To leave an 8 and 12 year old while I pop to the shop?

[OoohOnly90CaloriesIllhave10]

I would be about 20-30 minutes.

I've just run out of washing powder and I know my 8 year old will whine about going and he constantly asks if he can just stay home with his brother (12, nearly 13).

My parents used to leave us kids. In fact we used to baby sit our baby brother while they went to the pub. But then, a lot of the stuff they did back then was questionable by today's standards.

AIBU to leave them while I popped out?

(Wtf it's not letting me do the bloody poll?!)

“It required A&E.....no 13 year old should have to deal with that!”

So what age would you leave them?

My MIL is well into her 80's and fell yesterday and went to A&E in an ambulance.

So I am not sure what is a good age.

OoohOnly90CaloriesIllhave10
Boy and girl. Boy is youngest.

poster anothernotherone sounds fantastic. are you in Scandinavia?

I left my boys at that age with a neighbours son in our garden while I nipped out. Neighbour was over the road and kept an eye out. All very good until I came back and discovered a magnifying glass and a pile of deformed toy soldiers, very hot day. But everybody survived and I would do it again they have to learn.

Iris1654 so you wouldn't leave a 13 year old home alone either?

Children should know where to get help - which neighbors to call if a situation is too much for them.

What if the parent in sole charge fell downstairs and knocked themselves out/ had a heart attack/ brain hemorrhage/ cut themselves dramatically?

The sooner children know which other adults to call for help and how to call an ambulance the better!

Just being physically present doesn't guarantee that your child won't have to deal with an emergency, unless you ensure there are always not one but two responsible adults present at all times!

Myteachersaid rural southern Germany

So you wouldn’t leave a 13 year old ? Really? The only time mine have ever injured themselves it’s playing sports. They are well behaved and if left watching Netflix won’t have moved til I get back. Our society way way too precious about this imo. Our kids will end up pretty useless if always hovered over

I don't, but my 13 and 8 year old argue and the 8 year old doesn't like being left.

If you're happy they'd be happy it's fine.

I would leave them for sure. my almost 13 year babysat my 5yr old & 3yr today 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. while I was at work all good no issues but from a few squabbles. They know they can call on our neighbors anytime.

There are loads of threads about children staying at home on their own atm. I've posted on this one, cba to type is all out again but children should be prepared and taught gradually to be home alone, and should have a good social network of neighbors they know, be able to use the land line competently, have slowly learnt sensible rules and procedures over time etc etc.

Just keeping your kid within arm's length til they're 14 then throwing them in at the deep end and expecting them to need no supervision is far more negligent than putting thought and effort into teaching life skills.

I knew a couple of helpless types at uni even 25 years ago scared to be home in their student houses alone und sadly lacking in ordinary life skills. Their parents had been doing their cooking, washing and shopping for them and driving them to school until they finished A levels and given them no space or independence. That's crappy parenting.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3647171-To-leave-an-8-and-12-year-old-while-I-pop-to-the-shop

Ye gods I just posted that long speel on the wrong thread, linking back to this one Time to go and do something else!

It’s a bit late now as you’ve already been to the shop but 12 and 8 is fine. I am just starting to leave my 7 year old with my 13 year old and would do for up to an hour as long as I was local.
My 13 and 11 year old have been left together for a year or so for a couple hours and once they turn 14 and 12 I’ll leave them a bit longer. We have rules about answering the door (don’t!) and using the oven (text me to tell me they’ve turned it off!)

So yesterday my kids (bored stuck in because of the heat) decided to have a water fight while I was putting the baby down for a nap. They decided to pour it into their Beyblades stadium, pour it off our balcony, spill it over our carpets and to have a water fight with it.

I guess that's why I needed to ask MN whether it was a good idea or not. Because I knew full well it wasn't a good idea for my pair of eejits (who are how grounded with tablets taken away from. Fuck sake).

I said to DS2 (8yo) "You expect me to leave you while I go to Tesco, ever again?! I couldn't even feed your brother next door while you two had an indoor water fight."

Him "but that would be different, we wouldn't do that while you were out."

But it's perfectly ok to be bastards when I'm right next door?

Again - fuck sake.

Also, it doesn't help that they are best mates, thick as thieves.

First off - they egg each other on and find naughtiness hilarious. This does NOT go unpunished.

Second of all they will lie to get each other out of stuff.
"No I didn't do that I SWEAR. No my brother didn't do it either!!"

They both do this.