Would you do this?

[R2G]

Family member is leaving her two kids, primary school age year 5 and 6, to go to the gym at 6.30am. She's back before they wake up. Obviously she's in a class so can't easily check phone. She doesn't have them with her at least two mornings a week so could go then. Is she being unreasonable or is this fine?

I would have been fine to have been left for a short while at 10 or 11, and to help my younger siblings- if I'd been told that my mother was popping out for a bit, so not to panic if she wasnt there for a while.

My own kids? No. I love them dearly but they are all as daft as brushes. I would not feel comfortable leaving them, sleeping or not.

It's a tough one,I wouldn't say it's wrong,yet i wouldn't feel comfortable doing it myself.

I wouldn’t. Like others, it’s the being asleep part that bothers me; I’d worry that in an emergency they’d panic/be groggy and not able to cope. I would leave children that age at home for an hour during the day though.

It's totally different. It's daylight for one. Second, sleep is far less deep in the final hour or so.

Yes, and everyone knows nothing bad ever happens in daylight. The sun has magical powers which prevent bad things.

Oh, grilled aubergines, so you'd let a 10 year old play out at sunny 8pm in the summer and pitch black 8pm in the winter like they're the same thing I suppose.. kids are far more confident and happy in daylight.

Not fine.

Depends if the children are happy with it or not imo. If they can contact her by mobile phone and they know how to get out the house ok I think it's fine.

It's daylight but they are asleep and it's dawn break so although day light not many people around.

You’re comparing apples with oranges balsamic. This isn’t about playing outside where there will be someone keeping an eye on the child. If the children are asleep, it makes no difference what the lighting is.

Nope, too risky for the children in an emergency.

Sounds fine to me too. The year 6 child isn't going to be expected to get themselves too and from school in 5 months. If they can't stay in bed or get themselves up for an hour or so then the family are going to have problems come September.

It's not the getting up and making your breakfast, it's the being fast asleep and not knowing someone has watched your mother leave and is burgling your house

Oh that's true, I forgot about burglars. Burglars could also attack 15 or 16 year olds to be fair so probably best to stay in groups to be safe.

All of the objections people have listed apply equally well to children right up to adulthood - when does the magical number happen when it is suddenly risk-free?

Parenthood is a process of taking increasingly big risks and hoping that your dc will be lucky or cope.

She's wrong to do that. She can do an hour's work out at home if she's that desperate.

It's not the getting up and making your breakfast, it's the being fast asleep and not knowing someone has watched your mother leave and is burgling your house

Now you are being silly.

Yes Furano you're probably right about that (it could just be that she had to call the police earlier this year as someone kept sitting outside her house - irrational fear.)

My mum left me at 11 to go to work on days when I was ill. I thought it was fine. And I slept some of the time.