Can I leave 14.5 year old for a few hours without a babysitter?

[Stripes84]

My teen is 14.5 years old and used to being at home for a couple of hours on their own in the day/early eve. They are sensible. I am meant to be going out this eve but its around 30 mins away and I would be back around 11.30pm, leaving at around 6pm. We live in a safe road, with good neighbours either side. I have asked DC whether they would like me to ask one of my friends daughters (aged 21) to come and keep them company, or that they could go to their grandparents for the evening, they positively cringed at this suggestion and said they were very much looking forward to being on their own for a few hours with the TV/snacks/house to self. My neighbour on the one side (a lovely lady) has already agreed to be a contact person in case there is any emergency, and of course I would come straight back in the event of this anyway. I am not sure whether I am being ridiculously over the top/mollycoddling. Help, please, mumsnetters.

YABU - its fine for DC to be left!
YANBU - you should get sitter/person to keep company

Over 14 is fine to leave alone. As you say he's looking forward to having the TV remote to himself with snacks.

The OP is I presume not wanting to state the sex of their teenager. They and them as a generic non-gendered pronoun is in common usage (as in: “someone's left their coat on this chair”)

The op did give the age as 14.5.

They and them as used in the example you gave is fine and normal but it is very confusing when it appears so often, as it does in the op's first post. The teenager is a boy or a girl, a he or a she, not a 'them'.

Not sure what the age has to do with it.

Maybe the OP didn't want to sway opinion by revealing their child's sex. Or wanted to keep it private for other reasons. Not confusing to me.

Considering in a few years time they can marry and get driving licence etc. I cannot believe this would be a genuine question.

Thank you all for the kind and considered replies. Even the ones that weren't that nice were useful in making me realise I need to do more to encourage DCs independence. At 12 I was doing my own cooking, washing, looking after younger siblings, making my way to and from the town centre, staying in on my own etc. The reason that is not a useful bar for me is because I had to do it rather than have a parent around. I have massively overcompensated for this with my own kid, but the replies to my post the other day have made me realise I have not done them or myself any favours whatsoever! I went out and returned to a happy DC who asked when I would be going out again as they'd enjoyed having the house to themselves so much. 😅

Well done for giving it a try.

It's the start of a new era for both of you!