AIBU 9 & 7 yr olds shouldn't ge left alone??

[eeyoreandpooh]

AMIBU to think it's not right to leave a 9yr old and 7yr old alone playing in a park while you go to the shop? Said shop is a car drive away - not just round the corner or over the road

Posted too soon. I meant to say that rules like the ones you quote about foster caring don't apply to parents.

No, there aren't any rules for parents. There never has been.

The problem is always going to be justifying it if something did happen.

Which is why it's difficult to leave them
as so many things could happen. Luckily most of the time it's an acceptable risk.

I let my 9yo go to the park with her friends, but it's right next to our house. I wouldn't drive to the shops unless I knew that a neighbour was at home and willing to help out in the case of an emergency.

Are you talking about someone else's 7 and 9yo or did someone who was supposed to supervise leave your dcs? I think it's probably fine, depending on the children, but really up to the parents.

No chance would I do it. Why would you take the risk? One falls of a climbing frame and breaks their arm and you'll have social services knocking on your door rightly so

No chance would I do it. Why would you take the risk? One falls of a climbing frame and breaks their arm and you'll have social services knocking on your door rightly so

I don't think so. Social services would be knocking on the door of a parent because their child had an accident in the playground?

Since when was it a social services matter regarding children playing out?

You're wrong to not think so. If your child got hurt and you weren't there you could very well be charged with neglect or abandonment.
It scares me that people don't understand the law on this at all.

I let my 9&7 year olds play in the park by themselves while I am in the same park walking the dogs. Sometimes they take their bikes or scooters, sometimes they climb trees, sometimes they just run around playing. I wouldn't leave the park without them and they know not to leave the park without me. It's a small park though.

I wouldn't leave them at home alone, they're too young. I do let them pretend to be at home alone while I'm in a different part of the house or garden to see how they get on, but I'm always on the section somewhere.

The law does not specify an age at which parents can leave children alone, but those who do can be arrested and prosecuted for cruelty and neglect if it places them at risk.

Figures provided by police forces in England and Wales following Freedom of Information (FoI) requests showed that 30 of those arrested were released without further action, 24 accepted a police caution and 19 were charged.

In other cases, investigations were ongoing or details of how suspects were dealt with were not available.

The issue of whether, at what age and for how long parents should leave children alone for has repeatedly sparked controversy.

High-profile cases range from parents arrested after leaving children for a few minutes to a mother who was given a suspended sentence after she left her children at home while she flew to Australia for several weeks.
''The government claims that the judgment as to whether it is right to leave a child home alone is made by the parents. However, in fact the judgment is made by the police and local council workers.

''Potentially, someone who leaves a baby in a car seat in a petrol station could face prosecution. Similarly, whereas an eight-year old can be sent to go swimming or to the park on their own, they are not allowed to stay at home (alone). There does need to be more clarity on this.

I really don't think Social Services will be hammering on any doors because a child has had an accident, unless the parents are already under investigation, sorry.

Rebel- it's the "if it places them at risk" bit that's the issue. If a child breaks their arm then clearly they were at risk weren't they. You wouldn't necessarily be charged but you'd be very likely to be interviewed about it.

So there does indeed need to be more clarity on the matter then.

Absolutely. You're fine to leave a child alone at home or a park or wherever unless there's a problem, then you're not. That's how the law works at the moment. Better not to take the risk in my opinion.

I left my child at gymnastics and she broke her arm.

I'm curious to know who will get the call from social services...

I feel sorry for today's children.

Singsongsung, children can and do fall off climbing frames whether they're supervised or not. Leaving them in a playground unsupervised does not cause that risk, and the law does not suggest it does. And no, social services do not go and interview the parents of every child that gets injured.

YABU

I know many, very loving sensible, parents who would do this.

I let my dc go out alone from the age of 9/10 - even getting buses around London on occasion at that age when with other children (not alone).

There are risks in everything and we all have to take leaps of faith.

It shocked and depressed me when a close friend of mine said 'Oh these days you can't leave your kids alone at all until they are teenagers as there are so many more abductors'.

Any accident that has happened I have coincidentally been right there. Can't stop those happening.

I left my child at gymnastics and she broke her arm.

Can you really not see the difference between an organised gymnastics session where they are left in the care of another adult and leaving them alone at the park...?

Personally, I don't think it is appropriate to leave a 9 year old in charge of a 7 year old in any scenario.

And no, social services do not go and interview the parents of every child that gets injured.

I suspect they would if a child is injured ina park with no supervising adult.

What would you do if a child had an accident in a park and told you that the "responsible adult" in charge of them had driven off to the shops? If it were, say, a broken arm or anything requiring a trip to A&E, what would you do? I am not convinced that a young child arriving at A&E unaccompanied and with no way to locate the adult in charge would not trigger a call to social services or the police.

I think it depends on the children. Some are really sensible and have lots of common sense at that age (like my DS1) some are not (like my DS2).

Consequently, I would leave DS1(9), but not DS2.(7)

I suspect if a child did turn up to A&E unaccompanied there would be some fallout.

its a bit pathetic to live your life in fear of punishment by 'the authorities'. use your own judgement.

for me it would depend on the weather forecast and if they had a key to get back in the house, if it was walkable. 7 is probably a bit young for my kids to be left out with me a car drive away though, i might leave them at home instead

Mine would fight so no.

A car journey away is too much (for me and mine)

I agree completely with Karoleann that it depends on their maturity levels. DS1 is 9 and is pretty sensible. I've not left him for more than a few minutes yet, but I'd be happy to do so because he knows what the rules are, knows how to stay safe, and isn't terribly silly.

I'd never leave him in charge of DS2, who is 4, partly because it's not fair on him to be responsible for a child at such a young age, but mainly because DS2 is a plank. He climbs things, leaps about like a gazelle and is the silliest boy in the free world. At the rate he's going he won't be left alone til he's 47.

Soup Dragon you're absolutely correct.

Context is everything. Chronological age doesn't necessarily translate to developmental age. Risk is relative, not absolute.

Y (may be) BU.... or Y (may be) NBU.