We live with another family atm and I had to go to work for a few hours today. They were off work today and said they would look after my DCs aged 7 and 10. Very grateful and they collect them for me once a week on Tuesdays when I work a late which is fab. However I returned home a bit earlier than I thought I would and my friends had gone out and left them alone. DS said that they told him they would be about 3 hours! I wish they had told me and I would have arranged something else.
I am happy for them to be home alone for about an hour, but any more than that and I worry or their safety, and also that they just spend their time watching tv.
They are supposed to have them tomorrow while I work too, and I now feel like arranging some last minute childcare for tomorrow, and arranging something else for the Tuesday evenings (the after school club do an out of hours service). They have always said it is not necessary to do anything like that for the Tuesdays or holiday days when they are home, but I feel a bit like they have been abandoned, perhaps I am being unreasonable and overreacting, but I do think 7 and 10 is quite young to be home alone for 3 hours, and I do wish they had told me. DS also said that they didn't seem to know they were looking after them today, however I must have raised the subject at least 10 times! :-/