Latch Key Kids

[user1483778494]

Hi,
DD has started secondary school and will be 12 in a few weeks. DD walks home on her own and has her own key and lets herself in. She is home alone from about 3.30 until 5.30. Does anyone else do this? As to be honest I feel judged and have been made to feel guilty about this. I work from 9.00 til 5.00. My daughter is happy with this and has been longing to walk home since year 5 in primary. I work two minutes down the road in car and so does my husband. Today I have felt that I have been questioned about what I do. Someone broached the subject of the law e.g what is the legal age. I did not raise this conversation by the way it was my colleagues. I explained the NSPCC guidelines to my colleague but I just feel judged/questioned and I have not even brought this conversation up. I also happened to mention that my child has an inset day from school coming up and another colleague jumped in and said are you going to leave her all day. In my mind I was thinking what! But said no my husband is off work that day, which he is and I would not leave my DD all day on her own and I never have.

DH and myself decided now would be the right time to encourage independence.

Anyway what do you think? Do you feel judged over your parenting decisions. Does anyone let their child walk home and be home alone for an hour or so?

For me this is the worst stage of parenting so far ;-) Once they are in Secondary you have the step by step of giving them more independence and it can be quite scary! It's staying home for an hour, then going out for an hour, then going into town with friends/on their own etc. Mine is 15 now and this year went to seaside on the train with her friends, went to middle of the night sleepover with all the people in her play(who I don't know from Adam), went shopping in the city etc. She has survived and so have I. Coming home from school and sitting alone for an hour is nothing!

We used to do this in primary and I used to walk my younger brother to and from school every day when I was in yr5/6 and he would have been in year 3/4. Spent an hour or two at home alone before parents came home - never an issue.

My older two walk to and from secondary alone and although I work part time and am usually home, sometimes I'm not and I wouldn't blink an eye at leaving them for an hour or so, they're not babies.

Can you point out to your 'colleague' that secondary schools will send kids home if they close due to weather or whatever without making sure there is an adult at home? So if the school thinks Year 7's can be trusted and left alone at home, it MUST be legal...

I think you're fine to leave her all day at 12 to be honest! I thought that was normal at that age, dont they go off to the shops or whatever with their friends then? I'm not old at all, 26, and when I was 12 I would walk home from school, put the dinner in the slow cooker then walk 20 mins to my brothers (2 at the time) childminder pick him up, walk home and look after him for 20 mins until my mum got home. Never felt like too much responsibility! I'm sure I will feel different when DD is 12 though.