5th graders home alone all day?

[Anonymous]

I’m pretty sure I was 4th and my sister 6th when we started being left alone all day during the summer. We survived!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m pretty sure I was 4th and my sister 6th when we started being left alone all day during the summer. We survived!

Yeah, I’d feel more comfortable if they were in 6th already! Do you currently know any 5th graders that are left home alone Monday-Friday while their parents work?

[Anonymous]

We did that as kids. And yeah, I would, at least with one of mine. One I’d need to think about.

Cooking isn’t important. Safety is important. And good judgment.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry OP, that sucks. Hope you get it figured out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m pretty sure I was 4th and my sister 6th when we started being left alone all day during the summer. We survived!

Yeah, I’d feel more comfortable if they were in 6th already! Do you currently know any 5th graders that are left home alone Monday-Friday while their parents work?

I’m PP. We now live in a wealthy area where (pre COVID) there are stay at home moms and dads so I don’t currently know any 5th graders staying home. I grew up MC/LMC and assume kids staying home unsupervised was common. We even had a pool and my parents trusted us...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s a huge difference between a day here and there and everyday Monday through Friday. Are there other families in the neighborhood? Can you talk with your boss about some flexibility to work at home a few days a week at least until the summer? What type of work do you do?

this. I would leave 10 year old he alone for a few hours here or there. I wouldn’t do it all day five days a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I have twin daughters who are in the 5th grade. They are fully virtual in public school since last year. We both work full time and DH is an essential worker. I was working from home and supervising the girls until now. I’ve been called back into the office starting in March.

Would you guys just leave your 10 year daughters at home Monday-Friday and go to work? I feel that mine need some sort of supervision....they can’t really cook yet besides heat things in the microwave and make sandwiches. What are my other options?

If you trust them not to leave the house, to know when to call the fire dept the police etc, sure.
I would put a few of the cheaper video cameras around the house.

Make sure you give them some chores to keep the out of trouble each day

[Anonymous]

Some of the summer day camps have school day programs where the kids take their chromebooks and do online school there. I looked into it at one point. It's expensive (like it was maybe $13k-$12k per year per kid). That was the only thing I saw beyond hiring a sitter. A sitter won't come cheap either though. If you're paying minimum wage, it comes out to about the same amount of money. If you need overtime, then it will be more. Plus you may find yourself in a tax situation with a sitter.

[Anonymous]

No way, get a high school or college kid.

[Anonymous]

How are they together? I leave my 10 and 13 yo home alone together. We shifted our hours so one of goes in a little late and the other goes in early to come home early. They are hoke alone 4-6 hours depending on the day. I’d be hesitant to leave my 10 yo that long without an older sibling.

[Anonymous]

What do people do in these situations when they can't just hire someone? This would have been me as a child because my single mother worked all day if not for school. It wasn't ideal but we survived.

[Anonymous]

Do you have any neighbors who are home during the day? We are surrounded by retirees and my kids know that if they are home alone and something goes wrong they can go to one of their houses for help.
I think it is very dependent on the kid. I could leave my 10 year old home if she had a twin. She is very responsible but my eldest was not as mature at that age.

[Anonymous]

As long as the kids are responsible, I wouldn’t have a problem with this. Leave a phone for emergencies only. Sandwiches are fine!

[Anonymous]

For lunch you could always just leave them a bag lunch the same as you would if they were going to school. Is there anyway that you could negotiate at least part time work from home? How about your husband? I would feel better about leaving them a couple or three days a week as opposed to all five

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on your kid. I was raised by a single mom that had to leave for work every day at 4 am. Starting in second grade I used to get up (alarm but my mom would call to make sure I was out of bed), make my own breakfast (cereal/pop tarts) and walk to school on my own (about 1 mile). It’s mind blowing that i did that all. I was very independent and self sufficient at a young age. I worry about coddling my own kid.