I would resist,but that is because I was molested by a male baby-sitter as a child. It really messed me up for alot of years too. Really though,it depends on maturity. Sounds like your son is responsible and quite mature for being 13. My step daughter that is 13 still fights over toys with my 9 year old and acts like she's 5...let alone does any classes or exprience at the zoo.So,he could probably handle it. Maybe you could have him only watch slightly older children,since toddlers and infants can be trying to someone with no child exprience. I agree shielajoyce,have him try it out with people you know with kids. But dont be surprized if you dont get alot of responses from strangers though. I also feel like adellabedella in the aspect I wouldnt hire a teen~be it boy or girl. They arent as child cautious as an adult would be,and wouldnt react well in a emergency as an adult would.(I had a 15 year old girl stay with my daughter for only an hour one night,come to find out she spent the whole time on the phone and ignored my daughter) Sounds like you have a great son though~with alot of ambition! Maybe if it doesnt work out you can help him think of other ways to make some extra money...like,mowing lawns or something.

As you look ahead toward this summer, you might want to check out the opportunities to work in your town's summer recreation program (if they have one--if not, ask around to see if there's one in another town). Our town offers great enrichment classes for kids ages 4 thru high school, it's a great opportunity to work with kids doing something you might not otherwise be able to do--we have elementary teachers teaching drama, juggling, something called Wiggle and Giggle, fun science, etc. I've been involved for the past 15 years and love the fact that while I'm actually a high school teacher, I get to teach cooking to elementary-aged students (Storybook Cooks is a fun literature-based class for the 5 & 6 year-olds; Kids Cook is gourmet Cooking for 3rd -6th graders). We--all of us, teachers and students--have a ball. And the pay is great--over $26/hour, so even working parttime, I'm making fairly good money. Other good summer jobs for college students--working at a summer camp; day care centers often need extra help in the summer (and you'd gain valuable experience if you do decide to go off on your own in the field), the zoo, children's museums. Keep in mind that a 'real' job will look a little better on your employment history than babysitting or childcare will when you do finish school and go out looking. Another consideration might be whether or not your employer will let you come back to work during your winter break--DD's waitressing job ALWAYS lets the college kids come in when they're home on vacation. That's a nice 'extra' and means you don't have to scrounge each time you come home. Good luck--I do hope you're taking up something to do with working with children. We need more caring, interested adults like you teaching our precious little ones.

WOW! I'm suprised at these posts....I used to get paid $45 a day for watching one 4 month old...that was for 10-12 hours a day. I thought this was average in California. But minimum wage is $8.50 an hour. I feel like if your paying your sitter $5 an hour for 2 or more kids (and they are qualified and experienced) then youre telling them you don't really appreciate them, on the otherhand if your babysitter is 16 with not much experience this is fine to me. Babysitters work hard, especially with more than one child. I wouldn't do it for less than $25 a day per child.

I'd say you'd have to get a minimum of $5 per child, per hour to make it worth your while. So that's $60/day--that wouldn't be unreasonable in my area, for what you're describing. And you're going to have to check with your car insurance company about your coverage--your insurance is going to go up, of course, if you're transporting children as a job (and you dare not drive them in your car without the proper coverage), so I'd think you'd want to add that in on top. Whatever you do, don't do this too cheaply--it's a lot of work and responsibility to care for children and you should be well-rewarded for your efforts.