Neighbour's 15 year old has offered to spend two afternoons a week with our daughter. For money.

plum_pebble_90489 May 2026

She's polite, does well at school, and our 8 year old adores her. Her mother suggested it. The idea is two afternoons a week, from when our caregiver leaves at 4 until one of us gets home around 6. I'm not worried about the girl. I'm unsure what a 15 year old can handle if something goes wrong, and what exactly we'd be paying for: company, homework help, or just a second person in the flat. Has anyone used a teenager like this? What did you agree on beforehand?

2 comments

cobalt_paper_128910 May 2026
Our son is 12 and minds his sister for an hour some evenings. What made it work was a short list on the fridge: who to call first, which doors stay locked, no cooking, no going down to the park. He checks it more than we expected. A 15 year old will manage that easily. I'd leave homework help out of it to begin with; it changes how the two of them relate.
fern_piano_381411 May 2026
My daughter is 15 and would happily do this, and she'd be good at it. She would also be on her phone half the time unless someone told her that wasn't the deal 🙂 Say it clearly at the start. And talk to the girl directly, not only through her amma.