Home alone at 8

[thaigal]

My sister has started to leave her 8 year old son in the house on his own for an hour a couple of nights a week so that she can go to a keep fit class, she has nobody else to look after him. He is quite sensible and be trusted but am I alone in thinking 8 is too young, even if just for an hour?

yes. i have an 8yr old and wouldnt leave him alone even for 10 minutes to nip to the shop. what would he do if someone came to the door etc?

I have a friend who leaves her dd home for that sort of time, I was too at at that age, for that sort of time. I think I probably would do it, too.
Her DD is taught to never reveal to callers (phone or at door) that she is alone, though.

Nnnnnooooooooo!! Too young imo, 10 mins to the shop is one thing but ......

Yes 8 is far, far too young. And surely thats illegal?

is this thread somewhere else as well? im sure i already posted on this.

oh well.

there is no legal age limit as to when a child can be left alone other than "SO LONG AS CAUSES NO HARM TO THEM OR OTHERS"

personally i would find an 8 year odl alone for no emergancy reason quite alarming.
could she not ask a neighbour just to keep an eye on him if its just an hour? alternativly go whilst he is at school.

8 is a bit too young. as for it being illegal i dont know whether it is in statue but more a ethical no no

do you live too far away from her to look after your nephew, whilst your sister gets some me time?

I wouldn't leave my almost 8 yr old alone for longer than popping to talk to next door neighbour at her front door for a few minutes or to the post box which is about 2 minutes away.

I came across a mum from school in the supermarket - she was with her baby and had left her 10yr old with her 7 yr old & 5 yr old at home - whilst she did the big shop. Just couldn't believe this!!!

I can't imagine leaving my 2 dd's even at 15 let alone 8!!

not nice imo.

So how are your dds going to get to secondary school, stiglet? Being out and about on public transport has to be statistically far more dangerous than hanging out watching a DVD at home, surely.

15 year-olds work as babysitters!

We leave our 7yr old for an hour or so. The rules are don't answer the phone or the door. Mind you, granny lives on the 4th floor, so she's not quite alone if there is a problem. But she's very sensible, intelligent and is perfectly capable of getting herself what she needs within limits (most of which she set herself!) like not using the cooker, kettle, or putting on the fire! If she wants something she thinks she can't do for herself she goes up and asks granny. I do worry that we are bringing up children who won't be able to cope with the real world when they have to get out into it - mind you, with the housing market like it is, more and more kids are still living with parents well into their 20s, even 30s...

At 8 my best friend and I were roaming the fields for hours on end, taking the local farmer's very wild ponies out for rides, or pootling off down the river or across the lake in a very elderly boat, including swimming off the boat and struggling to climb back in again.

Not sure that I would be completely happy for my children to be doing all that, but I'm happy to leave them at home for an hour or two, send them down the road to the shops or a friends, or let them disappear off into the woods to climb trees at my parents.

I'm sure they'll be less at risk as teenagers than those children who've never been out of an adult's sight until they were into double figures.

I have left 9yo dd1 at home out of necessity for an hour whilst collecting ds1/ds2 from school/playgroup when she has been ill. Now I can drive though I wouldn't have to be gone for so long and could even take poorly child (2 mile walk involving hill not popular with invalids!)

I said I couldn't imagine it, not that I wouldn't leave them @ 15 - think you took me a little too seriously frogs! 8 imo is too young to be left alone.