Leaving kids home alone

[weluvu]

Would you leave 2 children aged 8 and 6 home alone for one hour once a week?

I have been thinking about this again. If you go to the gym for an hours work out, you should add up the extra time of getting there and back. Its not just an hour is it?

I have been thinking about this again, as I am a terrible worrier (hence coming back to this, been on my mind). What if something were to happen to you while you were out? Car accident etc. Lose you keys.

No No No

i have an 8 yr old, a 6 yr old and a nearly 3 year old.

I am happy for them to play "unsupervised" while i have a shower or hang out wahing but i would never leave the house completely.

My 8 year old is very sensible but there are far too many "what ifs". I couldn't leave any of them with or without a sibling to look out for.

My 8 yr old was poorly recently (temp of 104) but i still took her on the school run (15 mins in total) as there was no way i could have left her by herself.

I know I was left home alone with siblings at that age and I did benefit. HOWEVER, I spent lots of time in the home environment supervised and was taught how to behave and about danger etc. I was brought up differently to how a lot of children are brought up now. Kids are often in protective environments, Nurseries, schools etc so they don't learn how to handle danger and assess risks etc.

I'm sorry though, i really could not leave an 8 and 6 year old for that long at that time in the evening. I just couldn't do it, not just for their safety but for the fact that I would just want another adult to be with them.

Interesting thread. I had not really thought about how we are mollycoddling our kids, so I will definitley let them have a bit more 'rein' but I dare not leave them alone (5 and 4) - they managed to flood the bathroom when we were only downstairs

I have let dd 'scoot' to Grannie's but I had rung her first and dd rang me when she got there!

No way would I do this.. I leave dd (10yrs old) while I nip to the shop.. 2 mins walk) if I am goingtfor a pint of milk.. but wouldnt even leave her if I was doing a proper shop 10 mins max is all I would leave her for....

in reference to waking a poorly child when you need to run an errand rather than leaving them asleep in bed... actually I think if anything I would be more inclined to wake ds to take him with me than leave him behind (which I wouldn´t do anyway) as if he had a temp what if he suddenly worsened while I was out? And yes, if he woke and I wasn't there he would be terrified as I am always within hearing distance to call reassurance even if I don´t go running. If I wasn't he would (rightly) panic.

Absolutely no way!!... anything could happen! - I know someone said the chance of a fire or burglary is tiny but yet, there is the chance of it happening - how could you possibly relax knowing your children are home alone?
I know a girl who regulary left her 9 year old home alone "just for an hour or 2" the little girl would do the dishes or something as a suprise for her mommy to come home to... and loved the praise she received when she did. One day she tried to light the fire for her mommy and threw the ashes outside the back door on top of a box of papers... the outside of the house went on fire... spread .. melted the outside of the car... and was making its way to two gas cylinders in the near by shed.. the (distant) neighbours had to call the fire brigade

I was left at home regulary when I was young .. at 10, I climbed on a chair to reach something.. fell, split my head open, unconscious, had to get stitches.

I think it is a very irresponsible thing to do. I read somewhere here that someone leaves their 5 year old alone? I feel really really disturbed by this...