Left alone in a park

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Please help, My ex looks after my two girls (12 and 10) most weekends. The eldest likes to do park runs on Saturdays but my youngest isn't really bothered. I found out recently that my ex and my eldest had done a park run in a large Scottish city (they've never been there before so an unfamiliar location), and my youngest had been left alone in a play park while they did a 5k park run. Looking at the course, the majority of it is outside the visibility of the park so there would be no way of checking whether she was safe in the park, except a few sections. A 5k takes around 30 minutes to complete - it does circulate the play park but on a very wide basis. Am I being unreasonable to think this isn't okay??

Honestly OP I'm not sure as mine as younger, but I think that sounds ok, presuming your DD is the responsible sort and is comfortable with it? She's old enough to know to stay put, and also old enough to be starting to go out in the world a little - presumably she'll be in secondary within a year or maybe two? And if an emergency happened, your ex and other DD would be found easily enough.

A 10 year old playing in a park for 30 minutes by herself is absolutely fine. Many 10 year olds are going to the park independently at that age.

My dauggter would go to the park closeby on her own or with friends at 10. My daughters quite sensible, so maybe not all 10 year olds would be fine.

Sounds fine to me.

In a strange city? At home she could go home or find someone she knows if something happened but she's stuck on her own in a strange city. Was she not a bit scared?

Depends on the child but at 10 for 30 minutes is ok.

Does she have a phone? Could she have phoned dad for help?

If yes I'd be fine with this.

This. Why can't a 10 year old entertainer themselves for half an hour, and know not to leave the area?

I think it's ok at that age.

Did she have phone with her?

Park runs usually have lots if marshals so if anything happened she would be able to find a safe adult.

So in a way , the park run makes the scenario safer.

The only worry is that the place is unfamiliar. I think it would be absolutely fine in a local park .

Personally, I think it's shit parenting. It sounds a bit miserable and slightly scary for your 10 year old - assume she had no friends to play with?

Parkrun marshalls are not babysitters!

Half an hour at a a park age 10 sounds perfectly reasonable.

It’s fine. My son was cycling down to the rec and playing with friends for a few hours by age 10.

It depends on the 10 year old and whether she's reasonably sensible and happy to be left, but I'd say that's probably fine. She's old enough to know how to keep herself safe, she knows roughly where her family are, and 10 year olds are generally ok to be on their own for a short time.

That's not what PP said.

This sounds fine. There will no shortage of safe adults at a parkrun.

I don’t see a problem with this, why can’t a 10 year old be by herself for half an hour?

I think that's ok.

When people in their 40s plus were younger we were out playing alone at a much younger age than that on the whole so it’s ok. The world has not become more unsafe since then but also appreciate parenting is different now so this might seem wrong to some people. It’s teaching her she can cope alone which will be great for her confidence

Seems fine to me. Presumably on Park Run days the whole place is buzzing with running families.

I would be fine with this as long as dd was ok with it.

Without evidence to the contrary, a 10 year old should be fine for half an hour in a playpark. Presumably they were told to stay there and when dad and sister would be back. YABU.

I think it is OK.

My parents used to leave me in the Natural History Museum/Science Museum in London while they went to the sales at that age (in the mid 1970's). I preferred being on my own doing that rather than being dragged around Harrods to look at towels.