Okay to leave sleeping kid to go to neighbors house?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. It takes about 5 seconds for a room to be engulfed in flames. Truly. I wouldn't do it.

I'm not sure how being at home is gonna make that any different. 5 seconds? So I just get to watch it? That's better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Glad to hear OP double teamed it and was able to get out for some adult time and nothing happened.

Anonymous wrote:Whoever took the little McCann girl was likely watching her parents and figured out they had left the children alone. How well do you know your neighbors? You never know when someone decides to take advantage of a situation where your children are vulnerable because an opportunity suddenly presents itself and the idea comes into their sick heads. I am generally pretty laid back but wouldn't take a risk like this regardless of how infinitesimally small the chances are that something bad could happen.

This. Plus, have you ever been in a house fire? My MIL's house burned down due to a battery charger that overheated in the garage. The garage interior was fully engulfed when my FIL who was home heard a weird bleep (it was the alarm system melting.) He went to open the garage door to the house, got a backdraft in his face that burned off his eyebrows. The house was reduced to a pile of ashes in less than 20 minutes. Now imagine if something like that happened and it was your 7 year old who opened the door.

+1 million. This is why you should never garden, nap, or work out in the basement while your LO one is sleeping. Monitors provide a false sense of security and I am surprised they haven't already been banned considering they patently promote negligence.

OMG this is killing me. How in the world would I ever get anything done in the house if not while the child is sleeping? I suppose you'd have us strap them to our backs while we do household chores? That you villainize such behavior is hilarious. How were you raised? How did you raise your own kids? Did you get lots of enriching laundry time with your mom or dad?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Glad to hear OP double teamed it and was able to get out for some adult time and nothing happened.

Anonymous wrote:Whoever took the little McCann girl was likely watching her parents and figured out they had left the children alone. How well do you know your neighbors? You never know when someone decides to take advantage of a situation where your children are vulnerable because an opportunity suddenly presents itself and the idea comes into their sick heads. I am generally pretty laid back but wouldn't take a risk like this regardless of how infinitesimally small the chances are that something bad could happen.

This. Plus, have you ever been in a house fire? My MIL's house burned down due to a battery charger that overheated in the garage. The garage interior was engulfed when my FIL who was home heard a weird bleep (it was the alarm system melting.) He went to open the garage door to the house, got a backdraft in his face that burned off his eyebrows. The house was reduced to a pile of ashes in less than 20 minutes. Now imagine if something like that happened and it was your 7 year old who opened the door.

+1 million. This is why you should never garden, nap, or work out in the basement while your LO one is sleeping. Monitors provide a false sense of security and I am surprised they haven't already been banned considering they patently promote negligence.

OMG this is killing me. How in the world would I ever get anything done in the house if not while the child is sleeping? I suppose you'd have us strap them to our backs while we do household chores? That you villainize such behavior is hilarious. How were you raised? How did you raise your own kids? Did you get lots of enriching laundry time with your mom or dad?

+1 Ha Ha- I just saw this post and thought 'what innocent foolish OP asked this question on DCU?' Did they not now that it would unleash the hounds? Did they not know that you must be PERFECT all the time or your children will never survive to adulthood? Poor OP, you'll know better next time.

[Anonymous]

Imagine reading a WaPo story about a couple who leave their 3 kids at home to attend a neighborhood party and the unthinkable happens. "It was just across the street and we took the baby monitor with us," the mother sobs as the father looks on shell-shocked.

Now imagine that the couple's names are Larlakeisha and Larmont and they live in a working class neighborhood. Do you still have as much sympathy for them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Imagine reading a WaPo story about a couple who leave their 3 kids at home to attend a neighborhood party and the unthinkable happens. "It was just across the street and we took the baby monitor with us," the mother sobs as the father looks on shell-shocked.

Now imagine that the couple's names are Larlakeisha and Larmont and they live in a working class neighborhood. Do you still have as much sympathy for them?

Wtf? Are you really trying to turn this into some sort of race issue?

[Anonymous]

Closing all the doors in a house slows down a fire considerably. Since we are going off on tangents.

[Anonymous]

How old is your kid? If you're talking a kid young enough that he/she can't intentionally get your attention using the monitor, I wouldn't do it. If you have a responsible/cautious 5 year old, who knows how to use the monitor intentionally if he/she needs something and who could exit the room/house safely if necessary? I say OK.

[Anonymous]

Not ok. My neighbors nearly lost their entire home when a kitchen appliance (a fridge...how many of us have one of those?) caught on fire. They had to move out for almost a year and many many things were destroyed by the smoke damage.

[Anonymous]

If I lived in a condo, and we were going right across the hall or next door, probably. But definitely not to a different house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Imagine reading a WaPo story about a couple who leave their 3 kids at home to attend a neighborhood party and the unthinkable happens. "It was just across the street and we took the baby monitor with us," the mother sobs as the father looks on shell-shocked.

Now imagine that the couple's names are Larlakeisha and Larmont and they live in a working class neighborhood. Do you still have as much sympathy for them?

Wtf? Are you really trying to turn this into some sort of race issue?

It already is a race and class issue; you're just too blind to privilege to see it. Parents make decisions every day that society views differently based on race and class.

[Anonymous]

What's wrong with hiring a babysitter? It's not that expensive and pretty easy to do. Then you can relax and enjoy yourself.

Your kids are 3, 5 and 7 they are WAY too young to be left at home asleep. Legally, if anything did happen you could be brought up on multiple charges of neglect in the state of Maryland under Maryland Child Protective Services Procedures (SSA95-13).

http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/frs-safe/resources/parents/childcare.asp

I find it hard to believe the OP could be this insistent on such a foolish idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with hiring a babysitter? It's not that expensive and pretty easy to do. Then you can relax and enjoy yourself.

Your kids are 3, 5 and 7 they are WAY too young to be left at home asleep. Legally, if anything did happen you could be brought up on multiple charges of neglect in the state of Maryland under Maryland Child Protective Services Procedures (SSA95-13).

http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/frs-safe/resources/parents/childcare.asp

I find it hard to believe the OP could be this insistent on such a foolish idea.

I'm going to a hire a babysitter when I am RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET? That's just silly. Doors locked, kids secured, monitor on, very little risk. Every possible risk brought up in this thread is something that could just as easily happen with an adult in the house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with hiring a babysitter? It's not that expensive and pretty easy to do. Then you can relax and enjoy yourself.

Your kids are 3, 5 and 7 they are WAY too young to be left at home asleep. Legally, if anything did happen you could be brought up on multiple charges of neglect in the state of Maryland under Maryland Child Protective Services Procedures (SSA95-13).

http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/frs-safe/resources/parents/childcare.asp

I find it hard to believe the OP could be this insistent on such a foolish idea.

I'm going to a hire a babysitter when I am RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET? That's just silly. Doors locked, kids secured, monitor on, very little risk. Every possible risk brought up in this thread is something that could just as easily happen with an adult in the house.

NP here. I can't believe this excuse keeps getting trotted out in this thread: "But that could happen with an adult in the house too!" Do you seriously not see the difference here? Not to mention leaving your young children alone in the house is AGAINST THE LAW, whether they're sleeping or not. Do you really not understand that, or is it that you just don't care? When I saw the title of this thread I was sure that OP was going to get crucified, and I was really dismayed when I saw all the posts in support of leaving your sleeping kids alone in the house so you can go out partying. Unbelievable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with hiring a babysitter? It's not that expensive and pretty easy to do. Then you can relax and enjoy yourself.

Your kids are 3, 5 and 7 they are WAY too young to be left at home asleep. Legally, if anything did happen you could be brought up on multiple charges of neglect in the state of Maryland under Maryland Child Protective Services Procedures (SSA95-13).

http://www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/frs-safe/resources/parents/childcare.asp

I find it hard to believe the OP could be this insistent on such a foolish idea.

I'm going to a hire a babysitter when I am RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET? That's just silly. Doors locked, kids secured, monitor on, very little risk. Every possible risk brought up in this thread is something that could just as easily happen with an adult in the house.

NP here. I can't believe this excuse keeps getting trotted out in this thread: "But that could happen with an adult in the house too!" Do you seriously not see the difference here? Not to mention leaving your young children alone in the house is AGAINST THE LAW, whether they're sleeping or not. Do you really not understand that, or is it that you just don't care? When I saw the title of this thread I was sure that OP was going to get crucified, and I was really dismayed when I saw all the posts in support of leaving your sleeping kids alone in the house so you can go out partying. Unbelievable.

Dial it down a notch. Walking across the street to the neighbors house does not = out partying. If I go out partying I hire a babysitter. If I walk to the damn mailbox, which is further from my house than my neighbors house is, I do not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I don't even take the garbage downstairs in our condo building if I'm alone with DD. I wait until DH is home. And my monitor works down there too. There are just too many unknown potentials.

How is this different from taking your garbage can to the end of your driveway, especially on a big lot?

I live in a condo building, I have an infant and a dog. If DH is away and the dogs needs to pee at 10pm, I'm not waking my DD up to take the dog out for 5 minutes to quickly pee.

How do people think single parents do basic things like this?