Should older kids be required to babysit younger siblings?

[TC00]

This is inspired by another post.

[TC00]

I firmly believe an older sibling should never be required to take care of a younger sibling. I believe in asking and compensating them like you would a babysitter unrelated to you.

[lovelyladybump]

I don't think parents should use their other children as their personal babysitters every time they want to go out and do something. ( I've been in that boat before.) However, if the parents are willing to pay the older child and make it a job instead of a chore, then I don't see a problem with it.

[beenthere3]

How about contributing to the needs of the household?  It's called being given responsibility.  Watching her sisters for me so I can go out occasionally is the same as having her empty the dishwasher or clean the bathroom! I do my kids MANY MANY extra favors and they can do me a favor sometimes too! 

[cryssi_renee]

I think they should as long as the sibling isn't expected to watch them all the time. In my family my older siblings watched the younger ones. We younger siblings watch the older siblings kids.  Now their children are watching ours.  No one gets/got paid.  It called helping out your family.  We never missed out on anything we had planned but if we were free we were expected to do it. I've yet to hear anyone in my family complain about it. 

[my1love]

i beg to differ. rasing 5 kids and only parent working was my mom, my dad was too busy having heart attacks and dieing over and over to watch us kids so my 2 older sisters had to watch us or no food or house to live in, also had to take care of my dad. some situations its just plain mandatory

[couponluv72]

babysitting is a responsability that should not be forced on any older children unless they are ok with it. an older child who is not interested and fights babysitting is more likely to not be paying attention and that makes accidents more likely. 

[acrogodess]

I babysat my brother and all of my younger cousins. My brother was 12 when my kids were born and he babysat my kids and as my kids get older they will babysit for my best friend who is their godfather. It is tradition. I feel like it prepared me for parenthood.

[TC00]

Quoting beenthere3:

How about contributing to the needs of the household?  It's called being given responsibility.  Watching her sisters for me so I can go out occasionally is the same as having her empty the dishwasher or clean the bathroom! I do my kids MANY MANY extra favors and they can do me a favor sometimes too! 

How about having them contribute by doing more chores? And no watching a sibling is not the same as emptying the dishwasher, how in the world can you compare the two?

[mjande4]

No, I think that they should get paid just like a regular babysitting job.  It's not my child's kid, it's mine and for those that say they can't afford a sitter, well than you can't afford to go out and need to look at your budgeting better.  Using kids to take care of adult responsibilities, and childcare is one, is not the same as emptying the dishwasher or taking out the trash.

[my1love]

easy its called being a family. i never bitched about watching my brother my sisters didnt bitch or expect payment for watching us kids either

Quoting TC00:

Quoting beenthere3:

How about contributing to the needs of the household?  It's called being given responsibility.  Watching her sisters for me so I can go out occasionally is the same as having her empty the dishwasher or clean the bathroom! I do my kids MANY MANY extra favors and they can do me a favor sometimes too! 

How about having them contribute by doing more chores? And no watching a sibling is not the same as emptying the dishwasher, how in the world can you compare the two?