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Original poster

What age would you leave your children to pop to Waitrose?

92 replies

SoupDragon · 14/02/2008 14:09

I'm not ready to do this yet (DSs are nearly 7 and 9) but I was dreamily thinking how much simpler it would be to leave them in front of the TV and just nip there myself (it's 5 mins up the road). Obviously BabyDragon is excluded from this, she's in nursery.

Instead I will shift my ar$e from in front of the PC and go now, before school pick up, but I just wondered when it might become a possibility

OP posts:
Original poster
SoupDragon · 14/02/2008 14:09

(I'm not sure I'd ever trust BabyDragon on the house by herself TBH!)

OP posts:
harpsichordcarrier · 14/02/2008 14:10

11? depends how sensible I would think - and if there are neighbours etc

Iota · 14/02/2008 14:10

but what if you were abducted by space aliens whilst you were just popping out for 5 minutes?

Original poster
SoupDragon · 14/02/2008 14:12
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SKYTVADDICT · 14/02/2008 14:12

Its half term here this week and I left 11 and 7 year old DDs while I took DS to CM and then to Tesco - was gone about an hour in the end . They were fine but DD1 had upset DD2 by texting disney channel valentines message from a boy in her class and it had come up apparaently LOL. Its the first time I had done it and it won't be a regular thing I just thought it was mean to make them get dressed.

scanner · 14/02/2008 14:15

I leave DD1 aged 8 while I taken DD2 to a club at school, total time for the round trip is 10-15mins. She knows not to answer the door and has my phone number etc.

Iota · 14/02/2008 14:15

and what if burglars climb in through the window and abduct the small dragons?

Original poster
SoupDragon · 14/02/2008 14:16

I think they'd probably be sensible enough now. But only probably so I'm not prepared to do it yet. It's just so tempting. Especially when I've clearly not hauled my ar$e away from Mumsnet to go now...

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Original poster
SoupDragon · 14/02/2008 14:17

Even better Iota! It's looking like a great idea now

I do leave them for the 2 mins it takes me to drive to the post box and have done for a while now. They know not to open the door but can get out in case of emergency.

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Iota · 14/02/2008 14:17

but seriously Soupy, my 2 are of a similar age to yours, and I'm having similar tempting thoughts. We have just started letting them play out, out of sight for short periods

Iota · 14/02/2008 14:18

and I send ds1 to the post box

serenity · 14/02/2008 14:18

Quite old, as my nearest Waitrose is bloody miles away.

My DSs are a year older (7.5 and almost 10) and I'd probably leave them now. They'll often sit in the car and play with their DSs rather than go into the supermarket with me (if it's a quick bread and milk shop) and I've left DS1 alone at home when he's been ill off school to pick DS2 up from school (round trip of around 45 minutes?)

It depends on how sensible you think they are I suppose - are they likely to set fire to things in your absence, or scare themselves silly thinking that a burglar/alien/scary monster is about to get them whilst you're gone?

RubberDuck · 14/02/2008 14:20

Dunno... I'd say (going on neighbour's kids and their maturity) roughly when eldest is at secondary school, personally. Given that by that point you're expecting them to make their own way to school and back, they should cope with 5 mins in the house alone.

Though personally, given that Tesco is 5 min walk away from me, I'm more looking forward to the age I can bung them some money and send THEM out to get the forgotten milk, etc...

WiiMii · 14/02/2008 14:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LadyMuck · 14/02/2008 14:24

I guess it depends on how they interact? I trust mine more separately than together, yet acknowledge that on their own they would probably feel lonely.

LadyMuck · 14/02/2008 14:25

Actually just realised that I know where Soupy's Waitrose is, so I could go and stalk...

Iota · 14/02/2008 14:26

LM - go disguised as a space alien - that'll scare her

LadyMuck · 14/02/2008 14:32

.

Naturally, I have such an outfit in my wardrobe. Be back later!

hunofmonsters · 14/02/2008 14:33

well, waitrose is 2 buses away and quite a walk from the bus stop after that so they would have to be quite old

Original poster
SoupDragon · 14/02/2008 15:42

My Waitrose trip was under 20 minutes and I think I'd be Ok (ish!) about leaving them for that length of time. It's kind of hypothetical though since 99% of the time I'd have BabyDragon (2) anyway. She is a scrunched-up-paper-on-the-electric-fire kind of girl If we had an electric fire that is.

Serenity, your "nearest" Waitrose may well be mine

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Iota · 14/02/2008 15:44

did you see any space aliens mumsnetters stalking you ?

bundle · 14/02/2008 15:44

thought this might be a "Waitrose" v "any other supermarket" type question lol

Original poster
SoupDragon · 14/02/2008 15:45

I didn't actually.

Which is unusual for Waitrose...

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bundle · 14/02/2008 15:45
Smile
BeauLocks · 14/02/2008 15:46

Ocado. It's the answer to every Waitrose shoppers prayers. Honest.