"Irene" wrote in message
I think it's a combination of age, interests, and temperament. You are
probably most likely to get that mix in the 13-16 age, however!

That's very true. I was generalizing too much with just my experience.

My problem finding a babysitter is that the girls I wanted to babysit
were also active on the basketball team, and didn't sit during the
season.

That is a problem too. Kids are very busy these days. DD1 is not able to
play any sports, so she isn't as busy as most kids, but she still has choir.

I'm really looking forward to when the two girls down the block turn 12 -
they are planning to team-sit together.

You can do what I did, if your interested. You can have them start coming
over now and just be a mother's helper to you. I trained my friends daughter
this way. When she was 13 or so, she came in the summer while I was working
at home and play with the kids and then as she got older, I was able to
leave her here on her own and then gradually worked up to more hours, when I
needed her.

One of them is better with kids than the other (she has already shown
aptitude - one day last summer she had 4 3-4 year olds practicing Stop Drop
and Roll
by rolling down the hill next to her house, for instance) while the
other I think mainly wants to hang out with her friend.

Yes, temperment of the person definitely the key.
--
Sue (mom to three girls)