For many of us, having babysat at 11, 12, does not conjure up horrible memories. We got along fine. No baby died. However, I do believe that expecting a child to babysit at 11 is not good judgment.
The law in most states, just for a child to be left alone, in daytime, is 11. I'd say that means that upon consideration, 11 has been determined to be definitely too young to babysit.
Here's an argument that I think applies: We wouldn't say, "I drive drunk all the time and I've never had an accident--hey, evwerybody should drive drunk, it'll be fine." The positive results are no argument against the negative results if there are factors that make us know it's dangerous.
Here's how I found out if my (bright, normal, taught about fire both at school and at home) kid was ready to stay by himself, even for a little bit. I asked, "What would you do if a fire started in the kitchen?" He said, "I'd try to put it out and if I couldn't then I'd run outside." No staying alone for you, kid!
I think that many 11yo's have no idea what to do with a baby crying incessantly. They know they are supposed to make it stop. But do you imagine this little girl (the 11 one) has been taught or shown much of anything? I don't think so. She has panicked and made a terrible error. Probably first spanking (which I would bet, as I am somewhat familiar with Somali culture, she's been taught as a method for quieting an older child), and then reacting frantically when the crying and screaming increased. But fostering and counseling are "justice" for the 11-yo. The mother(s) are criminally negligent.
JMO, blah, blah. Sorry--I know I jumped around a lot.
