Hi I live I Australia and I LOVE children (I follow after my mum who had 5 kids!) I am 12 years old and I would really like to look after children as a job and I know how to look after them. I can cook, clean, read them stories/keep them entertained and I know when enough is enough (as in if it's bed time, no excuses.). I do have a few people in my neighbour hood who have kids but I am not sure if they would let a twelve year old look after them... I am sensible and wouldn't let anything happen to them. I appreciate any answers thank you!

What would you do if a two-year-old was choking on a biscuit?

If I could hear and see the baby coughing I know it can still breath then I would gently turn the baby onto it's back and turn it into a 100 degree position and pat it's back a few times. If that is effective and the baby is now okay I would probably give it some water and help it calm down by either rocking it or entertaining it. If my procedure didn't work' I would call an adult near. By that I can trust and an ambulance if all else fails. I am sorry if this is not the answer you are looking for but I would make sure the baby doesn't choke in the first place. You are right I am probably not ready for babysitting. I mean I know you didn't day that but what happens if I just panicked? The baby could have very well died. Sorry I should never of asked my question.

Once when I babysat in a large house with three children, a pipe in the bathroom burst and water began flooding that room and spraying into the bedroom next to it. What to do, what to do. I was 19 and clueless.

There is always the potential for an emergency--choking child, broken pipe, suddenly aggressive pet, weather-caused problems like a storm causing the power to be off (where is a flashlight?? ) or a tornado threat (go to a moldy, spidery basement?? ).

That's why a 12-year-old shouldn't be left alone with children, especially in the evening. Being a mother's helper while she is around is a much better idea.

Geez, if a 19-year-old can't do it, I doubt a parent could handle it. Isn't a 12-year-old the right age to baby sit?

Not knowing where the water shutoff was, I called the fire department.

Huh?

It was my first time sitting there for a wealthy family living in a huge old house, at least three bathrooms. One of the kids came running down the stairs, screaming that there was water shooting all over the place in an upstairs bathroom, so the other kids and I ran upstairs to see. The kids wanted to leave it alone (exciting!) and didn't know where the water shutoff valve was (probably in the dank, dark basement--or maybe it was entirely finished, never went down there). By this time, the bedroom carpet was getting soggy and squishy. The parents were too far away to come home quickly, so I called the fire department who were a second best for exciting. At least they clomped in dressed to the nines in their firemen's gear and took charge and used gruff voices and turned off the water.

OK

There may not be one nearby, and you daren't leave the baby to go looking. And babies choke on food, toys, stuff they pick up off the floor. Everything goes into the mouth for checking out.
Yes, you should have, and we get similar questions from girls your age every day. But starting as a mother's helper is best. Few mothers will trust one or more of her children with a young girl, especially in the evening and/or for a long period. Start with small jobs and work your way into being a good child care person by the time you are in your mid-teens. Unfortunately for us moms, that's when girls find dating to be more fun than sitting, so 12-16 is pretty much prime time for the age for a mother's helper/sitter.