A friend of mine recently said something about picking her husband up from a night out,i asked what did she do with her son who,s 12 (this was 2 am) she kind of gave me a funny look and said he was sleeping in bed, and that she was only gone 30 mins.(seemingly he does same for her) I didnt say anything but think she,s wrong doing this,what do you think?
2007-03-01 02:12:37 · 53 answers · asked by smiler 4 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Parenting
As far as i know she didnt wake the boy,i just keep thinking of things like- what if a fire started?
2007-03-01 03:23:21 · update #1
Personally, no, I wouldn't do that. But then everyone has different views. Many people let their children play outside unattended or in the dark at a much younger age, which I find almost unbelievable. But then their parents may think that I'm over protective. I suppose we all have different ways of parenting, but I'm with you on this one.
2007-03-01 04:08:02 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
well, I personally have no problem with that. I leave my 5 and 6 yr old for about 20 min each day when I go get their brother from school. They do very well. Mind you grandma lives next door but their still alone in the house. I won't leave them more then 1/2 hr so I don't see any harm in it. If I knew I was leaving I probably would make sure the child knew I was leaving for a short period of time. Hope this helps
2007-03-01 10:29:22 · answer #2 · answered by Melba 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have twins of 13, one would be fine at being left, and the other wouldn't. Personally, if it was a quick walk up the road, I'd probably do it. Going out in the car for half an hour? No. The legality of it depends on where you are. Certainly if something bad happened, and it was found that a 12 yr old had been left alone, in the UK you could expect to be prosecuted; otherwise Social Services would say 'Don't do it' but wouldn't prosecute.
As for your position, since it's a grey area, best to stay out of it; she knows you don't approve.
2007-03-01 02:45:29 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
12 is fine to leave alone.
I have to touch on the fire issue, what if a fire started while both parents were home and asleep? That same thing happens frequently, and children die then. Should we say that parents should no longer sleep in case the house catches on fire? A 12 year old should know what to do if he wakes up and the house is on fire, or if someone is breaking in, that's just common sense. Most parents bedrooms aren't right next to kids anyway, if someone broke in you couldn't guarantee that you could help your kids. I guess it's fine if you want to placate yourself by saying "At least I was there when he was kidnapped," or "Well, I was in the home when the house caught on fire"
Educate your kids on emergencies. My five year old knows what to do if the house catches on fire, we practice escape routes and plan alternatives. But that's a whole 'nother soapbox, I guess.
2007-03-01 04:25:06 · answer #4 · answered by ? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Personally wouldn't do it - not out of lack of trust of the 12 year old, but because of something happening in the house - fire, break in etc.
You can't use "only gone for 30 mins" as a validation for doing it - worst case scenario, both parents get killed in a car wreck, child wakes up alone in the house the next morning with absolutely no idea what has happened...hidedous...
2007-03-01 02:17:18 · answer #5 · answered by broken_uk 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Considering I was babysitting other peoples kids at 12 until all hours of the night, I think it's fine. It depends on the kid really. Some are mature enough and some aren't. And he should also be aware he's alone. I would tell him before he went to bed what I was going to do so if he woke up he would be aware. I wouldn't just leave without him knowing about it.
2007-03-01 02:16:51 · answer #6 · answered by ? 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I think its okay to leave a 12 year old child for 30 mins if they are awake, and know of your absence. If the child is asleep, I definitely think you should not go anywhere, not even for five minutes. What if he woke up, and had no idea where mom is and freaked out. Its not fair to the child, and very irresponsible as a parent!!!
2007-03-01 02:58:21 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think, depending on the 12 year old, that 12 is old enough to spend half an hour alone, particularly while they are sleeping. Heck at 13 I was watching my 1 year old sister every day after school.
2007-03-01 02:16:53 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
At 12 years old the child is old enough to be alone in the house, I think. I see a lot of 11 and 12 year olds out of middle school and home alone while their parents are working until 6pm.
2007-03-01 02:16:45 · answer #9 · answered by DrPepper 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
12 is old enough to stay home. I don't think there's an issue with leaving him home. Maybe should have put a note out in case he woke up, but it was 2 AM and not many 12 year olds wake up at 2 AM.
2007-03-01 03:33:12 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋