To ask what age you leave a 15 year old?

[OnlyYellowRoses]

Posting here for the traffic.

Can I ask what age you would be comfortable leaving a 15 (16 in June) home alone overnight, if you would?

DS is doing his best to convince me that IABU for not wanting him to stay in our home for 2 nights, alone whilst I am away visiting partners family.

We would be a 6 hour drive away. His father (not same person as my partner) usually lives a 30 min drive away but this particular weekend would be visiting his own parents 4 hours away.

I'm not comfortable leaving him. He's sensible and not the type to throw wild house parties but I can't help feeling it's irresponsible if both parents are a substantial drive away if an emergency happened.

There is a local set of grandparents who could be here in 10 minutes if there was an issue though.

Thoughts please? Teen obviously thinks I'm very unfair, partner and actual DS father are leaning more towards the 'let him stay' camp.

I didn't leave my eldest two until 16+ and I will do the same with younger kids.

I don't think it is normal to be terrified, no. A bit nervous maybe, but in terror?

I live in a big old house, I don't feel terrified when I am alone in it, why would I?

If my 17 year old did, I would want to get them some treatment for their anxiety

How's about stop trying to score points by armchair diagnosing this users 17 year old. No doubt the poster used the word terrified as a slight exaggeration and not literally!

Without going into it, we over the years have had some pretty scary things happen here of the paranormal kind.

so, I do get why she wouldn’t want to sleep alone in this house!

she doesn’t have anxiety and does not need therapy.

Look like I tried to say in my first post, I am not anti leaving them, I was left myself. I am saying mine wouldn’t want to be left. Every child is different and for different reasons they can/cannot be home alone overnight.

I wouldn't leave my 15yo overnight.

Thank you!!

I agree with your comments, and yes terrified is a strong word to use! But sometimes she is from time to time and will wake us if ‘things’ are happening

@Clymene
You've made nearly double the number of posts of anyone else in this thread, virtually every single one saying that it is imperative to follow NSPCC guidance.

I have not. That's your imagination. All I did was quote what HM Gov website guidance states. It's that simple. I haven't said what my personal view is either way. Then I replied to a couple PPs who misquoted me.

You are now pretending I said something I didn't. "Imperative to follow .."?! . I have said nothing like that. You completely made that up.
You are arguing with the wrong poster
Unnecessarily so.

@Workinghardeveryday well if you're not worried your 17 year old is scared of ghosts, I don't know what to say

I left home at 15 and I'm in my 40s now, can still manage to give myself the eegie beegies on occasion though.

Say nothing then

It entirely depends on the individual . If he’s a 15 yr old who is likely to have friends round that could then turn into a party then I wouldn’t .

I can never understand posters like you.

Your attitude isn’t a very nice one given this is mumsnet.

You come across as very judgmental of strangers you do not know.

Of course she is scared, things have been thrown at her, her name called, things that cannot be explained.

No doubt you will scoff. I don’t care if you believe it or not. It does happen and she has every right to feel scared.

May I ask, do you have children and if so how old were they when you left them overnight?

Well, I don't understand believing in ghosts so I don't think we can have a productive conversation.

I would be very worried if my 17 year old NT child genuinely believed the house was haunted. Especially if it meant I could never leave her alone in the evening.

It's really not my imagination

A ghost may just be an unexplained phenomenon, imagine showing someone five hundred years ago a mobile phone, you'd have been drowned for witchcraft. Or even a photograph, talking down a phone, a light bulb etc. I think in time things could have an explanation. Maybe just not one for people with closed minds

Went on holiday for a week with group of friends to Spain at 16 😂

Depends totally on the 15 year old. If I'd left mine overnight at 15, it would only have been with a (local) friend staying over - partly for company, but also asking the friend's parents to be "on call". If something weird happens in the middle of the night, much easier for two youngsters together to decide whether they need to wake up parents than for one on their own to decide about disturbing grandparents.

You don’t need to believe in anything though?

Just not judge others for anything they may feel worried or scared of.

It was productive anyway was it as you were dismissive of anyone else’s feelings that you didn’t agree with no?

I wouldn't dismiss my child's feelings if they thought the house was haunted but I would be seeking professional help

@clemene and your screenshot shows exactly that. Me stating you are making it up , misquoting me. You are indeed arguing with the wrong poster. It's also not for you to attempt to police how often PPs post. That's just unnecessary and irrelevant.
As I pointed out - which you ignored - I have not said "it is imperative to follow NSPCC guidance" nor have I given my personal viewpoint.

Also I would ensure that my child knew who to call if there was something strange in the neighborhood..

We left DS for a week when he was 15. He had a different to stay every night. We knew he was sensible and reliable and we knew all of the friends concerned.

Sorry, are you trying to be obtuse and argumentative for the sake of it?

Or does it just amuse you to try and belittle other’s beliefs and experiences because you ‘don’t believe’?

The house is haunted very much so. Plenty of none believers have left with a different attitude. That isn’t the point though

So you would happily leave your kids if they were nervous being alone?

You didn’t mention what age yours were left overnight?