Young babysitter

[silly400]

I have a friend, who is in her early twenties, who recently confided to me about something she remembers doing while babysitting two young children when she was only 11 years old, and I'm wondering if she really should feel guilty about it.  

She told me how one night, she was left in the care of her neighbour's two young kids.  One was about 5 or 6 and the other was just a baby.  She told me how at one point, she was tending to the baby while the older child was off playing in another room.  She told me how she started thinking about breastfeeding and wondered if a baby would take a breast that wasn't their mother's.  As a curious 11-year old in the beginning stages of puberty, she decided she wanted to see, and pulled down her shirt to see if the baby would take it.  Obviously, the baby didn't, and so she pulled her shirt back up.  She told me that she felt bad about it after, once her guilty 11-year old mind realized that was inappropriate behavior.  

I personally believe that she was just being a naturally curious 11-year old girl who was not acting in a sexual manner.  I trust my friend with my life, so I believe her when she says she never did anything beyond that incident.  My opinion is she should just forget about it and realize she was just being a kid.  If she had been an older teenager, now that would be a different story!  Now I'm not a mother yet, and she isn't either, so the question I pose to all of you mothers is what would be your take on this, as a mother with growing children?  

[rilbrianne]

I agree, she was curious and at least realized it was inappropriate.  But she shouldn't be so hard on herself, she was only a child.  Lots of youngsters want to be little mommies and I don't think what she did was terrible or horrifying.  It could have been much worse.  
I also agree that 11 is awfully young to be babysitting and only mention it so that you and your friend will think about it twice when you do have children and you need a sitter.  I hope it doesn't sound rude, I'm not trying to be at all, just know that children that young are still children themselves.  :) I hope your friend lets it go and can move on.  

[twokids19]

I agree with you that she was just being curious.  At 11 years old, she didn't even know  a baby doesn't take to a breast just because.  All girls her age want to play mommy.  I personally think that 11 is way to young to be a baby sitter anyway.