Would you let a 6 year old stay with a 12 year old at home, while you popped out for 10 mins

[Lardlizard]

And say they were both playing in a games console and you trust them to both be sensible and the oldest know what to do in an emergency etc

Yes I would allow it. I’m sure a 12 year old knows 999 or what to do in a fire?

Yes, the 12 year old should be sensible and caring.

If they got on well and they were both happy with the situation, then yes. It

Yes.

If you know the 12 yr old is sensible then yes. I started babysitting for family friends around that age

Yes I would

I do this quite regularly because my 12 year old is very sensible and trustworthy and my six year old is also reasonably sensible.

I don't. I think 12 is too young to be responsible for looking after a small child. Something could happen whilst you're out.
I don't leave my 8 year old with my 13 year old.

I would yes, although I did once find a video on the iPad of DS14 who should know better and DS10 sliding down the stairs on their mattresses

Yes if they are both sensible and ok with that.

Yes, of course. A 12 year old should be more than capable of coping without supervision for ten minutes.

Haha @Casander did you never do that when you were wee? 14 year olds could be doing so much worse!

Yes, it’s only for 10mins!

My rule of thumb is that the younger one can cope with an emergency where the eldest is incapacitated or unconscious.

It’s probably overkill because obviously I could also be incapacitated or unconscious when I’m in the house with them

Yes and I have done on numerous occasions. There is a 6 year age gap between my eldest and my youngest and I began to leave my youngest and eldest together for up to about 20 mins when my eldest was 12. Usually I was dropping/picking up my other kid from a club or party or just running to the shop.

Yes, I've been leaving my DS's since they were 8 and 12 for an hour or so. This year they are 9 and 13 and stayed at home all day on inset day. They are both very mature and sensible.

Yes

No I wouldn't

@AudacityOfHope oh I did secretly find it funny, more so the fact that they would have got away with it but big child had accidentally uploaded it to the family sharing album, I doubt either of them are going to have a successful career in organised crime

I wouldn't.

You clearly haven't met my 6 yo. A thousand times no. Happily leave the 10 and 11yo old together at home for an hour.

I always say it depends on the kids, but if your 12yo is sensible, has a way of contacting you, you get on with the neighbours and he would know how to get help in an emergency, it's fine.

FWIW I used to pick my brother up from school when I was 12 and he was 7, and let ourselves into the house as my mum had to work until 4, so we weren't there by ourselves for long (and no busy roads etc) and it was always completely fine.

Yes I would (and did) but I don't like putting too much expectation on the older one.

Yes I would unless there was an obvious reason not to

I would leave my 12yo with a hypothetical 6yo, but not my actual 6yo! He behaves wonderfully in school/ at friends houses but would definitely not listen to anything his siblings asked him to do/ not do.