We live on a cul-de-sac in a quiet neighborhood. One family turns their two kids (3ish boy and 9ish girl) loose with very little supervision. The older child watches the younger one, keeping him out of the street (not that there are many cars that come down our street, just neighbors) keeping him out of trouble, etc. The kids are nice and my kids enjoy playing with them, but it kind of bothers me that their parents are NEVER around. I’ve met them once or twice. While the 9 year old does a good job of keeping the younger kiddo out of trouble, we still feel like we’re “watching” them when they’re at our house because we’re breaking up squabbles over toys, reminding them to stay out of the street, providing water/snacks, and just generally supervising the situation because they’re young and sometimes try to do stuff that isn’t totally safe.

My kids are 5 and almost 2, so I don’t feel comfortable leaving mine unattended. I think that might be why I feel weird about the situation, but DH has expressed some frustration. From things the older child has said, we think the parents are home watching tv/hanging out, which if I’m being totally honest, annoys me! I feel like I have my hands full keeping an eye on my two.

Is this typical? I feel like I can’t really say or do anything, we’re not truly baby-sitting them, and our kids enjoy their company, but it just feels odd!