DD 1 having to isolate, how do I get DD2 to school?

[divafever99]

DD1 (age 9 1/2) sent home from school today and told to isolate for 2 weeks as she may have been been in contact with Covid. DD2 still expected to go into school.
Currently considering what I will do tomorrow, would you:
A) take DD 1 on school run, keeping safe distance from others.
B) drive to school and leave her in car alone for approximately 10 minutes.
C) leave her at home alone, I will be gone for approximately 15 minutes.
Any advice appreciated, I'm sure I'm not the only one with this issue.

[Settleandcalm]

Not your point but how the hell does isolating one and sending the other in make any bloody sense? I despair of these guidelines I really do!

[DappledOliveGroves]

Jesus Christ, the hysteria on this thread! DD used to walk to and from school on her own aged 9, let herself in from school with her own key and amuse herself for an hour or so until the au pair had come back with her step brother. She was fine.

Unless your daughter has some form of special needs then of course it's fine to leave her for a few minutes. I'm sure she can use a phone or go to a neighbour if there's some sudden emergency!

[badlydrawnbear]

I can't drive and we are in the same situation. We don't take DC2 to school on days that there aren't 2 parents at home (I work 2-3 days a week for 13hrs a day and DH WFH). I worried what the school would say about that, but they were fine and said we weren't the only ones. I emailed DC2's teacher and he has sent me some information about what they are covering in class so I can do some work with her at some point to try and make up for it (not sure when as I don't see DC on days that I am at work and DH can't do any school work with them and do his job, DC2 goes to school on days that I am not at work and I am working part of the weekend). I don't know how they will record DC2's absence, but there isn't really anything we can do about it, especially as I don't know any of her friends' parents who live near us and we also live in an area where it is technically illegal to meet anyone who doesn't live in our household who might be able to help get her to and from school.

[MayFayre]

Leave her at home.

[badlydrawnbear]

@Settleandcalm

Not your point but how the hell does isolating one and sending the other in make any bloody sense? I despair of these guidelines I really do!

It doesn't make any sense at all. 1 DC can't leave the house in case she has covid, the other should go to school and I must go to work on public transport where I am in close contact with many highly vulnerable people all day.

[JoanieCash]

@Settleandcalm I agree a bit nuts, but I assume the logic is that you could have one positive case in a bubble of 180 and if every family had say 4 people, that’s 720 people isolating. And each bubble could go down repeatedly with a positive case. It would be impractical very quickly if all household contacts repeatedly isolate. Economy and all that.

[Fungster]

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme

A 9 year old should be capable of being home alone for 15 minutes! The competitive never-everers are drawn to threads like this like moths to a flame. Obviously you don't shock her with it by just going out without telling her or preparing her though.

Can she use the land line? Indeed do you have one, or a second working mobile? Does she know your neighbours and who to go to for help? Have you practiced how to phone various numbers for help (neighbour, you, grandparents)?

In the country I live in its considered negligence not to have prepared your child with various routines and so on by that age, but so many MN posters mistake over protection for good parenting, when in fact not preparing your child for and then giving them slowly increasing chances at a bit of independence and responsibility and more importantly teaching them what to do just in case is negligence and lazy.

It's easy to say what if you crashed the car (be thankful your child was safe at home...), what if you broke down (phone them and neighbour) what if the zombie apocalypse began... but what if the only parent fell down the stairs and knocked themselves out! By 9 a child should know how to phone for help and which neighbour to go to.

Good call on telling the neighbour if you do go, but it's also a good idea to prepare children for being home alone in advance so that it's no big deal.

Yes to all of this!!!

[FortunesFave]

A. 9 is too young to leave alone for 15 minutes. She won't meet anyone sitting in the car!

[Fungster]

We don't take DC2 to school on days that there aren't 2 parents at home (I work 2-3 days a week for 13hrs a day and DH WFH).

I don't understand - why does it take two of you to get your kids to school?

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

I dont understand how the wait in the car option is 10 minutes - doesn't your school have a 'drop at the gate' policy? If so, park as close to the gate as possible, wait for an opening then nip dc2 to the gate and back to the car.

[TheMistressQuickly]

Take her in the car - she can lock herself in. Better than being home alone x

[emptyshelvesagain]

Ten minutes alone In the car but only 15 alone at home? Sounds like your drive is minimal and you live quite close to school. Can you ask another parent to walk along with your DD

[Frazzled2207]

@Fungster
I think she means if there are two parents at home one can take the child going to school and the other parent can look after the other child.
If one parent is out that day then things are suddenly more complicated.

I have to say if school was happy to take one of my children I can't imagine not sending them just because of school run issues. I'm pretty sure loads of self-isolating children will be seen at school runs even though clearly it is not a brilliant idea.

[whirlwindwallaby]

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme

A 9 year old should be capable of being home alone for 15 minutes! The competitive never-everers are drawn to threads like this like moths to a flame. Obviously you don't shock her with it by just going out without telling her or preparing her though.

Can she use the land line? Indeed do you have one, or a second working mobile? Does she know your neighbours and who to go to for help? Have you practiced how to phone various numbers for help (neighbour, you, grandparents)?

In the country I live in its considered negligence not to have prepared your child with various routines and so on by that age, but so many MN posters mistake over protection for good parenting, when in fact not preparing your child for and then giving them slowly increasing chances at a bit of independence and responsibility and more importantly teaching them what to do just in case is negligence and lazy.

It's easy to say what if you crashed the car (be thankful your child was safe at home...), what if you broke down (phone them and neighbour) what if the zombie apocalypse began... but what if the only parent fell down the stairs and knocked themselves out! By 9 a child should know how to phone for help and which neighbour to go to.

Good call on telling the neighbour if you do go, but it's also a good idea to prepare children for being home alone in advance so that it's no big deal.

100% this

[divafever99]

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

I dont understand how the wait in the car option is 10 minutes - doesn't your school have a 'drop at the gate' policy? If so, park as close to the gate as possible, wait for an opening then nip dc2 to the gate and back to the car.

There is now a 1 way system in place, the school is massive so by the time you have dropped off and walked through the one way system it now takes 10 minutes. The school is literally a 2 minute drive away. But all sorted now, friend is ok to meet me outside and take DD2 in. She also has another child in the isolating bubble, but her dh is at home so can stay with them.

[TitsOutForHarambe]

I'm surprised at so many people saying that 9 is too young to be left home alone for 15 mins. I wouldn't think twice about it.

[Galaxxy]

Another vote for leave at home. I leave my 10 year old for up to an hour without breaking a sweat.

[whattodo2019]

Do you not all need to isolate?

[dementedpixie]

No they dont

[bubblebubblebubbletrouble]

Glad you're sorted now OP. FWIW I would do B - I left my 9 year old for around 30 mins for the first time during lockdown but wouldn't do it when I was driving in case there was a problem with car.

[Thelovelyflower]

My daughter is 8. I would not be leaving her alone at home. I would ask school what they would like you to do but my suggestion would be that they let you drop off right outside school and have someone take your child in. I think that is what my school would do.

[JKRisaqueen]

Jeezus. It's perfectly fine to leave her home alone - she's 9 years old!

[Inkpaperstars]

I think that your mum can help. I might be wrong but I think this could reasonably be classed as exception for care of a vulnerable person/ childcare. She could either take DD2 to school esp in outside, or keep an eye on DD1.

If she is vulnerable herself, she could either park/stand behind DD1 when she is in car (!) or watch DD1 at home but be just outside the house, or in a different room (with DD1 knowing how to alert her if needed).

[DonLewis]

We have this situation at my sons school and they've put out a message saying that you shouldn't bring the self isolating child to school to drop the other one off. But if you're really stuck, the self isolating child has to wear a mask, and stay strictly 2m away from everyone else at the school.

[whirlwindwallaby]

I'm going have to have some plan for when the inevitable happens and dd2 has to isolate, I can't leave a 5 yr old at home alone! If it's only a 5 minute round trip by car could your 9 year old walk to school if you have to stay home with your younger child?