7yo often home alone in the morning, WWYD? If anything?

[Hufflepuzzpig]

I genuinely don't know. Neighbour's DS (nearly 8 but acts very young for his age) always goes in the car with his mum in the evening to pick up his dad from work, and he's not allowed to stay home/on the shared front lawn on his own while his mum goes.

In the mornings though, DH has noticed the DS is never with them, so the mum comes back and then takes him to school. I guess he must still be asleep or just doesn't get dressed on time or doesn't want to go.

Is that ok at that age? I wouldn't leave a 7yo home alone, but I expect many do and I don't think it's as terrible as DH does. He is generally more paranoid/helicoptery than me though. I know it's a really subjective issue, and the age at which parents let DCs be home alone varies massively.

I'd be happy for him to just come over for that time (about 30mins) in the mornings, even if he's in his PJs, should I suggest it? We don't know the parents that well, they are lovely but very shy and his mum in particular struggles with English. I could suggest it to the DS though, he likes it here.

I guess what I'm basically asking is - is nearly-8 old enough for this to be absolutely none of my business and I (and DH!) should chill because it's fine? Or is it a bit young to be home alone even for a short time?

Agree with WannabeMary - the people I know who went travelling on their own at 18 are some of the most popular and sociable I know!

Including me !

Yes, was in response to the heavy breather post :o

I think it's really sad that you and your children think travelling alone is sad or scary. It's brilliant.

My niece turns 21 next week and she is off to Canada to stay with two friends she met on her travels. If she'd been with someone else, she really wouldn't have made so many friends around the world as she did. It was a brilliant and life-enhancing experience for her.

Well I see it as sad that anyone, particularly of that age, would want to do such a trip alone. Man is not, by nature, a solitary animal.

As to bravery, the trouble is that an action is brave only when it succeeds, if it fails, it's foolish.

I would not say I am the most popular person ever but I do have an ok bunch of friends and I did have even more at high school. I moved to the States for a year-not quite travelling the world but moving to a new country, learning a new language etc. I met so many great people that I wouldn't have become friends with if I wouldn't have done this by myself.

And I have become even more independent, I started to travel alone, do things I wanted to do by myself if no one else wanted to join. Didn't make me a loner, I just did what I wanted to do. I still live by that motto. So what if DP doesn't want to go to the museum, see a film or whatever-we are not joint on the hip. I actually think people who can't do anything by themselves or wouldn't dare to travel by themselves are the sad ones, not the other way around!

x-post with Frantic.

What if no one else can afford to do the trip, doesn't want to go to the place or whatever?

And no, you need to be especially 'brave' when things go wrong. You learn so much more from failures and mishaps than when everything goes smoothly.

If you travel alone, you're never alone for very long, particularly when you're a ridiculously friendly 18 year old blonde with extremely long legs :o

Blimey frantic! So the millions of people who go travelling, on their own, every day are sad? Riiiiiiiiight!

What about people who are single through choice? Or want to have total autonomy over their travels? Or want to meet new and exciting people from the other side of the world?

I would NOT leave DD in house alone in AM fir 30 min.
Not at all, too young.
YANBU

Ps - she is 7

Ohoh! being attacked from all sides. Where shall I start? Yes I probably would be ok with two 18 year olds going together if they wanted to, provided they weren't going anywhere too volatile and undertook to stick to a pre-arranged itinerary and "checked in" with contacts at home on a regular basis. (Needn't be me, could be a friend or other relative or whatever).

"If you travel alone, you're never alone for very long, particularly when you're a ridiculously friendly 18 year old blonde with extremely long legs" not about to dignify that with a reply.

Hope very few 16 year old mothers manage without a deal of help from family, charities or the state. I don't think that babysitting at 13 has anything to do with what era you're living in, possibly more what background you come from?

ifancyashandy depends what you regard as "travelling". Going on a "singles" holiday, or an organised activity holiday to meet new people who have similar interests or are in similar positions is a bit different from just packing a rucksack and going where the fancy takes you!

I was just trying to lighten the mood frantic with a tongue in cheek comment.

I don't want you to feel attacked so I shall leave this thread now - I've made my point I think.

My niece went to NZ and then on to Australia on her own at 21 after she finished her first degree. She went to visit family and friends, some of whom she had never seen. She also met many new people and I'm sure it was a valuable experience for her, I know it was very enjoyable one. If this is the kind of thing you mean by "travelling" then I would be fine with it. If you mean just taking off and going where the wind blows you, then no, I think that is foolish for anyone to do entirely alone. More foolish for women and more foolish for young women.

If you would joke about something like that then you have made your point, or rather shown your colours!

The attacked from all sides was also tongue in cheek btw!

I meant sticking a rucksack on or buggering off to a city on your own - it's an amazing experience!

And apart from the fact sticking a rucksack on means you can go wherever the mood takes you, you do know that 18 year olds are legally allowed to bugger off without permission, don't you?! What you will or won't 'let' them do become pretty irrelevant.

I regularly kept in touch when I went travelling - because I wanted to tell the folks back home what an amazing time I was having - but if they had 'made' me stick to a pre-arrange itinery, I would have thought they'd lost their marbles! But then they'd brought me up to be independent, resourceful, careful, experimental and resourceful.

clearly very resourceful!

&christine

Are your 18 year olds happy to check in?

My mam had me when she was 15, slogged her guts out on the market. My dad was 14 and he dug graves for a living.

Sorry if you felt attacked by me, I just didn't agree with you and your children.

I do agree however that is is not smart to travel without having contact to people at home and letting them know where you are and what sort of stuff you have planned. It's important that someone knows in case of emergencies. I usually left an itinerary of things that I had planned and addresses for hostels etc. And I had a cell phone. I think that's important!

Can someone fill me in on the last 18 pages of this thread.

Apparently, the thread started sometime in 1947, judging by the responses on the first page, and then I just leapt forward a few years to this page, which actually has nothing to do with the opening post.

Anyway, from the first post, fuck no! How could anyone leave a 7 year old at home on their own. You go out in your car, kid asleep in bed, you crash your car and die, kid still in bed at home... are you with me?

What the ... I can't believe people believe its ok to leave a child at home on their own. Flabbergasted!

Popping next door to borrow a cup of sugar... maybe, anything involving getting in a car and driving away from the home... NO!

I may phone the school, they will have a better idea about this child and child protection issues.

Oh and my itinerary was not fixed or anything, I still went to whereever took my fancy. But usually you have a broad idea of what you want to see, do etc so it's not too hard to know in advance