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.

Things have changed so much. At 9 I was fairly independent and sensible. I walked to school and back with an 8 year old friend (20 minutes urban). If she is usually sensible and knows how to get out and contact your neighbour and use a phone, then 15 minutes should be fine.

Jesus my 10 year old has a key, let's himself in and has a brew ready for me half an hour after he gets home from school.
Why are you not teaching your children independence?
Op 15 minutes is fine, have some faith in your child it will give them confidence.

How od is DD2? Old enough to get out of car and into school alone, therefore no need for the 15 minute window? Or could you arrange with the school to drop her off and her to be with a teacher until she goes in?

I wouldn’t leave a poorly 9 year old alone.
Just keep both off school. Another few days won’t harm.

The 9 year old is not ill

@Barryisland
No one is ill. The daughter is self isolating.

@Thehogfatherstolemycurry

Jesus my 10 year old has a key, let's himself in and has a brew ready for me half an hour after he gets home from school. Why are you not teaching your children independence? Op 15 minutes is fine, have some faith in your child it will give them confidence.

Same here, apart from the brew making . My dts are clumsy as fuck and we decided it was best to make hot drinks with an adult around. They both leave the house in the morning and lock the front door and let themselves in, make a drink and a snack. It’s not a big deal. It’s ok if other parents don’t want to do the same but I certainly don’t think it’s unusual to leave children at that age.

I've left my just turned 10 year old alone for 2 hours today. She was fine. Audio book and dog for company. She practically pushed me out the door. Made herself lunch. Did the washing up. Knows not to open the door to anyone apart from one very lovely neighbour. Has our numbers on her phone. During the summer she was off out with mates for a few hours at a time (when she was 9) had a ball. Cannot believe these replies.

She can't go in the car so that's not an option. You also need to social distance from her in the household and she should remain in her room at all times as per the guidance for those self isolating in a non isolating home. The reason why only one member of a household needs to isolate following contact is because in most cases the family member self isolating will be staying away from the household before they would be infectious.

You also need to social distance from her in the household and she should remain in her room at all times as per the guidance for those self isolating in a non isolating home.

Yes that’s also not an option. There’s no way I would leave my young child alone in their room for 2 Weeks on the tiny chance they may have it. Talk about causing psychological damage to a child.

Another option if your mum drives, she could sit in her car outside your house to keep an eye on your isolating child whilst you do the school run.

Glad you are sorted now.

I'm a teacher, at 9.5 (year 5) I would absolutely leave her for 15 minutes!

Ridiculous catastrophising on Mumsnet as per usual!

From aged 8 I would stay home as a child if I was poorly whilst my mam went off to do her home help job!

She's be away a few hours and there was no mobile phones. I had a list of contacts and the next door neighbour would check on me!

15 minutes is perfectly fine in these circumstances!

Or leave her in the car! But don't take her to school! You'll risk upsetting parents who have isolated their children!

I would and have done option B in this scenario. My 9 years old DD wouldn't feel confident on her own for 15 minutes. She stayed In the car no risks.

@ssd

Do you all not need to isolate if she is?

No! On the child who has come In to contact with does, the rest of the family only isolate if the child shows symptoms.

Some people really need to teach their children a bit more self confidence. An NT 9 year old should be able to run simple errands on their own. By 10 they should be walking to school without parental supervision.

Some of these mollycoddled kids are going to get a horrible shock in secondary

If your neighbour is at home and you get on well, can you ask them to keep an eye for 15 mins? I'm working from home at the moment and would be more than happy to sit out the front of my house with a coffee and chat to my neighbours' child (about the same age) from a distance or just generally keep an eye out if my neighbours asked me to and it was only for a little while.

I’m a bit shocked by how many are saying no to a 9 year old being alone for 15 mins. By 11 many children are catching trains, buses etc for secondary school. Surely gradual introduction of independence is needed to avoid them being totally unprepared for secondary?

My children are much younger so leaving wouldn’t be an option but I think the most sensible thing for me would be to ask for later/earlier drop-offs and leave the isolating one in the car while dropping to the gate.

@Clymene

Some people really need to teach their children a bit more self confidence. An NT 9 year old should be able to run simple errands on their own. By 10 they should be walking to school without parental supervision.

Some of these mollycoddled kids are going to get a horrible shock in secondary

Haha. Mollycoddled!!

I wouldn't have left mine at that age. She managed High school and is now a fully fledged working adult. All without being left alone at 9.

I'm making no judgement here, every situation and every child is different, but please don't make out being left alone is some sort of key to life.

Genuine question @emptyshelvesagain - why not?

10min for a 9y old surely you spend longer than that in the bathroom?! Stay in bed or on the sofa don’t open the door. Ring if any problems.

@Clymene

Why didn't I leave them?

No reason at all, I just never had to.

c

Because DD1 should be isolated as far as possible from the rest of the household, so being in close proximity in the car is a bad idea.

So, thinking again, perhaps if a situation like this cropped up I would have left a 9 year old. My point was I didn't leave mine and it went on to have no effect on their future schooling.

I would never leave DS (aged 9) in the house alone for 15 minutes. He would answer the door to strangers, find an exciting new thing to experiment with in the house, play hard ball cricket in the front room etc

I would go for A but the alternatives are all bad.

I think it depends on the 9 yr old.

I’ve got reservations about the idea of leaving my 9yr old home alone in this scenario, but he’s a recently turned 9yr old with ASD who’s immature for his age.

My DC’s school is encouraging children in Year 5 (9 - 10yrs) to walk to and from school alone where possible at the minute, to reduce the numbers of parents around at drop off / pick up. Not something we’re doing for a few reasons.

A 9 yr old walking to / from school alone is almost certainly going to be riskier than the same 9 yr old staying home alone for the duration of the school run, but clearly the school think that a typical 9 yr old can handle it.

I’d also, as a general rule, consider it safer to leave a 9 yr old home alone for 15 mins than alone in a car, out of sight, for 10 mins.