What age do you leave DC alone in school holidays?

[FrangipaniBlue]

Just that really!

DS is y6, just turned 11 and to his credit is pretty sensible and mature.

We leave him home alone for an hour or 2 if we're doing something like going shopping, to the gym but these places are no more than 10/15 mins away in the car.

We're wondering about leaving him at home during the Feb half term......

For context:

I go out at 5.15am but DH doesn't leave until 8am. Dog walker comes between 10-11 to take the dog out and had said she'd stick her head round his door to make sure he is ok.

In laws then come round about 12/12.30 to feed the dog so could check on him then, or alternatively DS could feed the dog and no need for in laws to call?

I get home at 2.45pm.

He would probably stay in his room and play on his Xbox and he knows not to answer the door. In laws live around the corner, ie next street over so 2mins to get here.

I could make his lunch (sandwiches etc) and leave it in the fridge and he's more than capable of making his own cereals for breakfast and getting drinks.

WWYD??

I’d leave him, he’ll be fine. It’s not actually very long. I would ask parents to pop in that week and then maybe won’t be necessary at Easter.

I think that would be fine, it's only really 2 hours alone in between him being checked on so I'd leave him in your situation

Every of half term? I’d prob do it for a day or two, but not the whole week. That’s a lots of time on a console with no one to talk to. Could your in laws do something with him for a couple of the days?

I'd leave him, but that's not your plan for the whole week is it? It's ok for a couple of days but bit of a rubbish holiday. Can in laws take him out for the day, or can he spend a couple of days with friends if you and DH can't take time off?

I think it would be fine, he'd only be alone a couple of hours between being checked on.

I would probably try to book him into an activity one or two days though.

Sounds ok but could be very boring for a whole week for. It's his holiday, can some fun things be factored in too .?

I think it's fine, though like others said I wouldn't want to do it for the 5 days.

I think it is ok to leave a sensible kid at home with people coming in every couple of hours, but, DD (nearly 13) would be bored and lonely. One day is ok but I wouldn’t plan on leaving him alone all week.

Have you asked him? He might say that he'd be more comfortable with someone there or that he'd be scared left on his own, albeit with visitors.

I would like to think I could leave mine at that age. Maybe do a trial run of popping out for a few hours one of the weekends and leave them together. See how they are.

He says he's happy to stay...

He does normally go to holiday clubs but one is doing craft (normally rugby!) so he doesn't want to go and the other is 9-12 so we'd still need in laws to have him before/pick him up after.

In laws would happily have him all week, but they don't take him out (other than if they're going out say shopping) so he ends up
sitting on either his own or MILs iPad all day.... unless one of his friends is at his grandparents who on the same street but he isn't going this half term as I know his mum and she's taking the week off work.

If he's on his Xbox there's always someone in his class at school online, they play/talk to each other, in reality he probably wouldn't go on til about 10 as he'd sleep in then get his breakfast, and I'd be kicking him off it when I get home too, I'd probably set it to kick him off at 1pm for half an hour too to prompt him to get his dinner

I just don't know what to do for the best.....

You have the dog walker and your in laws able to check on him during the day and if the in laws are that close he can call them if he needs them/in an emergency.

My 14 year old has been left while we go to work (I’m out 7.45-16.00, husband our longer) but not my 12 year old and we haven’t left them together for all day because they fight. Both sets of grandparents work full time and not close to our home and my husband works 1.5 hours away so that’s why we wouldn’t leave the younger one just yet. I think in your situation we would

I'd leave him, but book him into the 9-12 club a couple of days and have PIL pick him up.
Maybe see if he could go to a friend's house one day? PIL could drop him to a friend after they feed the dog and you could collect at 3?