Would you ever leave a 15 yo home overnight?

[GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing]

I’m going away with my 10yo in the summer for a weekend.

15 yo doesn’t want to come (was offered, and originally booked to come).

She can stay with her dad who lives around the corner or is more than capable of getting to grandparents for the weekend.

Shes suggested she’d like to stay home alone. Will be 16 a couple of months later, when I suspect I’d be unreasonable not to leave her. Extremely sensible and no chance shed trash the place.

Why does she want to stay alone? Sometimes finds Dad annoying, plus he has a baby and toddler, and just staying at home is easier than any other options. She likes alone time. I guess she might invite over a couple of equally sensible friends which would be fine.

Any thoughts?

Nooooooo don’t do it. I was that “sensible” kid, I invited 3 friends over to stay. Can guarantee she will have friends over 💯

Sounds fine to me. A mature 15 who is actively happy with that isn't an issue imo.
Especially as she's got responsible adults nearby, so make sure they're aware and could come round if they needed to.
Check she is comfortable locking up and knows who to call if in need. 👍

I wouldn't feel happy about this, but I'm sure others wouldn't mind.

It's against NSPCC guidelines. I know it's not law but still...

I had to leave a 15yo taking care of her 7yo brother last week. That was for a medical emergency though. I’d say if the 15yo is happy to be home alone then it’s fine.

16 was the youngest and she had older siblings here also.
The 17 yo stayed one night alone with and adult sibling living close by.
We were back 2 days and the shower set ablaze. Not sure she could have dealt with that...

I wouldn’t. I think it’s too young to be left alone.

Yes definitely. I have done many times and no problems . They’re 15 years old not 15 months !

I cant think of anything that would have persuaded me to leave my daughter overnight when she was 15. Apart from concerns about her not knowing how to sort out any problems with household appliances, heating etc which might arise, not trusting her to lock up properly at night, set the alarm etc, like most 15 year olds, she would have invited loads of friends round, and would probably have organised a party.

My niece stayed at mine for a week to look after my dog whilst I went on holiday. She was about 2 weeks shy from turning 16.

Thanks - sometimes hard to gauge. I’m 100% sure she’ll be fine but wondered what the general opinion is.

If she really is very level-headed I’d probably agree to it. But I’d tell her that you'd arranged with her dad that he’d pop in each morning and evening to check all was okay.

I assume he’d agree to this?

I leave her for an evening here and there but wondered if overnight was seen differently

I couldn't give a fig about the NSPCC guidelines, but I wouldn't leave a 15 year old.

DS was 17 before we left him (for one night).

If you do go ahead, consider what she should do if eg there was an emergency like a water leak.

Yes, a week after we'd left ds overnight for the first time, we had a water leak! Not so bad as a fire, but bad enough.

Really interested that views are so diametrically opposed!

Some absolutely would and some absolutely wouldn’t.

She definitely won’t have a party but of course can’t guarantee things like house hold appliances malfunctioning won’t happen.

I think it's fine to leave her in the sense that she's old enough and she'll be fine. However, don't underestimate the chance that loads of people will come to the house!
I was a sensible teenager whose parents went away. I (very sensibly) invited two of my sensible friends over. However word got round that my parents are away and about 50 people turned up! Someone wrecked a chair and someone else tried to steal the TV. Another person got in to a fight with my neighbour! The police were called. This was in the early 90s so no mobile phones, no social media, yet word spread very quickly.

I've done it multiple times (I work shifts) and he's also had a few mates over as well. They've stayed up, ordered pizza and sat playing PS all night.
It's always down to the individual kid imo.

I would, and have, left mine overnight.

I have absolute faith in my parenting of her, and her ability to be level headed in an emergency.

Totally depends on the kid.

I would (and do) leave my 15 year old overnight. He has lots of friends but has never had a random party! 15 is plenty old enough to be responsible to sleep in a house on their own.

Yes, but worth running through the rules and basics, (locking up, no candles, how to turn the gas off etc..)

I left DS at 15 but he had a different friend to stay every night and my parents on the end of the phone if needed.

I know this doesn't apply to all teens but raucous house parties are really not such a thing with gen z and below. It's well documented through research that teens and early twenties are the most isolated generation, often choosing to socialise remotely from their bedrooms rather than in person. The lure of getting together in an empty house is not the same as it used to be. My teen doesn't want to go anywhere or have friends over - he wants to stay up gaming til 2am without me telling him to be quiet and to eat all the snacks. He knows he could invite a friend round but he's not bothered!

Yes. I was left alone at just 16, when my parents retired and moved to Italy for the summer months. It was great.

I was left for about 3 nights at 16, similar situation I didn't want to go on a family holiday. It was fine but I was really lonely and a bit freaked out (big old house, out in the sticks). I think a 15 year old is probably able to deal with emergency situations in the sense of calling 999, getting out of the house and calling a responsible adult. Worth telling them how to turn off the water, what to do if someone knocks at the door, if they lock themselves out, if something burns on the cooker or if they burn themselves etc. Hopefully a 15 year old would know most of that anyway. give them a list of adults they can call