What age of your children would you/ did you...

[misstakenone]

Just after opinions really.
My dd is 12.9 and ds 9.6 so they are 3 years and a bit apart.
They get on well and are very sensible.
I have left them recently for 2 or 3 hours during the day occasionally and they have been fine.
With dd soon turning 13 I am beginning to wonder about evenings.
I am a lp and children do not see their dad so have very little child free time.
What ages would you leave both children home alone of an evening? Going out for say 2 or 3 hours but being home before roughly 9 on a week night or 10 on a weekend?
It is hard to know when this would become a possibility but would really help me develop a social life again. I would not go far, probably initially only within my own small town so could get back very quickly if needed and would not be drinking. And would obviously only do it when the children felt comfortable with it.
Just after opinions really?

I have 14, 9 and 6 year olds. 14 and 6 year olds are very sensible, get on great and can be left alone for 2 hours max in the day. 14 year old I leave for 4 hours max in the day alone. She has strict rules which she always adheres to, as does 6 year old. Never had a problem. 14 year old is also a member of St John ambulance and knows more first aid than me, so I have no concerns in that area.

9 year old has high functioning ASD and doesn’t get on with either of them, she’ll never be left alone with or without them for the foreseeable. She comes with me everywhere. She’s too vulnerable and unpredictable to be left. She has asked once or twice if she can stay when I pop to the corner shop, but I carefully persuade her to come with me!

I’m a single mum too btw, and eldest sees her dad once a week, younger two hardly see theirs (abusive). So I feel your pain in that sense and can relate to the isolation.

I wold have eft mine during the day at that age for 2-3 hours but no longer. My youngest DD is 14 now and I would leave her for longer, or up to 9pm but not later than that. That's mainly because we live in a slightly dodgy area though, not because of her age.

I am gob smacked at a child breaking light fittings with flour bags.

DD is 14, DS1 and DS2 are 6&4.

I will be honest and say that DD has started babysitting them during the evening if she does not have any plan and we are at a wedding or birthday etc. She has also babysat them and picks them up after school (she walks past their school) if we do not have childcare from time to time.

Mine are 13 and 19. I'd leave them now for half an hour. Both are pretty sensible and I've said I'll leave them for longer when the eldest is 14, maybe even to go out in the evening locally. I have a friend 2 mins walk away who they could call if there was any problem.

I think it depends on your children. If they are sensible then I'd say now is fine.

My children are younger so I may change my tune but I would say that was fine - maybe build up to it with short bits of time here and there.

I used to babysit toddlers/under7s most weekends from the age of 12 as well as my own 4 younger siblings (my parents paid me) but was definitely a very sensible 12 year old.

Also a latch key kid from Y6 at junior school. I would walk my sister and I home (I'm 31 now so not yonks ago). My sister is 18months younger than I. I think I was 12/13 before I was left of an evening. This was before my parents had mobiles too. Really depends on the kids I guess. You sound like you think yours would be ok - you could always trial it for an hour, go to your local nearby for an hour and have a drink/read a book at 7pm to see how they fair?

My kids are 12 and 10.5. Eldest has been left for up to a couple of hours at home - not over mealtimes - and has own key so comes home and lets herself in while I'm on the primary school run. We have left her once for 45 minutes early evening (back by 8.15) to go for a quick drink and pick the others up from sports clubs. Less than 10 minutes away. 10 year olds are left for up to half an hour, separately or together and up to about an hour with the eldest. They are all pretty sensible kids, especially the eldest. We have 2 sets of friends/relatives just around the corner.

It's a tricky thing to navigate. I think you know your kids best. Maybe start small and see how it goes...