I'd never leave a baby unattended unless I was putting them down for a nap and just going to another spot in the house/suite and even then I'd make sure to have a monitor. Same thing with any child under 5 years of age. (Okay technically I sometimes leave Macaroon in one room of the house and go to another floor for a few minutes but he's 4 years old and been disciplined enough to know what not to do or touch; his toddler brother is a different matter entirely.) You just don't leave kids that helpless alone.
One of my berserk buttons is irresponsible adults. I know small kids can be incredibly frustrating and require a lot of work but they can't help it: they're kids. The main reason I have lost all respect for my uncle (besides the fact that he mucked up my grandmother's probate and has possibly cheated me out of several thousand pounds of my inheritance) is that he won't even look after his own grandchildren; his needs come first. If Macaroon went around like a mini-stripper then the man would just keep reading the paper or watching TV like it wasn't his problem. I do my best to try and keep my niece, nephew and little cousins disciplined when I'm looking after them because they have to learn that bad behavior is not right and as long as I'm an influential adult in their lives and someone looking after them, it is my responsibility to make sure they behave themselves. Sure they're not my kids but they still need to be taught just like all other kids and I'd rather they grew up learning it's NOT okay to run wild when your parents aren't around (even if it is) than thought of me as that fun person who let them run amok. It's their future and I'll be damned if I help screw it up.
GO SUPERVISOR!
One of my berserk buttons is irresponsible adults. I know small kids can be incredibly frustrating and require a lot of work but they can't help it: they're kids. The main reason I have lost all respect for my uncle (besides the fact that he mucked up my grandmother's probate and has possibly cheated me out of several thousand pounds of my inheritance) is that he won't even look after his own grandchildren; his needs come first. If Macaroon went around like a mini-stripper then the man would just keep reading the paper or watching TV like it wasn't his problem. I do my best to try and keep my niece, nephew and little cousins disciplined when I'm looking after them because they have to learn that bad behavior is not right and as long as I'm an influential adult in their lives and someone looking after them, it is my responsibility to make sure they behave themselves. Sure they're not my kids but they still need to be taught just like all other kids and I'd rather they grew up learning it's NOT okay to run wild when your parents aren't around (even if it is) than thought of me as that fun person who let them run amok. It's their future and I'll be damned if I help screw it up.