to think leaving a 4 year old downstairs when you have a lie in is wrong?

[Jelliebaby]

My friend has recently confessed to me that she sometimes gets up in the morning with her 4 year old son then leaves him watching a dvd and having breakfast whilst she goes back to bed for a hour.

I think this is quite wrong of her (but didn't say)and wondered what other people think?

I am suffering from severe MS at the moment and would love nothing more than having an extra lie in but the thought never really crossed my mind.

MI is your 'nap' a euphemism?

or would that be a "nap".

Sometimes DH and I do the bung infront of Cbeebies with dry cheerios (Sansbury's own brand ) for a bit of a 'nap' and an ever rarer spot of "napping"

Loads of people do it. I didn't with ds1 as he's a rooter and would pull the place apart. I often send ds2 back to his room with his DS if he wakes up first.

my dd spends alotof time downstairs on her own in the morning, esp at weekends.

I don't go back to sleep tho, just doze i guess.

she also spends all my mn time on her own.

oh dear

I was left alone when small. I used to play with fire. Was never caught or nothing ever happened. Luckily

seeker.......you have never met MY 4 year old...tis baaaad very baaad.

the building would be RUBBLE

You said you thought it was wrong in the OP.

Never to have an actual sleep, occasionally for a "nap"

I have no problem with it, but then we have a lock on the dining room door so it is just the lounge that is available.

It's usually a euphemism. I'm probably warping them for life, actually, as we have been known to bellow 'just a minute, darlings, we're still napping'...although also, if we're lucky, an actual nap may follow .

Monkeycat, how did you play with fire?

We have a fire but I wouldn't leave DCs alone if we have lit a fire. The matches are kept out of reach. (I have to get something to stand on to reach them)

We have toys that we sneak in the boys room at night so when they do get up they have something to do. The house is alarmed and so they cannot go downstairs.

lol a good "nap" followed by a nice nap would be a rare and wonderful thing indeed.

I did think it was wrong when she told me as i couldn't imagine leaving my DD who is a a similar age downstairs on her own whilst i slept. I'm quite a heavy sleeper and may not wake up if she was in trouble.

Having read the responses though i can see that alot of people dont think its too bad and i can see their view on it.

my 6 & 3 year olds do this most weekends.

We haven't to date. DS1 is 4.6. I know that several of my friends send their similar-aged ds's downstairs. I'm pg with dt's and it would be nice to have a nap on the bed in the afternoon whilst ds2 having his but I settle for 15 mins curled up on the sofa around him. For some reason, I don't feel comfortable doing it, it's not safety that concerns me, I just think I ought to be there, or at least 'around'. I'm quite jealous of those who do it tbh, but can't break the cycle! I suspect it is the child, ds is quite anxious and likes to know I'm there if there's something bothering him. Phaps I'm encouraging this by being there all the time, still. Wouldn't blame anyone who did it though, I think we should all take the breaks where we can!

Frankly, given my usual bad-tempered exhaustion by 10pm (and worse at 6am, thank you very much) 'napping' is the main form of sub-duvet activity in the Inferiority Complex.

I do this every Sat and sun!
In fact they often complain if I come downstairs too early - they like playing on their own. i think its good for kids to play unsupervised sometimes

I am appalled at allowing children to help themselves to food and turning on tv's and computers though tbh - I dont think children under 7 are old enough to make those decisions tbh

My normal routine in the week is to give ds breakfast and turn on Cbeebies while I go off to have a shower and get dressed which takes about 40 mins (I'm not a morning person so v. slow). I've been doing it since ds was 3.9 and there's never been a problem. If he's up very early then I sometimes try to squeeze in an extra 30 mins sleep too.

I often put his clothes on the sofa with him and occasionally when I come back he has dressed himself. [lucky cow emoticon]

Lighters and matches lying around. We also had an open fire and I would heat up a metal fire rod (that you use to 'poke' the fire) until it was white hot and then stick it into the sofa arms as I was fascinated at the process of melting for some reason. My mother just thought they were ciggarette burns from her and SF.

But I also used to light the fire aged 7 and nearly did burn the house down when trying to 'blaze' the fire (stopping the air getting to it to make it burn hotter) with a piece of newspaper as my mother had taught me.

when i had really bad MS and i used to doze on the sofa with ds, 3, sitting on the sofa wedged behind my legsm watching Cbeebies. That way i felt him if he gets up. used to lock the kitchen with a gate though. wouldn't feel comfortable leaving him downstairs on his own.

blimey MT you little pyromaniac!

Message withdrawn

I think she tired quite hard (my mother) to get rid of me, but failed