Can I leave my 11 year old alone in airport for an hour?

[Lifoo]

Interested in what the other parents might think about this.

I live in a different country to my kids and regularly fly to Ireland to collect them and then bring them back to UK with me.

On the last trip it was just my 11 year old son travelling and as my plane had been delayed (communicated this with ex) she left my son in the airport by himself, siting that she had to attend a client meeting.

He ended up waiting by himself near security departure gates for an hour.

Thoughts?

I don't think an airport is inherently unsafe. There are plenty of trustworthy adults around if a situation arises. How could be certain that they would only have a short wait though? Was the delay due to ongoing issue like the weather or ATC issue, or just a slot change? A flight can easily get diverted while it's in the air, and would an eleven year old know/be able to figure out what to do in that situation? How far away was the work meeting from the airport if the delay went on for several hours? Was the mother contactable easily? Lots of variables here.

This is such a non issue providing your 11 yo is reasonably mature for age and no asn which makes them vulnerable. Not many safer places than an airport and I don’t think the human traffickers are just plucking young dc from a waiting area seat! Dc clearly travels often back and forward to dads so will be familiar with the airport and the going’s on within one. I wonder if OP would have preferred mum to have taken DC away with her as she obviously couldn’t have changed her meeting or I imagine she would have. Lol at the pp stating it’s illegal when 11 year olds up and down the country are without an adult in a huge array of circumstances. People really do come out with some nonsense. 😆

All kind of unexpected issues happen when they are out and about - which is not unusual for an 11yo. Buses/trains cancelled, diverted, getting off at wrong stop, missed connections, lost phones and empty batteries.Once you allow your child that kind of independence, they should be able to manage such events. So sitting at the airport cafe, keeping an eye on the screen to tell you where dad's flight is, should be quite manageable.

Hi Curlewkate, my answer to the question was indeed vague as the details of how I know it not to be a safe decision for a child. A friend was raped by an airport employee while she was unaccompanied in the airport. She was in her early teens at the time, her life experience had not prepared her for this man’s behaviour in the lead up to and the actual assault. Her parents thought she was safe enough. Airports are busy places, large swathes of people in motion, with lots of distractions. Opportunists can be anywhere. Children are vulnerable people that need to be protected until you feel your child has the wherewithal and skill to manage themselves in any emergency situation that life presents.

I am sorry that happened to your friend. It has given you a distorted view on safety in airports though. What happened to her was not specific to an airport, as you note yourself, opportunists are everywhere. If anything, because of all the cameras and employee vetting processes, an airport is likely to be a lot safer than many public places.

As you regularly fly in, I take it your 11 year old is familiar with the airport and flying. If so, I don’t think it’s unreasonable.

Me too and that’s just an asshole of a guard if your DH was at the atm next to the car! My 11 year old would be perfectly fine waiting next to security for an hour by himself, others are babied longer than they should and can’t even cope with been left home alone for 5 mins while a parent runs to the shop for milk 🙄

On average three children are kidnapped from Dublin airport every month and there is at least two children loaded up to carry drugs unwittingly on the Dublin Heathrow route. OP didn’t confirm it’s Dublin airport, if it’s Cork airport it’s on average one child a month kidnapped and about six children a year get nabbed for drugs on the Cork Edinburgh route. That’s decreasing as the airport now has sniffer dogs, one touched me last month as I flew in there.

More details please? I assume that these kidnappings are all by family members-usually the other parent in disputed custody cases. Not the random snatching of an 11 year old sitting with a Nintendo Switch in Starbucks for an hour. Don’t scare monger.

Three children are kidnapped every month? Are you sure? Why isn’t there a national outcry over this?

I’ve just googled and can’t see any reference to this.

If he regularly flies he would be fine. I assume he would have a phone to call and there’s lots of staff to help in an emergency. And in one of the most surveilled building s in the country.

Source for those claims. Children waiting at the airport, kidnapped by random strangers?
I can believe that airports (being transport) are used when one parent or other relative tries to leave the country without other parent's permission - but that has nothing to do with this situation.

This is amazing there was a similar post to this a few weeks ago where a woman was complaining that her ex had left her 12 year old alone in an airport - and everyone was saying she was right to be angry. Yet here we have a man saying his ex left an 11 year old and the first page of comments is saying it's absolutely fine.

Mumsnet really does just hate men doesn't it!

Link?

Yep.Scaremongering.

Another source request. Why is there no public outrage?
Unless you can provide a credible reference for this claim, you should ask MN to delete it as it is completely unfounded scaremongering bollocks.

This is satire, right?

Or, you are on actual crack (NOT GLUE) and that is why the sniffer dog sniffed you out.

Anyway, the moaning man never returned, did he?
He just bitched about his ex, then I presume returned to reddit.