Legal age to babysit younger siblings

[lindsayilene]

What is the name of your state? Michigan

What is the legal age for an older sibling to babysit younger siblings in the state of Michigan?

Thank you for your time.

[lindsayilene]

My friend wants to know if her 13 year old son can watch his little brothers for a short time after school while she is at work?

[usmcfamily]

How old are the other children?
Exactly how much time is involved where he would be the caregiver?

[lindsayilene]

The other children are 4, 6, 9, and 10.

The children would be in his care from the time school gets out around 3, until shortly after 5 when she gets out of work.

[nailtech]

It usually depends on the maturity of the older child. best thing to do is call you local Child Protective services and ask your question there... they would be the one's to know for sure......

[DianneInNY]

Normally a mature 13 year old would be fine but thats alot of kids, especially if he has to bundle up the four year old to get the others off a bus or something....

[cbg]

I doubt that there's going to be a statute saying it's okay at one age and not at another. So much depends on the maturity of the child.

[usmcfamily]

Hmmmmm.....my personal reaction is that while I might consider allowing a mature 13 year old to babsit my children on an occassional basis I feel that expecting it to happen on an every day basis is a little much. Especially considering how many children are involved in this particular situation....that is a LOT of children and everyone knows how much work a 4 year old can be. Perhaps she could approach a local church about a grandma-lady that would like to watch the kids and it wouldn't be as expensive as a "real" sitter or a daycare center? There is just so much that could happen and that is a lot to put on the shoulders of a 13 year old**************.