To leave ten year old home alone for ten minutes.

[PilgorTheGoat]

My DS is ten and in year 5. Today he has been off school poorly but by this afternoon was pretty much back to his normal self. Was I unreasonable to leave him for ten minutes to get his siblings from school (I left home at 15.26 and was home by 15.35 - walking the whole way so minimal distance too)?

He was fine about it, had my number and knew not to open the door, etc. he didn’t move from the sofa where he was watching cartoons. It’s the first time I’ve done it and I don’t intend to make a habit of it I was just wondering what people’s views are.

AIBU - you shouldn’t leave a ten year old at home for ten minutes.
YANBU - it was fine to leave a ten year old for ten minutes.

Fine. I leave my 10yo alone for a short while. And for longer periods with his 12yo brother.

It’s fine!

I’m asking because I worry I’ve been irresponsible!

Of course it’s fine.

Of course it’s fine! Now’s the time to slowly and safely introduce them to more responsibility. He’ll be at high school before you know it and will be making his own way there and back.

I leave my 10 yo up to about an hour by herself, it's fine!

At ten years old? Yes, of course it's fine! What's going to happen to him in 10 minutes?

I and most of my friends walked ourselves home from school and occupied ourselves for what was often a couple of hours from about 8/9, and I'm late 20s so it's not exactly the days of yore. A 10 year old with no additional needs should be perfectly fine for 10 minutes.

Seeing as you've already done it and it was fine, I can't see the point of asking on MN- where an astonishing number of people don't let their primary school age child downstairs by themself in the morning and try to wrangle short 11 year olds into rear facing car seats.

It's fine. 🙂

of course it's fine. Don't they walk to school on their own usually?

Fine (I hope) as I also recently left my 10 year old for 10 mins whilst I went to pick up a parcel!

Not all schools allow that my 10 year old isn't allowed to.

but yes this is fine and not really sure why people need to ask MN. My 10 year old has been staying home for about a year now

They don’t usually walk to school alone as I’m going exactly the same way with siblings so we all go together. Children in his class are all allowed to though, to me that seems more risky than being at home but I’ve just looked on the NSPCC
website and it’s not recommended for under 12s.

I’ve just started allowing my 9 year old (in year 4) to do this type of thing. It’s prob been 10 minutes twice in a month but if you don’t start building up from here when do you?

So don’t leave him again until he’s 12? I’m not sure what you want from this thread.

I leave my 8 year old at home alone for short periods of time.

Yes I do. I started this thread to garner opinions from other parents. It’s hard to know when to start allowing children some independence so I was wondering what others did.

Plenty of 11yos are at secondary school and have to get themselves too and from school. My eldest two did and my youngest will from September, so the NSPCC guidance seems odd there.

Anyway, I think you've done nothing wrong. My children walked themselves home from Easter in Y5, and my current Y6 does that and is on her own two days a week until her siblings get in 20min later.

Absolutely fine, don't worry, I leave my 10 year old y5 for exactly the same reason! She also now walks hone from school. Thus is the age to start gaining confidence and independence .

YANBU

But before this thread is done, you'll no doubt have a few OTT anxiety riddled replies, pointing out that you could've been killed by a giant wheelie bin falling from the sky, or some such nonsense.

Totally fine.

I'd have left my kids in year 5 for over an hour tbh.

10 minutes in the middle of the day for a 10yo is absolutely fine. I wouldn't have thought twice about it tbh.