Would you leave 8/9 year olds at the cinema alone?

[Yougotthatvibe]

Took my Dc to the cinema the other day and saw a mum from my area, don’t really know her but have seen her on Sm. I know she works and travels a lot.
Sat down with Dc and her Dd and a friend went to sit down and mum then left.
Kids were laughing a lot, running up and down the stairs.
When we came out, the two girls were waiting by the entrance of the cinema and her Dd constantly calling her on her Apple watch thing.

It made me a bit uncomfortable but am I being overprotective? Cinema is in a large, indoor shopping type place.

Definitely not!

That’s what I thought!
I’m assuming mum went off to get a coffee/work somewhere in the shopping place, but I hung around for a while as it felt strange

I worked at a cinema when at uni. This is enormously common. They’d drop their kids off, buy them sweets. Warn them to behave, then go to the bar or the bingo and come and get them when the movie finished.

the kids were generally well behaved but I always felt sorry for them, especially when they were alone. Parents use it as a cheap baby sitting service . The same mums every weekend.

Too young. 10-11 yes not 8-9

Wow, she works AND travels? Well that explains it all then.

Wow.

I wouldn't no. I am pretty sure I was 10 or 11 when I was first left at a cinema alone and kids back then were generally left younger than they are now.

I don’t see an issue with it if the kids are sensible and a parent stays on site e.g. reading a book in the bar area. It sounds like in this case though the girls are immature for their age (running up and down the stairs) and mum left the premises and wasn’t there when they came out - none of which are ok IMO.

13 on my watch.

That's terrible parenting

Yes. Not alone but with a friend or two. But I’d sit in the cafe.

on their own from age 10.

Yes.

I have 8.5yo twins and give them a fair amount of independence. For example, they can go on short runs on their own or walk to a playground that is over an A road from us.

I wouldn't do this though. They will be hopped up on sugar and therefore might do stuff they wouldn't normally, and also it's dark and they might randomly get scared. Also as they don't have phones they couldn't contact me.

DD1 is 11 and sensible and I'd leave her and her friend. But not 8/9

? Travels a lot for work

Why? Many sensible 11 year olds are left at home for short periods and get themselves to and from school. I don’t see an issue with them going to the cinema with a sensible friend.

What are you shocked at?

Nope, at that age mine would have been up and down all the time. It’s not fair to folk who have also paid to see the movie.

Oooh, memories of the mass children-dumping ground of the 1980s known as Saturday Morning Cinema 😆

There’s actually a sign up in our local cinema that under 12s must be accompanied by an adult.

Yes this is it, they were doing cartwheels at the front and one was shouting at the other to wait for her as she couldn’t go up the stairs by herself.
I expected mum might be in the cinema itself but outside the showing room, but wasnt and they were hanging around with the child trying to call her

There is this aspect too
With my 8 year old there, I don’t even let her walk down to the toilets alone, is that weird?!

Me and my friend were groped in a cinema by older boys. We were 9. And those were the days when we lived near to a cinema and kids went on their own all the time.

Christ, what a neglectful mother. Supposing there was a fire or a terror attack.

Poor dcs, stupid woman.

That’s awful, so sorry 😔
There were two men there-20/30’s, probably just normal guys (was Toy story film 🤷🏻‍♀️) and it did make me wonder. Also wonder if the friends mum knew this was the scenario when she was being taken to the cinema by her friends mum.

Exactly, didn’t even think of that