Those of you with 6/7 year olds. Can they...

[sunburntats]

Be trusted at unsupervised?

In the house i mean.
Do you leave them in rooms alone and are they ok when you do?

(I mean while you are home...DO NOT mean going out and leaving them.)

At ALL unsupervised i meant....doh!

DD is 7y and we have been able to leave her unsupervised in rooms for a long time. She has always had a playroom on a different floor to the living room since we moved here when she was 3y5m, and has always gone off to play on her own happily and safely with no problems.

At 7y she now spends a lot of time in her own room or playroom, for ages at a time, either on her own or with her friends. Again never been a problem.

Why?

DD is 6.9 and I've not felt the need to supervise her when she's playing in other rooms of the the house since she was about 2.5.

I wouldn't expect an NT 6/7 yo to need constant supervision. At this age they should be able to entertain themselves and stick to simple rules (like Keep Out Of Mummy's Room, and Don't Touch Plug Sockets).

Is she at all "mischievous"?

Does she do stuff that makes you want to rip your own hair out by the roots, turn around, leave the house never to return.

Gosh yes, of course!

I've left my DS unsepervised from a much ounger age than 6.

You have to show children you trust them if you want them oto be independant and responsible.

Ye, unless he has a felt pen.

Same here....my DS will be 6 in March and we can leave him in our front room watching a DVD for a couple of hours without needing us. We would check in on him every 30 mins or so. Also, he is an early riser but knows he has to stay in his room until 8am at weekends and he plays away there...usually with lego or books...he's always up by 6.30 so that's over an hour on his own.

Also curious to why you ask...

I have been able to leave all my children unsupervised from 2 years old. Of course I'm around and check in regularly. But certainly a 6 year old should be able to be trusted, yes.

ahhh now we are talking cybil...felt pens

DS never does anything mischeivious (but maybe that says more about my definition of mischievious) and generally comes and asks me before he does something that might make a mess or use things he doesn't usually use - like he'll always ask before he gets sheets and blankes out of the airing cupboard to make a den.

He certainly never does anything deliberately 'naughty' or reckless.

Are you having trouble with your dd?

Depends what you mean by mischievous really. She doesn't cause wilful damage to the house or our belongings, but she does spill drinks/get pen on the table/that kind of thing sometimes.

Well,
ok
how about when theirs friends come to play, do you trust them unsupervised to play.
AND when said friend leaves, what sort of state are the rooms in which they play?

I will pop in more if a friend is around and regularly get them to tidy up something they have finished with beofer they get the next toys out.

And I generally make sure that DS and his friend have a wuick tidy up about ten minutes before the child is about to leave. I feel this way DS may be better at tidying up when he is at friend's houses too.

At 7y my DD isnt really mischievous or naughty when playing alone. She knows the rules and doesn't really break them, often reminding visiting friends not to go in our room, etc.

DD has felt pens, glue, craft stuff, paint, etc in her room and is allowed to play with them at her desk with her friends, or alone, and again it isn't a problem. She is very sensible on the whole.

She also knows that she has to tidy up herself when she has been playing, and hat expect a reasonably tidy playroom and bedroom when she has finished. I always give her and friends a 10 minute warning for tidy up time.

DD has her best friend here right now for rest of the day. They have been playing upstairs for the best part of two hours. I can hear them, but haven't felt the need to go up. They are very sensible.

The reason why I have friends over for DD so often is it means DD will go off and be entertained for a while, without the need for me to be involved - oh, and the fact that DD loves having her friend round.

I have a (just) 6 year old dd and a 7 yo ds (for another month till his birthday).

I would go mental if I had to supervise them. They share a room and play in there together or on their own. If I had to supervise all the time I'd never get a shower or anything.

My kids are self sufficient in many ways though - they can tidy up, put away their laundry, get totally ready for school on their own, make sandwiches - my 6yo just before the holidays took to making her own packed lunch for school.

Ah.

Well.

Friends are a different matter. Totally depends on the friend! DD has some friends who can manage fine with minimal supervision, and a couple who really can't and feel the need to make a mess and crash around a bit too much and fiddle with stuff they shouldn't.

I try not to have the latter sort in the house if possible - if we are seeing them we go out to the park or something.

but I have a rule of 'no trashing the room with toys' that Ds knows and that I tell all visiting children

when friends come it depends on the friend. Luckily I work with ds at school so have a good idea of who can and can't be trusted.

Some kids rampage through the house opening all cupboards demanding to know whats in them. Others need coaxing to take their coats off.

I usually suggest they play with lego or playmobil upstairs as its easy to clear away. My heart sinks when someone suggests painting.

I probably keep more of an ear out when there is someone else in the house.

And I do remind about tidying up, before friend leaves.

DS1 is 6.2 and yes, I can trust him alone in a room by himself. He has never been destructive, and loves to play quietly by himself for long periods of time. If he needs anything, he comes to me to ask/assist him.

HOWEVER, I cannot trust him to keep an eye on his younger brother. He gets too absorbed in his own thing and leaving DS2 alone with him would always end in tears and disaster for all.

weegie my Ds is like that too, pretty independant. And he will tidy up aroudn the house without being asked, and make me cups of tea in the morning. But I have trained him to be this way, it isn't something that just comes on its own.

Yes, DSs 1 and 2 (almost 7 and almost 6) will play alone or together unsupervised for ages, but DS1 is a total stickler to the rules and keeps DS2 in check .

DS3 of course cannot be trusted...at all... ever (21 months)