If you work out of the home and leave year 7, 8s alone from 4.30 to say 6.30 what do they get up to ?

[Lilaclily]

I'm facing this dilemma

Dd year 5 will be in afterschool club and by the time we both get home it'll be 6.30 , and ds will have been home since 4.30

I know lots of kids do this but it'll be about 4 times a week and I'm wondering if he'll get Lonely once the novelty of going on the xbox and eating the contents of the fridge wears off

I work FT, so DD might be at home on her own 5 evenings a week. However a combination of clubs/matches mean that it usually ends up being 3 evenings. I was quite anxious about the arrangement at the start of year 7, but I soon got used to it.

12 and 14 I am home by 5. They lie around doing nothing until I get in! (Then they help)

I make mine text me the moment they get in as they have to get a bus.

DD is older now but from y7 me and DH worked full time, so she was alone from 3.50-6 ish 4 nights a week. She would mostly watch tv and the cupboards until 5.30 and then she would start making dinner ready for when me and DH got home, that's what I miss the most now she's at uni .

I used to be the child in this situation. I used to
-read
-watch videos
-do homework (homework had to be completed before the evening meal)
-torment the cat (by trying to encourage her to sit in cardboard box houses I lovingly decorated for her, not sadistically!)
-play on a console
-eat an awful lot of biscuits
Sometimes I had a friend over with permission, and we would play on the console and eat biscuits together.

Raid the cupboards not watch them!!

I'm impressed at the cooking, I do love the idea of him being more independent but I'm not sure I'm ready for him to be cooking,

Yes he could text when he got in, he's good at texting now when the bus is late

I think they're fine on their own - its when a younger sibling moves up to secondary that the problems start bitter experience fights, yelling, locking each other out etc

You could always start cooking with him at weekends; even if it takes him a while to be independent, it would be nice for him in a few years' time to be able to do it.

When I was a teen, my DM used to let us make Sunday dinner: choose a recipe and plan it and cook it. Learnt a lot from that.

Thanks this thread is really helping me , yes I like the idea of getting him into cooking

Fockers , yes that worries me too, it'll be a year in september when dd is year 7 , so 2018 And ds will be year 10

My two (15 and 12), watch tv, do their jobs, homework, go on their phones. They tell me when they have got in or ask if they can go to friends etc. Usually they just get in their onsies, eat everything that I haven't hidden, and relax.

Mine don't fight at home. They fight after school before the bus arrives. I often have one off one place in a mood who has abandoned the other. It's so annoying. I often make them come meet me at work

Yeah I cooked with DD from a young age as I'm a chef so I was able to trust her relatively quickly (started with beans on toast, then pasta etc) cooking with him at weekends is definitely a good idea though, DD loved it as it's how she earth her pocket money.

Mine are year 8 and 9. They come in, make themselves a snack and drink and do homework before going on computers/iPads.

I do feel guilty. It's only recently I made a move from permanent nights so they are used to me being here but they cope. Dh is always home at 5 which helps. I work shifts so I'm here some afternoons, sometimes not until 9pm.

My dses have both said they prefer it when I'm here in the afternoon but the switch to days has been a long time coming and I needed it for my health and wellbeing.

Eat
Play x-box
Do homework (on a good day)
Eat some more
Practice piano (on a really good day)
Put dinner on if I've left instructions
Eat again

They are supposed to text me to say they are home safe but in reality they often forget. I always get a text if there is a problem though!

My DS will be going to high school in September so we will have to let him be at home by himself from 4ish till 5.30. He HATES being by himself (always has to be sat in a room with someone) so I don't know how he is going to cope

I feel so guilty about it already

Due to shift working we are usually home for our Y8 coming home, but my best friend had the same dilemma when they started in Y7... They got cats - which gave her a bit of a focus and kept her company! She happily comes home and gets her homework done (it does need a look over to ensure it's okay) and then has some downtime. If she does feel a bit lonely she calls Granny for a chat - which I think works well for Granny too. However, I have another friend who has had to resort to taking her son's x-box controller to work with her - to make sure that he doesn't spend all his time on that, now he's doing his GCSE's.

I would let an 11/12 year old cook on their own.

My dc (yr 7 and 8) do homework, go on the Xbox and PC or play games. The other night I got home and they'd made play doh!
I work shifts so I mostly get home about 5 but sometimes I don't finish til 9:30, on those nights they'll cook their own tea mostly microwave stuff or pop to the chippy.
They get on ok most of the time and both relish the independence. I do feel guilty but the fact there's 2 of them does lessen it slightly. I am looking forward to going on maternity leave in march so I get to be at home when they get home from school.

I work past school time 3 days out of 5 - the other 2 I finish at 3

They do put dinner on if I am running late - they can make a few meals, anything from the freezer with chips but also spag bol and toad in the hole - it's really nice to worry about food when it's late

My DD, year 7 and DS, year 10 also come home alone, I get in about 5 usually. Yes they raid the cupboards and eat cereal and fruit. How nice it is to have an honest thread about 'latch key kids' without somebody spoiling it, and telling us how irresponsible we all are.

Theromanempire

Go out and leave him for an hour or so now and then and build it up. Mine now refuse to come anywhere non essential! I go to the doctors, dentist, shop etc and they stay in.

I agree elephant this thread is really supportive and honestly helping me so much .

Congratulations to the poster who is due soon and enjoy your maternity leave

I do think ds will love it

I had wondered if he'd have friends over a lot but to be honest since he finished primary school socialising seems to only go on at school, I think they're typical lazy boys who don't organise much

I love love love the idea of getting a cat to keep him company !

bumDC thank you, I will try that. He is talking about picking his sibling up from after school club on his way home which I think is just so he has company. However, DC2 will be year 4 and they fight like cat and dog so no way that is happening