Would hyou leave a nearly 11 year old alone in the house for a short while?

[lisalisa]

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The pier story is tragic. I'd expect to be able to trust a 16yo to look after a younger child!

Yes, the pier story is tragic. The mother was unable to forgive her daughter, and blamed her for the loss of her little boy, and sent her daughter away to be brought up by relatives. In her own words: "I lost both my children that day". They both spent years in therapy, but have not been able to get over the incident and are still not close.

I would leave the 11 year old alone, but not in charge of the baby.

I feel very sorry for the poor 12yo, as well. What an awful situation to be in.

The pier story is . Feel for all involved as it was an accident.

Accidents can happen to adults too.

A woman here in Australia was jogging along the river with her very young baby in a pram. Her mobile rang and she answered it turning away from the pram and walked a few steps. 5 min coversation and when she turned back around the pram was gone. She screamed and started searching thinking someone had taken the baby. In fact the pram had rolled backwards into the river with baby still strapped in. It was over an hour of people/police searching the area before they found it. Absolutely tragic.

You people who say "never". Don't you ever take a basket of washing to hang out on the line? Weed the front garden? Go upstairs to clean a bathroom? I don't think it makes you a better parent because you have an overdevelped sense of danger.

I have an immensely fabuous 13 yr old ds and have left him for 10 mins with 6 mth old ds napping in a cot and dd 5 watching tv.
if ds2 was awake I'd take them all

I wouldn't leave a child of 11 supervising a younger one.

I'd leave the 11 year old for a shortish period of time.

Most 11 year olds walk to school bus stops etc on their own, with no adult supervision