wouldn't leave a 5 year old
I wouldn't leave a 5 year old with a 12 year old.
Sounds like maybe SS is angling to get an invite over to the house with a pool.
SS can go to my sister's
SS can go to my sister's she's invited him over multiple times.
Depends on the kid's
Depends on the kid's maturity. I made my first fortune babysitting at age 12. I took a babysitting course which included First Aid training (but also practical tips like the things you need to know - phone numbers, medicine, bedtimes, etc).
My favourite family consisted of 3 kids, 2, 5 & 7. No TV. Usually in the daytime. We didn't go outside as I didn't have a key (usually just a few hours).
I know you've made your decision already. Had you not, I'd suggest having the kid do a baby-sitting course. Maybe he can make up a binder or checklist so that you BOTH know he can easily find all information in case of emergency.