When is Your Child Old Enough to Watch Other Children?

The first thing to consider is whether your child is mature enough to be at home without an adult. Does your child follow your rules when you're not there to enforce them? Or does she take that opportunity to test the limits? If she isn't able to follow your guidelines when you're not there, they will be even harder for her to follow them when she has a bunch of children pressuring her to let them watch a certain movie, try a lab experiment, play with fire, et cetera.

There are also several states that require a minimum age for children to be before they're allowed to stay at home alone. Some have a suggested age that is not set in stone. Many more don't have any age suggested or required. Look at the resources link at the bottom of this page to find out the ages for your state.

The next thing to consider is whether your child even wants to watch the other children. If your child is unwilling to do it, he won't do a proper job and you may as well not have anyone watching the other children for all the good it will do. You may wish to pay or reward your child for services rendered, in an attempt to encourage your child to help you out. It's also a nice thought that you're rewarding your child for something you would have to pay someone else to do; it shows a fairness of mind.

Lastly, is your child a bully? Be sure she isn't, or she'll just use this babysitting opportunity to make the other children miserable. Make sure you listen to everyone's opinion after you return. That way, you'll have a better handle on whether or not your child did well. Also take into account that a group of children can gang up on an authority figure as well. It's going to take some intuition and careful consideration for you to know who is telling the truth.