Wondering what others do with regards to leaving older children / early teens home alone for short periods?
I know times have massively changed compared to when I was a kid - I was 7/8y when my parents started to leave me for short periods during the day and by the time I was 10/11y it was all day/evenings, then 13y overnight was deemed ok.
I’ve got 2 DC - a 12yo and 8yo. They are both sensible and NT and the older one has been left a handful of times for up to approx 1 hour over the last 6-12 months. If we’ve gone to the supermarket / popped to do something locally that they are not keen to join. They have a mobile and know to not answer the front door etc. Generally they are playing video games and know how to make a drink / sandwich etc if needed.
Now wondering if 8yo could be left with 12yo in similar circs to above. 8yo is very sensible and both DC get on well etc. For context, 12yo has been taught how to call emergency services (should that ever be necessary), knows to leave the house if a fire broke out and knows to knock on neighbours house / dial 999. We live in a quiet cul de sac in a ‘safe’ large village.
For example, today or tomorrow I need to pop to a shop to return something, both DC don’t want to come and are asking to stay home for max 1 hour.
I feel torn, but feel that it’s perhaps because these days people do seem to be quite hyper vigilant about this sort of thing and no doubt for good reason. However, I trust my kids to not do anything silly and would be at the end of a phone (unlike when we were kids), so realistically that feels like an extra layer of safety.
It’s be good to get some opinions from others who have done / not done this and reasoning behind decisions either way.
If you’re a solid no, what age would you consider it to be safe?
I worry that we’re over infantilising children sometimes, but equally there needs to be a ‘line’.