Five Reasons Middle-School Kids Still Need Child Care

You don’t have to call IT child care or a babysitter, but like it or not, middle schoolers still need IT. Responsible, reliable supervision, plus a taxi and a hands-on nurse or referee is helpful too. Seriously, too many parents think, my kid is eleven (seriously) and I can trust him or her to stay home alone. NOT! Don’t be fooled by their sweet, innocent faces. No they are not old enough or responsible enough to take care of themselves, for very long at least. Here are five good reasons NOT to trust middle school aged kids to care for themselves or younger siblings (including mine!).

1. Fifteen minutes is long enough for battle and/or injury to occur. Any parent knows that kids can be calm one second and at war the next. Just visit my house any time I try to take a shower! Really, kids can get into no end of mischief in just moments and need active supervision.
2. Parents cannot teleport or cut themselves in half. It’s true. Today’s busy families are all over the place, at the same time. Most families could use a third adult willing to jump in and lend a hand, or a vehicle, or whatever they can! Between work, school, sports, lessons, shopping and just life, parents need help!
3. Kids, and I do mean tweens and teens, are still just kids. Let’s let them be kids. Kids should have responsibility, but they should have time to play after school, have a snack, get their homework done, and be able to help with dinner when mom and dad get home. Realistically, most middle schoolers won’t do that on their own.\
4. Childhood is short and the world is shrinking. Okay, maybe I exaggerate, because eighteen years isn’t that short and the world isn’t technically getting any smaller. Time does fly, though, and we only get one run at this race. Personally, I want to teach my kids how to success in this diverse place we call home. Getting help seems obvious to me.
5. Daycare doesn’t take teens, usually, so child care for teens gets creative. Young adults make great child care providers, especially young college students or successful young people who can positively influence our own kids. College-age kids always need money and aren’t always consistent, so use an agency like GoAuPair to protect your investment, or draw up a contract to make the relationship official.

Still not convinced? Ask around. Parents who leave their kids home alone will have no end of stories about what their kids have done while they weren’t being supervised. Parents whose kids are engaged with an after school or weekend provider are much more likely to be productive, safe and healthy! Contact me, Joan Lowell, mom of six swell kids, to learn more about cultural child care experiences for your family.