What age do you let your children out alone?

peachyprice

pigpen wrote: »

I have text my 18 y/o a few times 'are you dead' ... I usually get a reply along the lines of 'yes I have an ouija app' or 'I'm lying in a ditch come get me' .. we have a shared very strange sense of humour.

:rotfl: Same here: 'Are you alive?' 'Nope.' 'Ok then.'

missbiggles1

pigpen wrote: »

unless they work in A&E and know that most childhood accidents occur in the home.

http://www.rospa.com/home-safety/advice/general/facts-and-figures/

Given the amount of time children spend in the home, that's obviously going to be the case but that doesn't mean that it's inherently dangerous. The information you've provided also talks of adults having accidents in the home, that doesn't make it an intrinsically unsafe place for them either.

pigpen

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Given the amount of time children spend in the home, that's obviously going to be the case but that doesn't mean that it's inherently dangerous. The information you've provided also talks of adults having accidents in the home, that doesn't make it an intrinsically unsafe place for them either.

but they don't spend most time at home.. mine are awake at home about 4-5 hours a day and 6.5 at school or longer in private nurseries or with childminders.. in the street you hold their hand or toddlers are in a pushchair.. not much they can get up to.

I reckon 90% of the childhood accidents are between 6-8pm.. bed time!! lol.

Picking out the bits you want doesn't mean the stats are wrong.. go speak to a childrens A&E nurse.. of the 11 times mine have been to A&E 2 were illness and 2 at school... the rest were all in the house happenings..

silvercar

Jagraf wrote: »

So what is the point of a child babysitter? What is their role?

Are you saying that you really don't understand why it is safer to leave a 5 yr old with a 14 yr old for an evening, than leave a 5 yr old on their own? Seriously?

Jagraf

silvercar wrote: »

Are you saying that you really don't understand why it is safer to leave a 5 yr old with a 14 yr old for an evening, than leave a 5 yr old on their own? Seriously?

Erm. No. I'm saying that the role of a 14 year old is to make it safer for a five year old, thus making the 14 year responsible and the carer / parent, and I think that is unfair.

You've proven my point completely. Thank you. I don't believe that children should have the responsibility for other children.

Peter333

Jagraf wrote: »

Erm. No. I'm saying that the role of a 14 year old is to make it safer for a five year old, thus making the 14 year responsible and the carer / parent, and I think that is unfair.

You've proven my point completely. Thank you. I don't believe that children should have the responsibility for other children.

I do agree. I remember a case of a family near where I grew up, where the 10 y.o. was made to look after the 5 y.o. a lot. (Both boys.) He took him out to the woods for a bit of hide and seek, quite often, and the little brother was always fine. Then this one time, the little brother wandered off a bit, and fell into a swamp in the woods.

The big brother never knew where he had gone, and ran home in tears saying 'Johnny is missing.' It was a few days later when the little brother was dredged out of the swamp. 30 years on, the old brother who is now 40, is still living with this. His parents blamed him 100% for 'not looking after his brother properly,' and several years later, the relationship with his parents completely broke down. He ran away at 16, and never looked back, and now has no contact with any family.

An extreme case? Maybe. But similar things have happened.

A 14/15 y.o. babysitting for a few hours, maybe that's OK. But children of that age being solely in charge of small children and babies when they're out in public. No way.

theoretica

There is a big difference between someone willingly putting their own concerns on hold and looking after a child and someone trying to have their own life and amusements with a child in tow. Some young people are very good at the first for circumscribed periods, and enjoy the responsibility (and/or rewards). Some adults are very bad about the second.

I was looking up the various ages when people have been considered adult through history and in different places - there is a lot of variation. I think my favourite is 'they were considered an adult when they could act like one'.

pigpen

theoretica wrote: »

I think my favourite is 'they were considered an adult when they could act like one'.

Well I'm screwed then lol

Jagraf

pigpen wrote: »

Well I'm screwed then lol

Lol - here too!

silvercar

Jagraf wrote: »

Erm. No. I'm saying that the role of a 14 year old is to make it safer for a five year old, thus making the 14 year responsible and the carer / parent, and I think that is unfair.
...

The presence of the 14 year old is to make it safer for the 5 year old without taking total responsibility. The 14 year old is old enough to offer behaviour guidance and to summon help when necessary.

Remember within 2 years that 14 year old will be deemed old enough to do all sorts of things including having a baby of their own.