Originally Posted by
Crankin
My brother was adopted (4 months old) when I was 11 and I began babysitting right away.
Both of my kids took the Red Cross babysitting course when they were 10 (minimum age) and started sitting when they were 12 or so. As boys, they were very much in demand by parents of boys. They both started with the son of a friend (sometimes they went together) who was quite a bit younger.
My younger son made tons of money and was so popular as a sitter, I had to "field" his calls from parents. He bought his first bike with babysitting money in 8th grade. So, in a way, babysitting is responsible for me cycling!
Seriously, I think many parents don't give their kids enough credit or give them much responsibility; obviously there are some kids I would trust at that age, but it was such a positive experience for my boys. They will both be great parents. And they saw an eyeful of different parenting styles...