Would you leave a nine year old home alone?

Toto

No, not unless it was a dire emergency

mumps wrote: »

If you view a mother popping to the shops for half an hour as abandoning their child I think you need to get out more.

Yeah I do call it that if you are leaving a child who isn't old enough to be left. You might justify it by saying age is just a number, but there is a line to be drawn isn't there. Surely few people would suggest 6 or 7 year olds are old enough? where is that line? For me, 9 is below that line and I really couldn't justify leaving them alone in a house for any reason at all.

Perhaps you need to get out less, or at least take your kid with you.

tibawo

Yes, from choice

I trust my child to play out on the street outside. Is this really any different?

I also know my nine year old is far more savvy than the secondary kids I teach.

If I nip to the shop she has to show me mobile is on and nearby. She has rung me once as she was in midst of homework and could not do a sum!

Loz01

My niece is 9 and COULD definitely absolutely cope at being left alone for 1 or 2 hours (probably more) - by this I mean making a sandwich and getting a drink, NOT cooking.

But WOULD I ever leave her alone, no, absolutely not. Its not that I think she would burn the house down or run off into the street and get herself abducted - its just the risk of something bad happening, a small 'what if' but it turns pretty big if they are alone and I think 9 is far too young to cope with adult emergencies.

I dont even think I'd leave an 11 year old.

mumps

Yes, from choice

Toto wrote: »

Yeah I do call it that if you are leaving a child who isn't old enough to be left. You might justify it by saying age is just a number, but there is a line to be drawn isn't there. Surely few people would suggest 6 or 7 year olds are old enough? where is that line? For me, 9 is below that line and I really couldn't justify leaving them alone in a house for any reason at all.

Perhaps you need to get out less, or at least take your kid with you.

Who is discussing leaving a 6 or 7 year old.

My eldest is 41, I think we can all agree he can be left alone for at least half an hour.

pigpen

Other please state.

mumps wrote: »

Who is discussing leaving a 6 or 7 year old.

My eldest is 41, I think we can all agree he can be left alone for at least half an hour.

My oldest is 21 and I daren't even think what he gets up to when left alone!!! He needs a zookeeper! He does 'kitchen concoctions' and makes himself ill, set a chip pan alight (I think my lot are pyromaniacs) and ate raw scotch bonnets for a giggle.

mumps

Yes, from choice

pigpen wrote: »

My oldest is 21 and I daren't even think what he gets up to when left alone!!! He needs a zookeeper! He does 'kitchen concoctions' and makes himself ill, set a chip pan alight (I think my lot are pyromaniacs) and ate raw scotch bonnets for a giggle.

He does sound like a bit of a giggle, although the chip pan sounds a bit scary. Do they all like fire or is it just accidental? I have never had any issue with fire with mine but I do remember my sister wondering what would happen if she poked some silver paper into an electric fire. It was quite dramatic as a matter of fact, she was about nine or ten at the time and my parents were both in the house.

Just thinking some more and remember my brother was a bit of a pyromaniac, my parents dealt with it by letting him have regular bonfires, under supervision, the novelty did wear off.

pigpen

Other please state.

mumps wrote: »

He does sound like a bit of a giggle, although the chip pan sounds a bit scary. Do they all like fire or is it just accidental? I have never had any issue with fire with mine but I do remember my sister wondering what would happen if she poked some silver paper into an electric fire. It was quite dramatic as a matter of fact, she was about nine or ten at the time and my parents were both in the house.

Just thinking some more and remember my brother was a bit of a pyromaniac, my parents dealt with it by letting him have regular bonfires, under supervision, the novelty did wear off.

It all seems to be accidental.. but you have to wonder!

He is a nightmare.. seriously!! he drives me to distraction I was glad when he moved out.. now his gf has to deal with his behavioural issues! lol

Spendless

Yes, from choice

Kayalana99 wrote: »

If it was so safe to leave your son at home why would a phone call be needed?

Why is it unethcial to leave a baby but not a 10 year old child? Even if just for 5min to the shops?

Baby can't turn the oven on so not at fire risk. Baby is 99.99% safe same as a 10 year old is 99.99% safe ( assuming they are of the mature sense).

I suppose next doors house could set fire...or a burglar could decide to rob the house at that time.

Yea its abit OTT but it DOES and CAN happen. You may have taught your son not to open the door but its the what 'ifs' that make us not leave a child un supervised.

How about an eariler thread about leaving her 9 year old daughter in the car whilst she nipped into a tesco garage (so she could still see the car from the window) and it got hit by another car?

A quick google of 'burgulars and 10 year olds left alone' comes up with many hits & news stories and even one of the burglar knocking on the door (to check no one is home) before trying to enter the house.

As it was son who requested that he didn't accompany me to the shops when I spoke to Mr S before going agreed that we would do x, y and z. One of which was son would be rang to clarify he was ok during the time I was out. That is no different from me putting certain safety rules in place for them playing out by themselves say or when first walking to and from school without an adult.

My front door was locked. I had locked it and taken the key, so no one could walk in or door be answered. We live on a street of high pedestrian traffic so someone scaling the house on ladders and trying to break into double glazed windows or thru a locked front door would attract attention and witnesses. The same applies to my next door neighbour. I believe most burglars do not try to attract that sort of attention? You can not get to my back garden via the side, my neighbours have the same configuration. The back door was left unlocked to provide a way to get outside if needed eg the neighbours house caught fire and set mine alight.

Assuming you are being serious about asking the difference between a baby and an almost 10 year old being left. A baby that suddenly gets the runs or needs to throw up will have to sit in it's own muck, a child can run to the toilet. You are more likely to know if an older child will have this happen during the time you are left as they are able to speak to tell you they are feeling dodgy in the first place a baby can't. A child can walk out of a door and they can pick up the phone and dial either a number left for them or the speed dial button if they need to speak to an adult.If they need a drink they can reach a tap. Maybe I just have unusual children who can walk and talk and use the loo and turn a tap on at under 10 years old?

Spendless

Yes, from choice

jellyhead wrote: »

True. I remember a thread about secondary schools sending kids home in the snow without first notifying their parents. I was horrified at the thought, but after the first term at secondary school I got my son a house key

I think that might have been me as my local Secondary did this, before my son as there. My friend's eldest was in yr 7 then and she received a text message saying 'X school shutting at 0'clock due to snow. Children from villages C, D and E school bus will be available, children from villages A and B to walk. My friend is a nurse so can't just down tools in the way I could shove my paperwork onto someone else's desk.

pigpen

Other please state.

When it flooded here I ended up with a houseful of other peoples children because they could get to mine but the parents couldn't get to the school or some of them, out of work!!. I had several extras up to 14 years of age... some had to walk past their own empty homes to get to mine!

If their parents could have left work it wouldn't have made any difference there were very few passable roads and it took a friend 5.5 hours to do the 10 minute drive from work!