It's time for a Mom Confession -- because, let's face it, we're real mothers and sometimes it doesn't work the way the parenting books say it should.
This Week's Confession:
A mom left her 4 year old in the care of another mom she met just minutes ago.
We live in a town house community, and I was outside with my 3 and 4 year old girls. Another mom was outside with her 4 year old daughter, and we started to visit. After a while, her daughter asked if she could come to our house and play. I didn't mind and neither did her mom -- which was a little troubling. She'd only just met me!
After playing a little bit, the mom came over and asked if I could keep her an extra 10 -15 minutes so she could shower. I agreed. She also offered to take my girls to the park while I stayed at home with the baby, but I said no. I don't know her or trust her, even though she lives right down the road. -- anonymous
Do you let your toddlers play at the houses of parents you only "sort of" know? What age is appropriate for letting kids visit their friends without you around? What is your criteria for when you feel comfortable leaving your child in someone else's care?
Past Confessions:
My Toddler Wears Crude T-Shirts
I Let My Toddlers Climb Play Equipment Unassisted
My Kids Go to Sleep After Midnight
I Let My Toddlers Go Naked in Public
I Paid $22 for My Son's Haircut
My Toddlers Eat Pizza for Breakfast
I Leave My Toddler Alone in the Bath
Our Children Aren't Invited to Our Wedding
I'm on Vacation, But My Kid Is Still Going to Day Care
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
This Hot Dad Wants to Cook You Dinner
This Hot Dad Cooks AND Does the Dishes
Kanye West is Gay?! 
Comments 35
This can go both ways,ladies....what about the young woman who just killed/raped a child? would u have thought she could've done it? And how long did those parents know her? Oh,i voted no,btw...
i only trust my kids with someone I know well even my babysitter got a background check and shes a nurse at a hospital
NOOOOOO!
I would let my toddlers go to someones house only if I went too.
Now they are in elementary school, I want to meet the parents, but I don't always see their homes first. Since I volunteer in both my kid's classrooms, I have a pretty good feel for who the children are, and by extension, hopefully their parents.
I say it depends. A lot of it is intutition. Some of it is the age of the children. At four or five, I would have no problem with leaving her for a playdate with a parent. I would prefer to get to know the parent first and maybe hang out for the first visit (heck I need friends too) but, I'm not going to run a background check or snoop in their bathroom before hand. The only thing I would ask is if they had a gun in house.
I makes me even more nervous when a person just up and offers to take my kid somewhere. You don't know me or my child that well to do something like that. I don't know how you treat your child so I def don't know how your gonna treat a strangers child.
I SORT OF did once, but not as bad as this. We had just moved to a new military base and I was in a bind. I needed someone to watch my two year old for an hour or two, so I went to my neighbor and asked her to watch her, BUT my neighbor is a registered CDH (a military in home daycare) and it was during daycare hours. I figured if I had to leave her with someone, a CDH provider would be best. Now just someone playing at the playground? Nope!
No and I think it's so odd when women want me to watch their children and they've only just met me. I understand being desperate for time alone, Im always experienceing that, but I could not leave my child with someone I just met and didn't know if I could trust or not.
I am typically a good judge of character but I don't ever let myself rely on that when it comes to my daughter.
I would be fine if it has been a few weeks or so and the mother had been over a few times and I went to her house to see how she did things, after I actually had time to know her but in the first minutes and even week you can bet the answer is no.
I have a friend who will find almost anyone to watch her daughter...I really don't understand her reasoning.
There have been times when I've had to rely on the kindness of strangers. At our local park I can't fit my double stroller into the restroom and when you gotta go, you gotta go. On a couple of occasions I've been lucky enough to catch a mom and have her stand near my car with the kids locked inside (windows down a bit of course) while I run to the bathroom. The other time we were finishing a walk and two women were stopped with their strollers by the rest room so I asked the woman who was waiting if she wouldn't mind watching one more stroller.
As awful as the world is today, I still believe that there are good people in it.
I would never leave my child with someone I do not know or trust! If I just met her of course I do not know her well enough! She may leave her kids with me, but it could just be a set-up for her to make off with my kids!