Leaving my daughter on Holiday.

[SillyPig]

Me and my family have gone on holiday to Australia. It has been an amazing time and we’ve met up with some of my old school friends here. My child (16 girl) has struck up a strong friendship with said friends daughter (16 also).

Us adults are going out for a night on the town. Well as much as I can nowadays. I was wondering if I should leave my daughter home alone.

She is very mature for her age reading well above her peers. Reads more mature books than me. So I feel like she can be left alone safely.

However some part of me feels really uncomfortable leaving my daughter home alone in a new country. I’m going to leave her my card so they can order some pizza (probably a mistake) and they have my phone number. But it’s weird, some part of me feel like I shouldn’t go.

I know I’m being ridiculous but has anyone else felt like this.

I went abroad for two months to stay with another family when I was 16.
We now leave our kids alone at home for a few hours. Our DD is 11.
You are being massively unreasonable if your 16 year old has never been alone or with a friend at home. How do they get to school. Is this a joke?

I think I voted wrong due to the wording. Yes you should leave her, she's 16, with a friend, in a country where there's no communication barrier. She could be backpacking through the jungle by herself in 2 years, time for a bit of freedom.

Your voting question makes no sense.

Rephrase to "should I leave my daughter" yes or no.

You are measuring her maturity by what she reads? You think they might go crazy and order too much pizza ? Brace yourself for when she goes to uni in a couple of years . How much she spends on pizza will be insignificant .

Depends how much pizza he would order obviously 😂

For goodness sake, she's 16, not 6😂

Bonkers for even asking

You should leave daughter… i think I voted incorrectly and altered to it by another Mumsneter

If she’s as bright as her mother, all will be fine 😂

I thought you had mid-typed and meant a 6 year old as you were talking about reading ages, and worrying about leaving her home alone….then I realised you really did mean 16! Yes of course you can leave her. We left our sensible 11 year old for an afternoon when skiing last year - he just stayed in the apartment, watched French tv a read his book. We skied over the border into another country and back again. I wouldn’t have left him at night, but he was only 11. Our 15 year old would be happy to be left with a mate in their country, especially if there was pizza and a film involved!

I thought you meant leave her on holidays and go home 😆 omg your post reads as if you were talking about a 12 year old. She could move out of your house and live alone if she wanted to at that age! Helicopter parenting at the top level!

I actually thought you were going to ask about leaving her in Australia with her friend! For a night out, absolutely, good lord :)

She won't be alone. She will be with her friend. If the girls are sensible, this is fine. No different to her staying at a friend's house with parents out at home.

16 year olds have reading ages?!! Don't they just, I dunno, read books?! I also thought you meant you were leaving her in Australia and I was already a yes on that. Leave the poor girl alone and let her have fun with her friend.

And also, if they're not sensible, this is completely normal at 16 and you "have a conversation", clean up and get on with your day.

WTAF does her reading level have to do with anything.

if at 16 you can't trust her to stay home with a friend &use your card sensibly, then don't.

If yr posting the question on here and your gut is saying no, ....you have your answer

I think it's fine. Leaving her at a friends house in an English speaking country with friends dd who presumably would know how things work there is very different to leaving her alone in a remote villa in Greece where she doesn't speak the language.

If anything DDs were a bit over cautious with food when they were spending my money at that age, and I don't think I've ever been particularly strict. I'd have to say "Please do get a dessert or side if you want one" to give them more freedom rather than rein them in!

Yes I did too. I though the OP was going to say DD was invited to stay longer without her and that would be fine too!

Your daughter will be fine. If perchance she comes into contact with a bad guy she could always lull them with a bedtime story since she is such a good reader.

So it's leaving 2 16 year olds home together for a few hours?! Umm absolutely yes! My nearly 16 year old would barely notice I was gone if there was food and Wi-Fi lol

So, @SillyPig , did you leave her ?

Did she live to tell the tale ?

Dude, you 16yo could literally fly to Australia on her own, I think she'll manage hanging out at the accommodation for 1 night

If she’s happy it’s fine. Give them a spending budget for pizza. Tell her you are trusting her with your card and if she goes over you won’t do it again.

Oh, it's this OP again. WUM.