What gent I leave a child home alone for 10 mins?

[Squirrelfruitandnutkin]

Due to school based activities I have one dc needing to be at school super early.
The eldest is 9 and walking to school on his own, and to local shops now so is pretty sensible and trustworthy.

Would you leave a sensible 9yo at home for 10 mins while you dropped the younger one at school?
Ds is likely to sit and watch TV and not even notice I’ve nipped out. Plus we have neighbours in at that time in case of emergency.

Wish there was a rule book for this sort of thing, rather than using my own judgement! 😬😂

I think nine is right. I started leaving my sensible eldest for ten minutes at about that time. She knows the neighbours and knew where I was going, and I taught her to use the landline so she could call my mobile if needed.

Now she's ten she gets left for up to an hour, btw.

Thanks! No idea what happened to my title, need more tea this morning! 😴

My eldest is 9 and I wouldn't feel comfortable doin it yet...

I think this could work you would just have to be very strict about drop off though. No waiting to catch teachers or stopping for a quick chat. It would be drop and run everytime.

It could be a starting point to more independence for them

Yes it’s definitely a case of drop and run, in to school via office. No teachers to chat to. :)

Yes, that sounds fine, if you already trust him to walk to school.

I'm sure you wouldn't, but make sure you explain the situation (ie how long you'll be gone, what to do in an emergency) don't just nip out without telling him.

I would without a second thought. I wouldn't rely on the 9 year old not to notice you're gone, just tell him.

It's how long is a piece of string because all children and luving situations are different blah blah blah.

However unless you live in a really terrible area or don't know neighbors who could be called upon in an emergency, 99% of NT 9 year olds without special circumstances should be 100% ready and able to be left for longer than 10 minutes!

Where I live it would be considered crap parenting not to have bothwred teaching your child the skills needed to be reasonably left home alone for short periods by age 7, let alone 9.

Kids should know what to do if the phone or doorbell rings (your rules depending on your circumstances), how to call various people from the landline and who to call if they need help or advice. They should know what to do if the fire alarm goes off. They should know your house rules around what is allowed when you're out. They should know which neighbors they can physically knock on the door of if they need immediate assistance. You should have good relationships with a few neighbors some of whom are usually home for it to be a good idea to leave under 10s.

Independence skills should be built up slowly and steadily so that a child is never thrown in at the deep end if you have a situation where you need to leave them. Definitely better to have had practice when it isn't actually essential.

It depends on the child. I have always wondered why children are OK to walk to school and deal with traffic and stranger danger but then some people consider leaving them at home alone more dangerous. I make sure mine know not to open the door to anyone, have their mobile to hand to call me if need be, know how to get out of the house in an emergency and there are certain things they can't do. Just make sure they know the ground rules and practise things. One thing I would say - my son can't hear anything with his playstation head phones on so he can't play playstation when I am out and he just watches TV.

Very much depends on the child. My DS is 9 and happy to be left on his own for 10 minutes while I nip to the corner shop. But he's a sensible and risk-averse child and feels confident to do so. He knows how to call me and knows not to answer the door.

Yeah, I do that. I started leaving DD sometimes for that sort of time if it's just her last year when she was , for example if I needed to drop her brother somewhere. She doesn't have to come with for that sort of thing.

Yes only on mumsnet people wouldnt

I leave my 9 year old on his own while I take his brother out and about. His older brother was left from the same age, and in fact used to walk himself home (approx. One mile) which the school were ok about. For some reason they weren't ok with him being on his own after school, which I find odd. He's much safer on his PS4 in his bedroom than crossing busy roads!

Both my boys relish their time on their own in the house.

I started leaving DS alone for 10-30 mins when he was nearly 9. We have laminated card by the phone with my. DH and DM's phone numbers on to ring if I am not back by a pre agreed time.

Yes. Loads of people do that with their 4 year olds here, although I find that a bit young! I've let mine from 6 years old, although it's 10 mins there and back on foot. I wouldn't if it was 10 mins in the car.
Also leave the iPad locked into face time so can call me if need be.

Its subjective isnt it my son is 12 on Boxing day and i jave been leaving him for short periods for about 3 years in the last year or so i will leave him for a bit longer to go shopping etc , somone on here posted they wouldnt leave a child alone under the age of 18

Thanks all!