AIBU to be concerned my ex left our eight-year-old alone?

[Hero54]

Ex husband took child (8) on holiday. Transpires that he left him on at least two occasions to go to the hotel gym for at least 30 minutes. Child said he put DND sign on door and that they had their iPad. I said what would have happened if there had been a fire, child said I’d would have used the stairs and gone to reception. I replied with thank goodness, you had discussed that. His reply: we hadn’t! Marriage was emotionally abusive so trusting my instincts and judgement is still an ongoing process but this doesn’t sit right with me. I get that going on holiday as a single parent is exhausting but I just wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving child 8 for that length of time in a new country.

That was a toddler left asleep for hours in an unlocked ground floor apartment next to a road. It in no way compares to an 8 year old in a locked room playing on an iPad for 30 mins, the iPad also presumably could also be used to call Dad if needed, and the child is sensible enough to know how to evacuate in an emergency. Totally fair enough if you wouldn’t leave your child at that age, it is on the young side, but MM is a ridiculous comparison.

I can’t really see the problem, it’s not like leaving a toddler. By the time the issue could recur your ds will be 9 anyway - my dc were walking to school by then

Madeleine McCann sprang to mind

Why? Are you prone to hyperbole and unnecessary panic?

So one child vanished, how many road trips do you take?

So his workout is more important than his child’s safety ?!
what a dick
discuss with your solicitor ? Can you stop him from going to his fathers ?

It does make me uncomfortable. iPad wasn’t connected to the internet so child couldn’t have contacted parent although in an emergency situation, this would have been fruitless in any regard. Child left for 45 minutes. I couldn’t undertake a gym session in all good faith but as others have pointed out, this is what we are living with now.

I can’t see a problem with this, but my eight-year-old was probably the size of an 11-year-old and he was sensible and mature. Realistically, how often is there a fire or an alarm In a hotel? He should have run through what to do in an emergency, but it’s only 30 minutes and he’s in a gym On site.