Would you allow a 9 and a half year old to stay home alone while you went to a school appointment

[Tryingtomakethebestofmylife]

It would be around 5 pm for maybe an hour

he is very sensible and wouldn’t move from the Xbox

Yes, but I would check which neighbours are at home so that DS would know where to go if there was a problem.

Are you mad?

I would have and did with ds we were in a lovely block and the lady opposite was good friend and would knock and check on him.
No one could enter the building without being let in.
He just sat on xbox

Yes, I would

Have you left him alone before?

If he's used to say 30 mins on his own, then maybe. If not, then no. Take him with you, with a device to play on in the corridor and a packet of biscuits.

Absolutely NOT.

Whether it's his school or where you work, most schools would be flexible and allow him to sit in corridor, especially if school is closed. I'd ask if that's an option.

Yes I would. He wouldn't move from his switch and he knows to go to our friends who live 30 seconds away. We would ask him if he was OK with it first though.

Sorry but no, 9 is too young.

Until they are at secondary school I don't feel they should be left alone. They simply aren't responsible enough and should an accident happen you could find yourself on a child endangerment charge.

And I say that as someone with a very sensible 9 (and a half) year old.

Yes

Yes of course as long as they are generally sensible, have a means of calling you/emergency service and someone nearby to go to in an emergency.

Hate to be the one but at 10 I was commuting to school in London. Kids are more sensible when they are afford some level of responsibility.

If someone reported you social services would investigate

If someone reported you social services would investigate

Forget social services… the police could investigate!!

Yes, I would and have. social services would not investigate a child being left alone unless there was an issue-would he cope in an emergency? Would he cause an issue. Is there a back up friend or neighbour he can go to?

Yes

True, and if someone called the police they would send a report to social services as well

Schools actively encourage year 5 and up to walk to school alone, with good reason. I'd say staying at home is less risky that that. Not only is this a yes from me, I'd go further, it's imperative.
Otherwise you end up with year 7s too anxious and lacking confidence to get to school on their own because they've been babied.

This.

Yes. Normally I an mega over-protective but this is the age when you need to begin teaching more independence. A 9 yr old is in yr 5 at school, by yr 6 they’re supposed to be able to walk alone to school and back, incl on dark evenings, and managing the dangers of traffic / stranger danger. How are they gonna do all that at age ten if at age nine they aren’t allowed to sit on the sofa alone at home for an hr?

It does of course depend on the child, my 9 yr old will sit and not move from xbox the entire time, but his cousin with adhd I wouldn’t leave alone at that age as he’d probably decide to bake a cake and set house on fire.

Give him your mobile number, practice calling each other until he’s confident that he can reach you easily, lock the front door so he can go in garden but can’t open front door to strangers and then just go…

it's a conditional yes:
Is the kid happy with the plan?
Have they been left before for shorter periods?
Do they know how to get out in an emergency/not to use the fire/not to answer the door or whatever safety rules you have?

Presumably you can come home ASAP if there's something wrong?

This is also true at age 15, 16, 17…

Yes I would.

You have to slowly start introducing some time left on their own. Once they get to secondary age you can't just be leaving them when they've not had any experience of it and if you are a working parent you'll know that child care stops at 11, and if you have summer born children they will be on the younger end of that. It's absolutely fine to start giving them some time to be at home their own.

Depends on the 9 yo.

DSSwould have been allowed to be at home alone for an hour or so at that age ( had phone and neighbours he knew) . He equally sat on PlayStation, never moved and was told not to answer door.

You know your 9 yo

Only if they have sen

My neighbour is a social worker and leaves her 9 yo alone for an hour or so if she's shopping ect.

As others said it builds that independence and at most schools locally the kids walk to and from school unsupervised from Yr 5 where there are far more hazards