Are you comfortable leaving your children with other people?

I was very nervous about leaving my baby with friends or even family. I wanted to be there to make sure she was taken care of the way I saw fit. I soon realized that they took just as good of care in my baby and I was ok with it. They do share different cultural/religious/spiritual differences, but in my experience my baby didn't really get much of an impact of it from just a weekend or a night or even a day at their houses.

When I had one child I didn't like leaving him with anyone. It took me 2 yrs before I would let my inlaws take him overnight. Then I realized it wasn't so bad having a little break. Then #2 came along, and the requests for my kids got fewer and fewer....one is much easier than two. Now I have 4 kids and I would love for someone to offer to take them for a day. A break would be wonderful. As they get older, you will feel more comfortable about them going with other family members.

Yes, I get worried when I leave them with ANYONE! I have a rule that only family can watch them. This is because at least I know they have a vested interest in their well being. Even then though I get a little anxious. I think it is just part of parenthood. Although I have seen some parents so desperate for a break they will leave them with almost anyone, but I cant do that. I am picky with whom I leave my children.

My now ex MIL has severe mental health issues.Although she's a good person & good with my children; I always worried that she'd have one of her 'moments' and my kids would witness it, even if it wasn't directed at them per say. Over the years it did eventually come to pass that they did see some of her bizarre behaviors (again she's not dangerous, just a bit eccentric I guess we could say) and they came to understand that's just how she is. But at the very least, I was always confident that they were not in danger in her care. I also don't care for my now SIL watching my younger son.She has radically different ideas about parenting then my partner & I and I don't like that she imposes these ideas on my son. She's actually slapped him once, and we are an anti-spanking family. I don't allow her to take him without one of my older children or my FIL present too; as she is actually dangerous in my opinion.

I am totally comfortable leaving my son with both of his grandmothers for an extended period of time including overnights. As far as leaving him with neighbors or mothers of his friends, it is only a short period of time that Im gone. Maybe an hour at the max. Great post.

It is perfectly normal to be worried about leaving your child with ANYONE at all! even sometimes my aunt leaves her baby with my uncle (her husband) she gets worried and wants to get back from work to home as soon as possible to see her child. Especially in young mothers or first born children, parents tend to get paranoid about everything that has to do with their child. Its not as if you dont trust the one who were supposed to take after the children, its just that parents care too much of their child and dont know what could happen to them... lets say, If its raining, hot, cold, wet, dry, you can think of thousands of things which can happen to your child while you are away. just relax and take a break =D it happens to everyone

I'm okay with leaving my boys with my parents and my husband's parents but anyone else I guess a little nervous. Even if I know, deep down, taht they'll be okay I still get a little nervous. Since I am a stay at home mom, and home with them all of the time, I hate leaving them with anyone. With the stories I have seen about kids being abused, not just in daycares but also by family members, I hate leaving them with anyone.

I am always anxious when others watch my children as well . They only ever stay with family and my children love it but I am always worried that they are not going to listen to what I tell them about the way I want things run while I am away because I have had problems with this in the past . If I say that I want my children to have something healthy for lunch they tend to give them cookies and although this may only be once in awhile it doesn't change the fact that I send them up there with healthy food that they never eat and I never get back . One of my daughters is almost four and has never had pop by me and I don't want her drinking pop weather others agree with me or not . I feel that it is too easy to get addicted to stuff like this and I don't see what the point is in doing this to my little girl she will have this when she is older and I don't understand what is wrong with milk or juice since she loves both of them yet one day she was with my husband's step mother and she thought it would be funny to give her Pepsi . My son told her she was not allowed to have it and she said " Oh Well , your mohter is not here now is she " , and then told my little girl it was juice because she said she didn't want pop cause mommy doesn't want her to have it . My daughter took a huge gulp of it thinking it was juice and then took a major choking fit because it was Pepsi and it was too strong for her because she had never had anything like this before . My husband's step mother came back and told me the story but she changed it to that she didn't realize she wasn't allowed to have this , which was an out and out lie because all the family knows this and they just don't agree with me and find that I am too controlling by not letting her have something they allow thier children to have . Then she proceeded to tell me about how funny it was and that I would have laughed if I was there because my baby was choking on the taste of it and was having a hard time catching her breath . I was furious and in no way thought this was funny at the thought that my baby girl was choking because of these people . So with this all being said these are just a couple of reasons that I am not comfortable leaving my children with others even if they are family .

I don't get nervous about other family members taking care of my daughter. I know they are great with her. What worries me is thinking about my daughter knowing that I'm gone without her. She is really clingy to me right now so when I leave her with a sitter I have to sneak off so she won't see me leave. She gets really upset when she sees me leave without her.

yes iam so glad to no i am not the only mother out there that act's like that.i have 5 and you would think it would be something i should be over but i am not.i don;t get many break's because i don't like to leave them with other's.four of them go to school i have a 3year old that i am scared to put in a daycare because i don't want anything to happen to him so i am a stay at home mom.sometime i wish i could home school all of them because even when they are in school i worry. my 11year old tell's me that i worry to much gut.i tell her its so much out there now that i might not be worrying enough

Hi until my son was 3 he was never left with anyone else.even now when we do go out he is left with a family member who have our mobile nuumbers and as we live about 5 min walk from town I could be home straight away if needed. We have just come back from a 2 Week holiday in Tenerife and since Madaline went missing we where always on our guards He wasnt even allowed down to the pool on his own

i think leaving your child or children to your in-laws or relatives is not a good idea. you should take care of your baby, not ur in-law or relatives, its your responsibility to take care of them. what if your baby is very much attached to that person you leave them because you often do that, what would you do? tendency is that your baby is far away from you. its painful in their part because they should feel your love not the love of your in-;aws or relatives... so if your going to leave your babies in the hands of ur in-laws or relative then think twice....

I only left my kids with family, but I always worried and hurried back....My mother-in-law said I was a nut! Well maybe but I always knew my kids were safe and happy..

I only left my kids with family, but I always worried and hurried back....M mother-in-law said I was a nut! Well maybe but I always knew my kids were safe and happy..

No, I prefer not to. Whether I know them or not I dont particularly like having to leave my kids with anyone.

When I was still living in Canada there were certain ppl I was cool with watching my kids but since moving here 4 yrs ago we dont have anyone to watch them and since their father passed away the yr we moved we dont even get the 2 weeks in summer anymore either....Mind you they are old enough (13.5 and 12) to be alone for a few hours at a time once or twice a week and since my husband doenst drink and isnt a social person its not like we need a night out kind of thing...Even so though, there isnt anyone here that I know of who COULD watch them that I'd trust..I'd trust my mum in law but she's an elder who's not in the best health and would over do it trying to cram months of fun into a few hours so we dont even ask her ya know..

There is practically no one I trust my child with. Mostly I think that stems from the fact that I myself was abused as a child, but I have a major issue trusting anyone! I have let him stay with close friends a couple of times, but I would never trust any member of myself or my husband's family with him really, and sending him to a daycare or some such would be even more terrifying for me. Right now my husband works nights and I work days, so we just pretty much pass childcare duties back and forth. I'm so happy that we don't have to leave him with anyone, but at the same time it makes it hard to do anything! I'm glad that you have in-laws that you feel will take good care of your kids, even though it makes you nervous!

no i feel comfortable as nowdays children' understand much better than us :D

I do feel very comfortable leaving the kids with other people of course always someone that you trust indefinately but I always do tend to wonder, Is he ok, are they feeding him on time, Is his pamper wet. But then again I think it is only natural

Before I was uneasy leaving my children with my in-laws but as soon as I realized that they took care of my children the same as I do I feel secured and relaxed, anyway they are my family. And being abroad I have no choice but to let my children stays with my in-laws.(,")