At what age would you leave a child alone at home for an hour or less

[probablyparanoid]

Just that question really

My children are 11 and 9.

The older of my children goes to school independently by bike and comes back by bike. I am comfortable about leaving him at home for an hour alone and he sometimes spends the day with friends when their mum is about most (but not all) of the time.

The younger one - I have never left him alone but have left him with the older one for 1/2 an hour while running an errand. I won't leave him longer than that.

My DH thinks that I am being overprotective. My DC's get mad at me as I am always bundling them into the car for a short(ish) errand as I don't want to leave them alone

I don't know what is right any more .

Just wanted to canvass opinion.

We've just started this with my 10 year old DS. Usually when I popo to the shop for half an hour, though he was on his own for two hours in the last week of the hols so I could go into work. He'll be going to high school next September and needs top gain a bit of independance.

I suppose it would depend on how they are when they are together; tmy here's a five year gap between DS1 and DD but even if it were closer I would never leave them alone together as they fight like cat and dog.

I think what you're doing sounds about right, based on my own comfort levels.

oops, fat fingered typing

Difficult, each on their own fine.

A 11 is too young to be responsible for another child and a 9 year old won't do as they are told anyway.

You have to be absolutely certain they will not fight or be silly.

I generally leave one or the other of mine because they get fed up of running the other one to Guides or dancing.

Mine are now 14 and 11 and I would leave them because they would know to storm off to their own rooms rather than fight.

I've been leaving my 10 yo (year 6) DS on own for short periods (less than an hour) for the past few months usually while I'm walking my 8 yo DD somewhere. I haven't left him to drive anywhere outside the village because (of the admittedly small) chance of a prang in the car or some other delay meaning he would be left longer. I wouldn't have left him at 9 and can't imagine leaving DD at 9 under his supervision when he will then be 11.

Your DC might have more common sense than mine however. The first time I left DS on his own (to walk DD and her friend home), as we came back up the road, we were greeted by DS sailing past us on his scooter, his friend had phoned him to see if he could play out and he had left immediately without telling me where he was going and leaving the house unlocked...

I will leave my 8 year old if I am walking out to the shops which are 10 mins away. Not if I'm going out in the car though. And he is very sensible.

Thanks for the input - mine are quite sensible for their age and get on for the most part but I do worry that they might have a fight and hurt each other as that is not unknown.

Does anyone know what the legal position is on leaving kids on their own. I had a row with them this morning and I said that I would not let them stay alone because it was illegal - I don't know if I was talking out of my bottom or not !

There is no legal position. If something happened then you could be charged with neglect but there are no hard and fast rules.

Hi I leave my 11 and 8 year old's for a short time, I've been to Asda today for an hour whilst they stayed home watching TV.

Our lives are so hectic during the week, always rushing for work/school/child minders so at weekends they want to chill!!

My oldest has a phone just in case and I could dash back within 10mins so feel quite comfortable.