My daughter is very mature 5'4" and is very responsible. She reached puberty when she was 10 and acts much older than her age. She has been been babysitting the children for more than a year. She loves the children she babysits for and they love her too.
In contrast, the boy she baby sits for is young for his age both physically and emotionally. At this point he seems to be a long way from reaching puberty. My daughter and I have given him a bath and gotten him ready for bed and his penis is still very small and there isn't a hint of pubic hair. My daughter is a very loving and motherlyh toward the boy and is concerned that that if the boy does have a growth spurt, he may become embarrassed knowing that his caregiver is close to his age.
The childrens mother thinks the world of my daughter and does not want to put the kids through the trauma of changing babysitters. I tend to agree with her.
What are your thoughts ?
2007-01-11 03:10:58 · 23 answers · asked by gotttalovittt 5 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
When I was 12, I would babysit my sisters stepson who was my age and the child that she and her 2nd husband had together. I had matured early compared to my nephews who were slow to mature. I was proud to have such an important responsibility and took the best care of my charges that I was able.
Nobody really the womans message. In this case, it was the BABYSITTER who had the concern about the boys dignity. The woman was being responsible by dealing with questions that her daughter raised.
Yes I supervised the baths and yes I the undressed as I dressed them for bed. That is what a baby sitter is supposed to do !!
Now granted, this was a family situation and the boys are my nephews and I did have access to my mother for help. But I don't see any reason why mature young woman can't take on the responsibilities that she is capable of despite what her chronological age is.
I think that this girl is very mature and responsible and should be congratulated for her intuitive concern.
2007-01-11 07:09:44 · answer #1 · answered by tiapoquita 2 · 3⤊ 2⤋
A 13 year old who has reached puberty and is very responsible is STILL A 13 YEAR OLD GIRL. This is a situation that needs to come to a direct hault. Whether the boy has disabilities or not, a 13 year old girl should not be caring for him in that manner. If the 13 year old little girl is feeling responsible for the 12 year old's bath time there could be severe complications with where she feels her responsibility lies and there could be a lot of confusion for her sexually. You can talk to your children all day long about the importance of not being sexually active until they are ready, but if you put them in situations that could cause confusion, then you are setting them up for a lot of misunderstanding and the potential for a lot of emotional and pyschological problems down the road. A 13 year old girl is not an adult. She is a child and she should not have that type of responsibility. Her baby sitting skills should be limited to age appropriate tasks.
2007-01-11 04:07:16 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
What??? Are you kidding??? What is a 13 yr old giving a 12 yr old a bath for??? What is really going on here? What is wrong with the parents of this whole situation. Not only would it not happen with one of my children, they would not be the babysitter, not would they have ever been baby sat by someone one year older. I think the problem lies with the parents who would allow such a situation to take place. Some one needs to snap out of their little world and get a handle on this situation.
Hey Phil - yeah, you, 2 answers up - Are you by chance one of the parents in this situation? I don't care how mature the 13 year old is, or how immature the 12 year old is - this is wrong wrong wrong, and why is the size of his penis an issue?? I remember my teen years, and most had nothing to write home about. Besides that - its just not appropriate for anyone to be giving a 12 year old a bath. If he is mentally challenged or physically challenged, it should not be a 13 year old girl, wether she is accompanied by her mother or not.
2007-01-11 03:21:12 · answer #3 · answered by MommaSchmitt 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Why is anyone still giving a 12 year old boy baths for???? He's old enough to do that on his own. Neither yourself nor your daughter should be giving either one of those children baths. It's just wrong. They are both old enough to do that and really aren't likely to harm themselves.
How does this boy not know how old your daughter is? I really doubt he wouldn't be able to recognize a girl his age even if she has gone through puberty. Don't they go to school together?
This is just weird......
Your daughter should just stop acting motherly towards him and be his friend. She can still baby-sit if that's what their mother wants. But she needs to stop giving these kids baths and give them some privacy.
2007-01-11 03:24:52 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
Why are you and your 13-year-old having to bathe this kid? That's the only thing I'm concerned about. I could understand if it was a younger kid, but at that age it isn't appropriate, and definitely isn't appropriate for your daughter to see. If he cannot bathe himself, either he needs to be taught or his parents need to do it, but you should not be responsible for it, or teaching it, they should be. Other than that, I wouldn't worry about it. Realistically, i think it will get to the point that she mostly has to "babysit" the younger one, and the older one will just need someone more mature to be there to make sure something bad doesn't happen, not necessarily to "babysit" him.
2007-01-11 03:38:59 · answer #5 · answered by Cyndi Storm 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Wake up! This boy is way too old to be given a bath by anyone unless he is mentally challenged. I have a 10 year old boy who wouldnt be caught dead having me or any other person see him naked. He may seem immature but boys still have testosterone. Your daughter should stop babysitting a boy that is practically her age and never have him be naked in front of her.
2007-01-11 03:22:01 · answer #6 · answered by mom of twins 6 · 6⤊ 0⤋
WOW!. If I'm correct the age of this boy is 12yrs old & he has a 9yr old sister. Its not really legal for a 13yr old to be baybsitting. However, they are able to be home by them selfs for few hours at 13yrs. Small question, why is she as well as your self bathing a 12yr old boy? That can get in to more trouble then you need or should I say want. But hay,that choice is on you. I feel that she's having her grow up to soon, allow your daughter to be a child.. She'll thank you later in life.
2007-01-11 03:26:01 · answer #7 · answered by Toni M 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
First of all, why is a 13 yo girl bathing a 12 yo boy anyway. This would be okay POSSIBLY if the boy were mentally challenged but in any event would be embarassing to your daughter and no one should be having her doing this. Another thing, if this boy's not mentally chllenged he might just be a perv in the making and wanting attention from your daughter. I'd watch out because he might try something inappropriate one of these days.
2007-01-11 03:17:22 · answer #8 · answered by AngieBaby 3 · 7⤊ 2⤋
lmao @ the very first answer. she's right. and watch the kids as you dont know what they're doing when you arent around. Yeah this sounds mean, but ur daughter shouldnt be "babysitting" a boy that close to her age. I'm tellin ya, you gon b raisin ur daughter and ur grandchild if u dont wise up.
2007-01-11 03:18:08 · answer #9 · answered by mzsouthernprincess 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I think this is very strange. I'd be very careful if I were you - 12 and 13 are ages where the hormones start to rage and you may not realize what's going on when you aren't there.
2007-01-11 03:21:10 · answer #10 · answered by crank726 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋