quick - would you go out and leave the dcs for half an hour?

[stroppyknickers]

Right, at 8pm, dh is returning with dd (10). ds (3) is asleep. ds (6) is not. Lovely friend literally opposite is having a drop in party for her dh (40). Do i leave dd, ds and ds, take baby and go with dh and a baby monitor for half an hour or do dh and I go in shifts?

I would go in shifts.....

shifts

Ok. Only because my lovely friend suggested it and I thought maybe other people did. In my defence, I did avoid all the Madelaine MCCann threads so i don't know if this is normal. Not that I want to get started on that. Thanks guys.

whats with all the threads about people leaving their kids alone or considering it? terrible!!!!

didn't realise it was prevalent! Sorry.

shifts.

Far too great a responsibility for a 6yo to be left in charge of a 3yo quite apart from any McCann considerations.

Definitely shifts, I don't think it's the possibility of being stolen that's the problem here if it's just opposite it's more a safety thing - they are still very little and if one of them badly hurts themselves and you are not in the house you wouldn't know until potentially half an hour later which could be too late. Even if they were all asleep that would be too much. Were you thinking the 10yo would look after them?

no, don't leave them alone in the house - why do people consider this?

Not another thread about leaving the kids at home? No no no. It won't hurt to wait just a little longer for DH to return then do shifts (TQO tuts, raises eyes to heaven and wanders off...)

No, what happened was friend suggested I cd leave them all (10 yo downwards) while nipping over the road. Couldn't go earlier withh all of them as dd at drama and dh coming back via drama. Hadn't occurred to me until this friend suggested it. In the end, we all went (little ones in pajamas) as planned.

So you woke up the 3 year old so you could go to a party?

Well that sounds like a very reasonable solution to me, much better than leaving them alone. And I'm sure the 3yo will not be scarred from going to a party in her PJs a bit sleepy once in a while

Does the friend who suggested it have children? (I am suspecting not but just being nosey really to see if I'm right)

No, the three year old woke up when dh and dd returned. We went for half an hour. Yep, the friend has children (older than mine). Thought it was unusual, but then lots of people seem to think that it is ok to leave the kids for a while. Just not on this thread...

Lol it seems so. Ah so I was wrong... I thought maybe she was just being a bit safety unaware due to nto having experienced it, but obviously not!

I would not leave them, I just think they're too young. The 10yo alone is one thing, but younger than that is different altogether imo.

I would think the best thing to have done would be to arrange a sitter for the children or, if that wasn't possible, for you and dh to do shifts (or one of you sacrifice the party).

But it's done now so what I think isn't too important!

Thanks for (surprising) opinions. I asked because the original plan was for all to go (at 8, when dd and dh got back) but then other friend suggested in a kind of why wouldn't you way that we would be leaving the dcs. It was a pop in, have a drink, rolling party rather than a 6pm to 121pm party. Sitters practically impossible. No family locally, no other friends who can.