How long do you leave your 5 yr old at home alone?

Question

I recently left my 5 yr old at home alone while I went shopping At Walmart with my sons. She was sleeping and I didn't want to wake her. Apparently she awoke while I was away, and started screaming and crying like a little baby so loud that the neighbor in the trailer next door heard her and came over to find out what was wrong. My neighbors are so nosey. Any hoo...long story short...now my neighbor feels that I am an unfit parent just because I left her finish her nap! How can I get my neighbor to mind her own business and get my daughter to take a little responsibility. There was plenty of welfare cheese in the fridge for her to snack on and cold water from the bathroom sink to drink. And don't tell me that I should have waited to go to Walmart when she woke up. My food stamps expired today...and I gotta have food here for my four kids.

Answer 1

A while back this person posted this "question": Two months ago I was totally trashed and loved y! answers. I enjoyed giving smart *** answers to peoples idiotic questions. Now it seems boring, and just sad. So hear is your chance to leave me a smart answer to a dumb question.

So, put away the yellow pages, I think child protective services can carry on with the cases they already have.

Answer 2

Oh. My. God. are you SERIOUS? I don't think you seem to realize how serious this is.
"There was plenty of welfare cheese in the fridge for her to snack on and cold water from the bathroom sink to drink."
You seem to think that nothing will ever go wrong.
"now my neighbor feels that I am an unfit parent ...!"
...Well i'm glad at least your neighbor cares about the safety of your children, because you don't seem to at all.

WHAT IF THERE WAS A FIRE THAT KILLED YOUR DAUGHTER?

How would you live with yourself? I'm sure your "nosey" neighbor would be there trying to help, but what if it was too late? your daughter could have been KILLED.

Talk to that neighbor of yours. Ask them how you could be a better parent, or better yet, post a question on Answers. You've got a ways to go.

Think about what could have happened, and be glad that nothing happened. Most importantly, never let this happen again.

Answer 3

Then maybe you should have gone to the store yesterday. It is completely unacceptable to leave a child of 5 alone for that long, particularly when she doesn't know you are gone. I have a friend who thought it would be funny to play hide and seek with her 5 yr old while she snuck out to have a cigarette and the child was naturally freaked and is now very clingy, because she now feels that her mother could vanish on her at any moment. Do you think your kid will have trouble sleeping lest you disappear in the night? Not rational to you or me maybe, but kids are kids.

Children of 5 do not "take a little responsibility", particularly when they wake up from a nap disoriented and frightened. Most parents wouldn't start leaving a child alone until they were like 9 - and I know people who have lost their children to Child Services for leaving young kids alone in the house.

Nosy neighbors generally stay in their home as long as no suspicious behavior is going on outside. Of course once a child is involved in a questionable situation, those rules change. I suggest you stick to societal customs on this if you don't want the county in your home.

Peace!

PS - alas my friends, this sort of thing can be all too true. I knew a very young couple who figured they could still go out on friday and saturday nights while their infant child slept at home alone in a crib. The neighbor felt calling protective services was a fate no one should have to endure, so she would creep over every so often while they were out to peek in the child. It takes all kinds - and some of these folks are only doing what their own parents did with them and have no concept of how dangerous it is.

Answer 4

The best way to answer this is to ask yourself: would you hire a 5 year old babysitter? Of course not, but when you leave her alone that is what you are doing.

A good age is about 10-12 years old, depending on the child's maturity level. I don't even leave my yard if my child is in the house asleep. I either wake her up and take her with me, or I postpone what it was I was needing to do. It is simply not worth the risk.

And please know that if someone were to find out that you had left her alone this could merit the attention of social services or CPS. If she were kidnapped or the house caught fire, etc you would be found criminally neglegent. Nobody wants that, as I'm sure you do not.

Nobody wants to wake a sleeping baby, but if you must go to the store you need to take her with you or have someone old enough watch over her (My minimum age is 15). She is not old enough to fend for herself and there are too many hazards and risks in a home that could cause her serious harm.

Please reconsider next time.

Answer 5

As a parent I am sure you do the best to put yourself last and your child first. And not to knock you down or make you feel bad in anyway or shape. What would you do if some horrible thing happend. What if someone broke in and took your five your old and you never saw her again? Would you have wished for one more day with her. One more chance to take her with you. It is true you had to supply your childs need with your food stamps. But you could get out of the way before the last mintue..And most of all what is of more value to you.. your food stamps or your child. I dont think you are a bad mother. I just think if you watched enough of the news you would rethink doing that again. There has been cases of men coming and in a persons home and takeing that child while the parent is there..Killing them . But it is your call. It is your child and you would be the one to take the lost should something bad happen . Hope you dont feel bad god bless you

Answer 6

Is this question a JOKE?? You never should leave a child alone just so you can go shopping...NO MATTER WHAT!! There are all sorts of things that can happen in that time. I have a five year old and I have gone out to check the mail and stood out on the driveway talking to the neighbors, that is the most I have ever done and ever will do!! You need someone to take your kids away if you aren't able to properly take care of them...ALL OF THEM! Geez

Answer 7

OMFG!! What in the hell are you thinking? A Five year old being old enough to be alone in the house? You're a retard! If you think that's a good age to be leaving a kid alone at home, I HOPE YOU GET THAT KID, AND YOUR OTHERS TAKEN AWAY! That is so bad parenting.

And seccond, if your sons were older, then maybe you should have left them to take care of her. At least then there would have been someone there if something happened.

Jesus Christ! Damn! I've never seen a more unfit parent in my entire life! I hope to god you were joking, cause if you werent, I can't wait till that "bad situation" happens, and you end up realizing what a freaking stupid, ignorant, undeserving, unwarranted, and bad parent you are!

Get a f***ing clue!

"How long do you leave your 5 yr old at home alone?" indeed.

Answer 8

Either this is just an attempt to gain attention to yourself or you really need to get your head checked. Thousands of horrible things could happen to a 5 yr. home alone. What if there was a fire? or she hurt herself? I don't even leave my 5 yr. old alone in the house when I go out in the yard! Kids are prone to finding mischeif that is why we have babysitters. You should have woke her up and taken her with you, or asked your "nosey" neighbour to keep an eye on her.
To make a long story short parents like you should learn to spit, swallow or gargle!

Answer 9

firstly stop asking dumb questions.. secondly stop making excuses for your behaviour.. thirdly be a better parent or else your children will end up getting taken off you as leaving a 5yr old home alone especially when they are sleeping (when she went to sleep you were there when she woke up noone was, how do you think that made her feel?) is a major sign of you being an unfit parent.. so your food stamps were going to expire, maybe you should have been using your brain slightly more and gone before they expired or at least before she had a nap, and 5yr olds aren't supposed to be having naps anyway its bad for their development.. buck up your ideas and look after those children properly!!!

Answer 10

Well I hope this is a joke, If not your neighbor is right. If you were my neighbor I would make sure you no longer had a 5yr old to worry about leaving at home. She would be where people ACTUALLY cared about her. Now get your *** off the computer and give your daughter a hug and try to be a better parent. Or stop making lame posts pretending to be a bad parent