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Unsupervised/Home alone - when is it acceptable?


When is it okay  

71 members have voted

  1. 1. When is it okay

    • between 6-8
      0
    • 8-12
      12
    • 12-15
      47
    • 15+
      12


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After reading the heated debate about missing Madeline I just wondered.

 

When do you think its okay to leave a child alone unsupervised. Such as nipping next door, going to the shops, or even out for a few hours?

 

There is no law with regard to the age when a child shouldn't be left alone, its all quite spurious so I wondered in what circumstances would it be deemed okay to leave a minor alone or in the company of other minors.

 

We should also bear in mind some of us as parents are quite at ease allowing these children out to play and not seeing hide nor hair of them for hours at a time, so what's the difference. Is leaving them in a building unsupervised any different to letting them go off to play?

 

I've added a poll but would be interested in peoples opinions.

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After reading the heated debate about missing Madeline I just wondered.

 

When do you think its okay to leave a child alone unsupervised. Such as nipping next door, going to the shops, or even out for a few hours?

 

There is no law with regard to the age when a child shouldn't be left alone, its all quite spurious so I wondered in what circumstances would it be deemed okay to leave a minor alone or in the company of other minors.

 

We should also bear in mind some of us as parents are quite at ease allowing these children out to play and not seeing hide nor hair of them for hours at a time, so what's the difference. Is leaving them in a building unsupervised any different to letting them go off to play?

 

I've added a poll but would be interested in peoples opinions.

 

OK, Where is the poll ??? ok scrub that, I found it .

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When I was a kid, until I was about 10 I was sent off to one of two sets of Aunts and Uncles who lived on the same street as us when my mum was at work and it was School Holidays. My mum used to work mornings only - so when dad went to work I'd go to my Aunts.

 

When I hit 10, I think, then I was left in the hosue on my own with sets of sensible instructions.

 

When I was younger than 10, if my mum went out on an errand and there was no one around, I was taken along for the ride. :)

 

Having said that, I was very mature and some might say boringly well behaved. Leave me with my books and I was happy. :)

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I was a Latch key kid at the age of ten but I was quite mature.

 

I babysat for a baby from the age of 11. At the time I thought I was old enough but now I shudder at that! It was on my road though so if there was any problems I could call on my mum (I did manage to lock us out of the house once!)

 

I've not got children but I'd say it depends on the maturity of the child knowing the ones I teach. Some of them can be trusted at eight to behave and not touch things they shouldn't, some of them probably you wouldn't leave alone at twenty!

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Do you think you were responsible enough to be alone at 10. Were you not worried?

 

Didn't bother me at all.

 

I knew that there were certain things I did not do. Full stop.

 

I also knew that if something went pear shaped, visit neighbours or Aunts.

 

If my mum and dad told me to do soemthing, or not to do soemthing, I assumed there was a damn good reason for it. They trusted me to behave, and I knew that if I wanted to keep having that freedom, I'd better behave!

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When my sister and I were growing up we were home alone every day after school until our parents came home from work, so this would have been from age 11 onwards. At first it may have been for only an hour or so, but when I was 12/13 ish we would be getting dinner ready, walking the dogs and so on before parents would be home.

Didn't think twice about it and luckily I was the best cook in the family!

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I do for me. I used to love that couple of hours before the olds came in where i could watch music videos I'd taped the night before. My stepfather used to come home from work at 5.30 on the dot so I'd be able to time it just right. He'd insist on having a nap on the sofa and it being absolute silence so at that point I tended to go to my mates.

It meant I never had to rush home from school if I didn't want to or i could have my mates back for an hour or so. I was quite sensible in that I'd never have anyone daft back who'd cause trouble. I wasn't the sort of kid who'd burn the house down either.

The only time I didn't like it was when i got a series of perverse phone calls one day, the person wouldn't put the phone down and every time i picked it up they were there:( . I didn't quite know what to do as I was only ickle. Think I ended up going to my next door neighbours and she shouted a load of abuse down the phone at him! :hihi:

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