Would you leave a young teen alone to go on holiday?

[GoldenCookies]

Would you go away on holiday and leave a 14 year old home alone for a week (and a 12 year old) this happened to me as a teen and I also struggle to understand it, I wasn’t invited and turned down the opportunity it just wasn’t even a question of coming. My mum also had no family where we lived and I wasnt given any emergency details of friends etc, although could obviously call the police if needed. Was this wrong or just normal back then? (early 2000s) Anyone else’s parents do this? I now have a 14 year old and 12 year old myself and wouldnt even leave them alone overnight never mind a week in another country.

Do you feel like you have trauma from it or are you just interested to hear if this was unique to your family?

Kind of, this was just one of the many bad things about my childhood though, for example being kicked out at 16 and put in a hostel for no reason at all (she did it to all her children)

I'm sorry OP. It sounds like you've had it rough

No, but my mum was leaving me home for several days to a week at a time from 12. This was pre-mobile phones obviously (early 90s). She was away on work trips, single mum with no nearby family help. I guess she did the best she could. To be fair, I was very sensible.

Only bad thing that ever happened was one time, I fell down the stairs and dislocated my knee. 😳 I managed to get the peas from the freezer and some paracetamol and dragged myself to the sofa where I stayed for the next 48 hours until she returned to take me to A&E. She didn’t even really call to check on me, though I knew the hotel and the company offices where she was working out of, in case of emergency.

Would I do that with my own children, even with mobile phones and location tracking? Not a chance. I’m not the kind of parent my mum was either. 😂 She had quite poor boundaries and made quite poor choices, and frankly it’s a miracle I came out only as damaged as I was. A lot of bad stuff could have happened to me, if not for my good fortune and street smarts.

Christ no. 14 and 12 are too young.

age 16 at the earliest

Yeah I was sensible as well and an introvert so she’d know they'd be no house parties or boys coming over! Just still feels so weird to me now having kids the same age

In the mid 90s my mum used to leave me at 14 home alone overnight 9pm-7am (single mum working nights as a nurse) but I had emergency contact details and managed fine. I just went to bed! But it was just me, no siblings. I wouldn’t do it now though with mine.

I wouldn't no. And I'd imagine there could be severe consequences if a aprent did that, an incident happened, and people found out. But around that time, teenagers babysat kids alone, overnight, so it probably wasn't uncommon.

My parents used to leave me around that age but only for a few nights not a week long, I didn’t like it but they didn’t really care!

Not now, no.

I was left at 16 when my parents holidayed with my little brother. I was happier at home and had part-time work in the holidays.

We got left alone at 15 for a week when mum and step dad went away .

I was the only one of my friends that had been left like that .

I spoke about it with my mum recently and she is still adment it was fine 🤷‍♂️ tbh I don’t think she overly enjoyed being a parent- we were definitely not treated or spoiled.

they would get take aways every week but I didn’t have a takeaway untill I was nearly an adult- because it was too expensive. We would be fed tea and sent to bed while they eat. I couldn’t imagine ever doing that with my kids . But it was just normal to us .

I am however still very bitter - mum had left £20 money for emergencies and we were to take £5 each at the end of the week on a school trip for the meal. My sister spent the money on something and that was that .
all my friends were eating chips from the chippy in Whitby and I was just sat with them pretending I didn’t actually like chips 🍟

I suppose I need to let that go after 20 years

I'm in my 50s & this definitely wasn't normal when I was that age. I was 16 or 17 when my parents went abroad without me because I chose not to go. 12 & 14 is too young imo.

DS aged 15 chose to stay home as he preferred to go to Scout Camp which started 5 days after we went away. He had a different friend over each night to stay and my parents were on call if needed.

No, I think that was quite unusual even in the 80s when I was that age. I don’t think my parents even left me alone at 17 or 18 for that long.

Thanks all, very interesting to hear other people’s views, they went to Disney world Florida so I assume she didn’t want to pay the extra (she took my youngest brother) it’s just mad to me now thinking of it.