Would you leave your 9 year old in the house alone?

[bigTillyMint]

DD would like me to leave her in the house for 15-20mins while I pick her brother up from a club. She is incredibly sensible and trustworthy, but I still don't want to leave her alone.

WHat would you do?

I would, I leave dd at nearly 9 for a few minutes at a time. In the next year or so she'll be doing the 15min walk to school herself and I reckon thats far riskier.

Well, I am fine about letting her walk home from school on her own once a week.

I'm not sure what I'm worried about - it just seems quite young, but it's more likely something would happen on the walk home!

I leave DS - 9 next month - for up to 10 mins when I nip to the PO or corner shop. He has his Dad's phone no and knows how long to leave phoning him if I have not returned by the time I say I will. He also walks most of the way to school on his own.

I think you need an emergency back up plan in case you don't get home when you say you will - hence DS having DH's phone no, and knowing when ot ring it.

NO

Phone no. is a good plan, thanks PandaG

Why not MP?

Yes I would at 9, DS1 has just turned 8, he walks to school on his own, and now occasionaly pops to the local shop for me. I would quite happily leave him while I popped down to the shop/DS2's school.

I do. Ds also 8, walks to school alone and pops down the COOP for me, have been known to leave him for half an hour. He is reliable and wouldn't do anything silly like suddenly try to cook or cut things up with a knife. And he knows how to ring dh at work.

I'd leave her

Yes. I also have a DD who at nine is incredibly trustworthy and sensible. I've had no problems and have been leaving her for up to an hour (with my contact details and instructions not to let anyone on the phone know she's alone and not to answer the door) for awhile now.

because you may be able to account for your child's behaviour but not other people's.

DD and Ds walked down the road together last week to a friends and I was petrified the whole time. Maybe Im just paranoid!!!!

Think of Holly and Jessica .

you do sound paranoid

but do you know why we know about Holly and Jessica?? It's because that sort of thing is so incredibly uncommon and extremely unlikely to happen.

I would and did regularly when my DD1 was 9. If they know not to answer the door or to let people on the phone know they are alone and you have a clear emergency back up plan then let them have that responsibility.

Holly and Jessica, whilst very unfortunate was an incredibly rare occurrence.

Yes of course for 15-20 minutes.

and using the logic that "well it happened to Holly and Jessica" - lets never let our children out of the house/leave them at home alone until they are ready to leave home and live on their own............there are stories very frequently of teenagers being shot/stabbed to death.........actually come to think of it lock them up NOW - FOREVER - adults also get attacked.........

I would. Have a back-up plan if she's worried about anything (phone number of neighbour as well as you, maybe?), but I think 9 is a more than reasonable age to be leaving at home for short periods.

Yes definitely if you feel she is sensible.

My now 10 year old has been left in the house for up to 30 mins for about the last 6 months while I take her older sis to dancing.

She is under strict instructions to not answer the phone or the door and my mobile number is next to the phone.

She also walks to short distance (literally 2 mins and no roads to cross) from her school to her childminders one night after school as she has a club.

I leave my 7 year old occasionally if it's raining when I pick up his sister from the station to save her the walk. I leave him watching tv - I make him go to the loo before I go so that I know he's not going to fall down stairs while I'm gone!

But I have nice neighbours he could go to if the car broke down and I was longer than I thought I was going to be.

depends on how mature she is really - but wouldn't leave her for any longer

Yes, I leave my 9 year old while I take the others to a club at school - probably a 15 min round trip. She knows my mobile number, will not answer the door or phone and is very sensible. She also walks to and from school with a friend. I've been doing this for a few months.

My 9yr old walks to and from school most days, with her friend. I also have left her on her own for up to an hour as above with my mobile number and instructions not to answer door. On these occasions she has usually been ill and I have had to get something from the shops or take her sisters somewhere.

It depends on whether I was driving for the 15-20 mins, and if I was whether there were nearby contacts for the child.
If walking to school, I would leave my now 6yo for 15 mins.
Am lol at Seeker making them use the loo

Yes, why on earth not? DS2 is 8, is senisble, and I leave him while I do the 25 min round trip to take DS1 to school. He does not fall down the stairs whils t I am there, no more likely if I am not