What would you think to a year 3 child, walking to and from school alone everyday, coming home to an empty home till about 5.30pm, and spending all the summer holidays at home alone

[Lardlizard]

Apart from the odd week or two the mum could take off work for holidays rest of the time the child is home alone

@catfacecats I agree
I'm not bothered re walking home but am bothered about the child being left for long periods I think an eight year old would be Ok for 15 minutes maybe 30 at a push but that's it ie if someone gets home from work at 3.30 and school finishes at 3pm and it takes 10 minutes to walk home I'm Ok with that daily
I'm not Ok with an 8 year old being home alone until 5.30pm every night
At DD's school in a village in Scotland it's no parents inside gates no drop off before 8.45 as no supervision but who drops off they would have no idea, at 3pm teacher walks out with P1 and P2 to gate and releases child when she spots parent, granny, child minder etc The janitor walks children who get school bus to the bus. P3 (Y2) onwards are just let out of school, and told to go back if they were expecting someone and thye are not there, it is also common for children over 8 to play in park by themselves after school

I would think that being home alone that much at that age is terribly terribly sad.

Walking to school at that age is normal round here, but not being left alone, and particularly not for full days in the holidays.

@Spidey66 year 7 is age 11/12.

Think the leaving the child all day during the holidays is neglect. Is there not a club that the child can go to in the holidays? In my area there is often free stuff for kids to go to in holidays. There are some high levels of deprivation though so there is a push in my area that no child will go hungry during the holidays (Scotland). Even the 2 hours after school is too long , I would say 30 mins at a push at that age.

@ChessieFL
Thanks....see I'd describe that as first year secondary but I'm old!!!

I did and although it was unusual because most mothers were sahm, it wasn't a concern to anyone. I was given strict ground rule re opening the door/using the cooker and I followed them.

I'd expect there to be lots of concern now.

@Spidey66 year 7 is age 11/12

And to add to the confusion, year 7 is age 10/11, last year of primary, where I am.

this Was me As a child, my inner child, in the 80s

Spidey year 7 is first year secondary (in England at least!)

this Was me As a child, my inner child, in the 80s

Do you remember how you felt about it as a child? How do you feel about it now, looking back as an adult?

Really not on - it's neglect bordering on abuse.

Sorry this happened to you.

Inner child?

Oh my god I have a 7 year old in year 3. No way in hell at any primary age. I'll be paying for the childcare until secondary school. I just couldn't concentrate on work otherwise.

Call ss - I wouldn’t leave my yr 3 dd alone In the house for even 5 minutes.

The first part of your title, i.e. a latchkey kid, I'm okay with having been one in 1970s.
The second part, being alone all holidays sounds neglectful and very sad for the child.

this Was me As a child, my inner child, in the 80s

Your inner child? What? So did this actually happen?

Well you turned out normal didn't you?
Things were very different in the 80's, I agree it was still shit that you lived like that, but I can't remember breakfast/after school/holiday clubs when I was a child in the 80's.
Did you not have any friends to hang out with?

In the 80s I remember a fair number children who were doing this from younger than that. They tended to band up together and go round the village and call on other children etc.
There weren't child minders/afterschool clubs etc around-only extra curricular thing in the village was brownies/cubs.

As people have said: Times have changed. Dh walked to and from school by himself from his second day in reception which was the norm then.
Dm was going to school by public service bus aged 6yo, the only child from her area to go that way, so entirely on her own and it involved a change of bus at 7:30am (ie dark in winter).

After school care didn’t exist in the 80s unless there was a grandparent, friend or neighbour willing to step in. I should think there were lots of children walking too and from school and being left alone after school

This was my completely normal reality in the late 70s with a single mother. Latch key kid armed with skills to cook scrambled eggs on toast. Read books and waited for TV to start.

@TeacupDrama

In a way I completely agree about walking to school, though the roads are a lot busier than they were, I think its a judgement call depending on the journey and the child, but I was just pointing out in todays society a lot of judgement would be passed on that childs parents when in the 70s and 80s (and earlier) it would have been seen as a completely normal thing to do and no one would have raised an eyebrow. I actually think giving children some responsibility and a degree of freedom is good for them.
However leaving a child alone for most of the summer holidays and for 2 hours after school is not fair on the child and potentially dangerous so I dont think that's acceptable in any circumstances.

this Was me As a child, my inner child, in the 80s

So glad I checked back for this gem

This was completely normal well into the 90s. If that's all your inner child has to be sad about I think you're doing alright.

Neglectful today but pretty common in the 80's.

I has similar as a child from 6 years old. I wouldn't do it to my kids though, it was horrible.