Would You Leave Your 5-Year-Old Home Alone? Some Parents Do It All The Time

Recently, a mom was babysitting for a friend when the five-year-old confessed that his mom left him home alone all the time. Alarmed, she got online to ask one question: Is this justifiable, neglectful, or just crap parenting?

Thinking back, the woman remembered that her friend had mentioned her child being upset when waking up from a nap and realizing his mom wasn’t there. It was “just an errand,” she explained.

As sad as it is to think about this poor child being left without his mom, leaving young children at home alone doesn’t seem to be rare. While many parents agreed that this was neglect, others admitted to leaving their little ones by themselves regularly.

The majority of parents were appalled at the thought of leaving a five-year-old home alone. One commenter said, “Hell would freeze over before I left my five-year-old unattended like that. [That mom] could get hit by a bus for all she knew, and [her son] would be alone and frightened. It doesn’t bear thinking about.”

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Other parents, though, had a different point of view. One mom confessed, “I used to leave my five-year-old for about 10 minutes to do an errand. I’m not a neglectful parent. I’d tell her where I was going and how long I’d be. She’s now still alive at eight, and I am happy to leave her for longer periods. She’s a sensible child.”

Another parent said, “Would I do that? No. I have a friend who will do this, leave her two, four, and six-year-old while she pops to shop over the road. People know their children and we need to remember there are children that young in other countries fending entirely for themselves.”

A police officer also chimed in on the debate, saying, “I’ve arrested someone for child neglect when she went to the hairdressers and the child had got out and was found walking along a [highway]. It’s cool, though, because it was ‘just a trim.'”

Although there are no legal guidelines on this issue, representatives from child and family services say that kids under eight “should not be left alone for any period of time.”

Even then, your child may not be ready to fend for themselves. To read more guidelines about leaving children attended, click here.

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Would you leave your own young children home by themselves? If not, do you consider the practice to be neglectful? Be sure to let us know in the comments.