To leave 8 and 6 yr old

[HeyMaCorona]

AIBU to leave 8 and 6 yr old at home playing the computer for 20mins while I pop to shop to buy DH birthday cards from us that I forgot to buy???

Not left them before and they really don't want to go out now they've just got home from school....

His present hasn't arrived so I'd feel really mean not giving him a card at least

@SmileEachDay Wrong. My DDs Dad was arrested for doing what op describes with our DD whilst I was in hospital!

Dougalthesyrianhamster

Do tell.

I’m going to be honest with you op I did it once when my older three were around that age and it went terribly wrong

I took the younger two to the shop with me and left them at home, my car battery died! Someone jump started me but it took a while to find someone with jump leads and to make it worse at the time we had one of those keys you put electric on and the electric ran out while I was out and it got dark by the time I got back. They were really scared so I wouldn’t risk it.

Dougal how old is your DD?

I started leaving dd1 age 9-10 (year 5 for short periods) and January was the first time ever we left dd1 age 12 with dtds 8. They were sat watching a film and dh dropped me at a local venue for a work do. Less than 15 mins. Gave very strict instructions! We judged their mood, and decided it was safe and fine. Wouldn’t have done it longer at that stage and not often. Dd1 has a mobile and is super sensible and dtds are too when not too wired.

No, I think they're too young as well. I don't leave mine alone until they're 10.

Haven't RTFT but seriously? You'd leave your babies alone like that to buy a card? You'd feel much worse if something happened to them, going out and leaving them for something so ridiculous....

@myself2020 as a social worker, yes we would be. It's neglect! Don't do it, it's not safe and anything could happen.

My mum used to leave my twin brother and I home for short periods from about 11 and then for whole days in the holidays from about 13.

We got up to all sorts of strange things, just because we could. We turned the staircase into a toboggan run, invented various indoor ball games, would make weird food concoctions even though we were left packed lunches, looked through all their files (genuinely no idea why), used the dial up internet to go on forbidden chat rooms and regularly had full blown fights which we then always promised not to tell on one another. I remember coming up with a pretty ridiculous story about bumping into one another to cover up the black eye I had given him karate kicking him in the face.

My parents literally had no idea. They thought we were model children.

For that reason, I’m not sure I could trust any child with my genes. 😂

I really wouldn't. You just don't know how long it will take, shopping is a slow process right now with all the queuing and social distancing. It could take a lot longer than 20 minutes.

Could you lock them in one room and leave Facetime or Skype etc on so you can keep an eye on them?

Dear God. What if there was a fire?

@bravotango

Could you lock them in one room and leave Facetime or Skype etc on so you can keep an eye on them?

Dear God. What if there was a fire?

This has to be the best bit of parenting advice I’ve ever read, you missed out the...maybe you could leave a bowl of water and a bowl of biscuits for them to nibble on and a pad to piss on also

Like some other posters me and brother were absolute animals

@StormzyInaDCup its not neglect. Neglect is that the 3 year old and his 5 year and brother who live in one of the flats around the corner are outside alone in all weathers, every day (they are “home educated”). Social services not interested as the kids are healthy and not in immediate danger.
not conforming to UK levels of helicopter parenting - yes. Neglect -no.

No don’t leave them alone. Anything could happen. Make him a card? It’s more personal that way

I find it odd that a "social worker" would say you'd absolutely be involving yourselves and that that is neglect. I think it's pretty obvious this alone does not meet the threshold of intervention.

I find it odd that a social worker would refer to an 8 and 6 year old as “babies” - maybe missed the module on child development?

Surely if children that age told their teacher they were home alone, the teacher would have to refer it as a safeguarding concern?

Once I was in the playpark with a friend and her kids during the summer holidays and a little girl of maybe five was playing with our children for at least a couple of hours. It was busy at first so we just assumed her mum was around or with a younger sibling or chatting elsewhere in the playpark. When it got to 5ish most people started to leave and the little girl was still there. Eventually we asked her where her mum was and she just said ‘at work’ We were on the verge of calling the police but her mum turned up shortly afterwards and when DF questioned her she said her daughter had just got lost and they left.

We didn’t have a name or anything so didn’t know how to report it. We didn’t see them at the park again but I still worry about that little girl and I wish I’d done more. I suppose the mum couldn’t pay for holiday club or childcare. It makes me wonder how many children are left at home alone. Probably far more this year than before.

Would they know what to do in an emergency? Probably not so no, don't risk it.

My Granddaughter travelled 400 milles on a train on her own, she was 11, i done the same journey when i was her age many times. I was left alone overnight with my nephews aged 4,2, and months old when i was 10.

Surely they would enjoy making a card for Daddy so no need to buy a card.