Home alone while you go to Tescos yes or no?

lellyos

Your 9 1/2 year old may be fine on his own while you go shopping for an hour. But would he be ok on his own for 3-4 hours? What if something happened to delay you...you can't predict what would happen so if you have any worries I wouldn't leave him, you don't want to have 'what ifs' later on.

To solve the problem use internet shopping. Your son might be on for doing that!

cmurph

greenkittie wrote:

I don't think so, children get over things easyer imo.

to be fair greenkittie, i think you would be able to handle it much better than a 9 year old child...don't you?
kids do get over some things easier, but not a trama like being broken into....
i came home when the burglar was in my home, he ran out when i came in, i am fine about this at least we were not hurt but my daughter still worries and is afraid...
but also another thing, if something like this did happen, firstly i wonder how would we as a parent feel knowing that we had let the child home alone, i know at some stage we have to trust our kids and let them be alone, i personally think 9 is too young.

leeroybrown

I'm not a parent but I think that it very much depends on the child. A lot of children wouldn't be mature enough to look after themselves at 9 1/2 but many would. When I was 9 years old I was trusted to make my own way to school in an fairly urban area and look after myself for a few hours. Lots of people I grew up with would have been treated the same.

I find it ironic that children seem to be more streetwise at a younger age yet adults seem to be increasingly more protective and worried about them.

iguana

\m/_(>_<)_\m/ wrote:

i think if you did you would be brought up on charges, and rightly so as well.

If you are going to make such outrageous claims please provide some links to back them up.

Nevyn

IF the child gets into difficulty and there is not a support system in place or a case for neglect can be made do an incedent then yes charges of neglect can be pressed.

mumof2

Personally I think its too young to chance at that age. I would be so worried in case of a fire/breakin etc. I don't think i could do it until they were at least 12 - 13, (meaning the youngest will still be 10 - 11yrs).

No, I wouldnt risk it, use the internet option for Tesco! Its worth the 5.99 delivery charge, if it means your child is safe - at home WITH u!!

Good luck.

cmurph

leeroybrown wrote:

I'm not a parent but I think that it very much depends on the child. A lot of children wouldn't be mature enough to look after themselves at 9 1/2 but many would. When I was 9 years old I was trusted to make my own way to school in an fairly urban area and look after myself for a few hours. Lots of people I grew up with would have been treated the same.

I find it ironic that children seem to be more streetwise at a younger age yet adults seem to be increasingly more protective and worried about them.

i think alot of the reason why is there are so many risks now a days...maybe they were there when we were growing up but i don't think so....
when i was young[i'm only 30] we used be left wander through the fields for the day, coming home in time for dinner and no harm would come of us ,but in this society we live in, all parents are afraid their kids will be abducted by paedophiles ,or one of the many other dangers that is out there for our young children....so indeed leeroybrown it may be ironic that as parents we are more protective ,but as society shows we have a real need to be.

Kildrought

Children under 16 however cannot have the care of another minor.

To be more accurate this should perhaps read "should not" rather than "cannot" since it is entirely possible that this could happen, even if not recommended.

leeroybrown

cmurph wrote:

i think alot of the reason why is there are so many risks now a days...maybe they were there when we were growing up but i don't think so....
when i was young[i'm only 30] we used be left wander through the fields for the day, coming home in time for dinner and no harm would come of us ,but in this society we live in, all parents are afraid their kids will be abducted by paedophiles ,or one of the many other dangers that is out there for our young children....so indeed leeroybrown it may be ironic that as parents we are more protective ,but as society shows we have a real need to be.

I agree to a certain degree but at times I think that modern parental protectiveness smacks of those Daily Mail headlines where the harbingers of doom tell us that 'our children aren't safe' and that we'll all be killed by 'hoodie wearing thugs'. The only risk that has significantly increased in the case of a 9.5 year old alone in a house for an hour is that of being stigmatised by your peers as a bad parent. Maybe the real answer to the OP's question is that it's not safe for that reason...

kelle

This is the NSPCC's guidelines on this matter - I'm not sure if it also applies in this country.
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/helpandadvice/parentsandcarers/homealone/homealone_wda35965.html

Kildrought

That's useful advice - thanks kelle, I'll keep that link.