Another 13 year old question!! Re: babysitting

[travelloverontario]

Hi.....13 must be that in between age...not a child, not yet a woman:D (Brittney recall).

I have a 13 year old daughter who will be travelling with us, along with our 8 year old daughter, all in one cabin. I'm sure that both will like the Kid's Club, but the hours on NCL stop at 10:00pm. We can pay a seperate babysitting fee at the club for both girls on a per hour basis after 10:00pm until 1:00am.

 

My question....would you let your 13 year old daughter babysit her 8 year old sister in the cabin. IF we went out, it would be after we got them setlled. We might like to go dancing or to see a comedy show or something in the lounge. She has taken the babysitting course, is very responsible, and has babysat at home before.

 

I guess my big BUT...(NOT butt:eek: ) is that the cabin steward or maybe others, have room keys and that the area is unfamiliar.

 

We are hoping to make use of walkie talkies, but won't know until we are on ship how effective they are.

 

Would you let your 13 year old babysit in the cabin from about10:00 pm until 1;00am???

 

Sorry for the rambling!!:rolleyes:

[provenienbam]

Really depends on your 13 year old and you should talk it through with her.

 

I know on the cruises I've been on, the 13+ kids club spent a lot of time together: in kids club and out. She may wish to hang with her friends after 10pm.

 

Let's not forget that she too is on holiday.

 

Personally if they were happy to settle down in the room at whatever time then I'd let them. However if either wanted to stay up late, I would book them (or just the 8 year old) in the kids club.

 

I'm not worried about the room steward and leaving my girls alone in the room. To be frank: they need this job and I've never heard of a problem in the past 10 years of reading these boards and newspapers.

 

SO saying, my daughter (6) is a right night owl and she loved staying in the kids club until 12 or 1am. Meant we all could have a fun night out. And get a great lie in in the morning. ;)

[sunandseagirl617]

LOL:D You are my life! ha ha ha...

 

My son is 14 (soon to be 15). He is 14 going on 25, so yes he is responsible and we do let him babysit for the 8 year old. Here is what happens....the 14 yo still wanted to hang out with his friends in the youth program! The room steward does not work from 10 to 1, however, you can put the "do not disturb" on the door. The walkie talkie works good, except it was easier for one of us (either DH or myself) to pop back to the room to check on them....I always tell them where we are too!!!!!!!

 

It was always worth putting the 8 year old in the kids program until 1am because she met so many others in her group as well as the teen met people in his group. So it worked one night but not the rest of the cruise! I just paid the $5 hour so DD could hang out with others her age!!! We pick the formal to stay out late, otherwise, we are in the cabin because DD is in bed by 10 or 10:30pm....

 

Hope this helps.........;)

[beachchick]

May I answer from the perspective of a big sister? I was 13 when my sister was born. I had taken babysitting classes, such as they were in the 70s (first aid, CPR, baby care) and had already had a few short, early evening babysitting gigs close to home.

 

When my sister was about 9 months old (and I was almost 14), my parents took the whole family to a convention for a week, followed by some regular family time. At the convention, I was expected to babysit her and my 9-y/o brother (almost typed "bother," but hey either one works) in our hotel room for part of each day and some evenings while my parents attended adult events. I felt very comfortable doing this, partly because my parents were just a phone call away, partly because I was a ridiculously reliable and dependable teen, and partly because I already had experience babysitting both my brother and sister and other kids.

 

My parents paid me for babysitting (at that time, the going rate was $0.75-$1.00/hour--yes, I am that old) because they felt that is was unfair to simply expect me to take care of my siblings and be responsible for them for 3 or more hours at a time every day and many evenings while on vacation. They figured that, had I been younger, they would have had to pay for a sitter or get the grandparents to watch the kids. At home, I was not paid in money for babysitting my sibs, but was given little "perks" from time to time instead.

 

I have to say that I would have resented it had I been expected to do so much babysitting on vacation without that incentive. I was also allowed time by the pool and at the resort's casual restaurant on my own, which was a huge deal to me as it was the first time I had been granted that kind of freedom.

 

It definitely depends entirely on the kids involved. Is the older DD reliable and mature enough to handle it? My brother was not mature enough to babysit until he was about 16! Will the younger DD behave well enough? My baby sister adored me (silly girl) and behaved very well (most of the time). Do they have a good relationship and get along well? And, perhaps most importantly, how comfortable will you be with this? My parents were comfortable with it because I had proved myself to be trustworthy. Will you be fretting the whole time? That won't be fun for anyone. Will you feel the need to check in with the 13-y/o so often that she feels as if you don't trust her? IMO, that would kind of stink too.

 

I'm certain that you've taught your girls about personal safety and when to get help. For the cruise, you'd simply add to those rules and expectations. We wouldn't have worried about the crew/steward in that regard, but I do think walkie-talkies for emergency use are a good idea or the DECT phones (I think that's right?) that some ships rent onboard. I think that would give both you and your DD a sense of security and put you all more at ease. Then, your 13-y/o can feel like she's really growing up and show that you can trust her and you can feel comfortable knowing she can get in touch with you immediately if necessary.

 

You might want to try it out one evening and see how it goes. OTOH, if both girls are really enjoying the kids club and want to stay, then I think it would be a good investment in their enjoyment to allow them to stay for the late night portion (or at least, part of it). At 13, your DD is going to want a bit of separate time from her sister and both will likely make new friends onboard. If they're at the kids club, they can safely have fun with their new friends; if they're in the cabin, they most certainly wouldn't be allowed to have new friends "visit" and might miss some of the late night activities.

 

I'm sure you'll do what you feel is best for all of you. I hope you have a great cruise.

 

beachchick

[abitaturbodog]

Even though you think your 13 year old will like the kids club, she probably won't spend much time in it during the week. Usually the kids go the first night and maybe the next morning and make some friends, then they don't go back to the kids club after that (unless there's something really fun scheduled). They hang out with their new group of friends for the rest of the cruise. Don't be surprised if you only see her in passing or at dinner!

 

I'd look into the late night "paid" kids program for your 8 year old. She's at the perfect age to enjoy the kids club and that way you and your hubby can enjoy some quiet time together.

 

You might also want to being to prepare your 8 year old to understand that her sister may not be her "best buddy" on this cruise. Let her know that they both will be making lots of new friends and spending time with them.

[cb at sea]

Do you let your 13 yo sit at home? If you do, then she can certainly do it on the ship. If not, hire a sitter for the younger child and let the 13 yo go to the nightly AO activities.

No one will come in the room univited, especially if you put the Do Not Disturb thing on your door. If that's there, the attendant will NOT come in.

[Catrin]

I think it is perfectly fine. I think if you establish a bedtime routine, and they have quiet time in the cabin, it would work.

 

They will probably both be exhausted and asleep before you know it!

 

Catrin

[travelloverontario]

Thank you so much for your input. I think that if the kids really want to stay in the kids clubs, I'll pay to have them there...but not sure if NCL even has teen babysitting. If they've had enough, and are ready to unwind...which is my expectation...then I will leave them in the cabin.

 

My older one does babysit at home, is in grade 8 and very responsible. The girls get along very well and enjoy spending time together. My younger daughter is easy to watch, and is good at listening to her sister. It will also be their bedtime by the time we would go out. We'd do family things until about 10:00. settle them in, maybe with a movie, and then head back out for some couple time.

 

You have laid my real concerns to rest, in that if we put a 'do not disturb' sign on the door, it should solve the problem of the cabin steward popping in unexpectedly.

 

Thanks agian for your thoughts.