Can I leave kids 11, 7, 4 in hotel room while I use hotel gym?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have to ask this question, you should not be a parent. No, you shouldn't be selfish, leave the room for an hour with young kids. What if there is a fire or something else? 11 year old should not be responsible for two younger kids. Wow, just wow.

What on earth!?! An 11 year old can certainly be responsible for younger siblings in a locked, safe environment for an hour, with a phone, assuming all of the children are healthy and there are no major behavioral issues. What kind of crazy helicopters world do you live in to pronounce this insane indictment against older siblings watching younger ones?

Yes, hotel fires happen, on extraordinarily rare occasions. The chances of that are essentially nil but I’d review the hotel evacuation map beforehand and make sure that we could text each other and that the 11 year old knew how to use the room phone to call the front desk as well. But yeah, my 4 year old at the time wouldbhave beennperfrctlybhappy to watch hotel TV for an hour being watched by an 11 year old relative.

The overprotectiveness among some parents is really astounding and worrisome. How will these little people have any sense of competence and self-reliance without safe opportunities to demonstrate responsibility?

Blah blah blah. It’s illegal.

I babysat 4 year olds at age 11. I'll admit I don't know all of the state laws at this time, but if that truly is illegal I find that disturbing. What a terrible example of catering to the lowest common denominator.

If it was my family I would definitely leave the 4 year old alone with older sibling while I was in the same building. Wouldn't concern me at all!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have to ask this question, you should not be a parent. No, you shouldn't be selfish, leave the room for an hour with young kids. What if there is a fire or something else? 11 year old should not be responsible for two younger kids. Wow, just wow.

What on earth!?! An 11 year old can certainly be responsible for younger siblings in a locked, safe environment for an hour, with a phone, assuming all of the children are healthy and there are no major behavioral issues. What kind of crazy helicopters world do you live in to pronounce this insane indictment against older siblings watching younger ones?

Yes, hotel fires happen, on extraordinarily rare occasions. The chances of that are essentially nil but I’d review the hotel evacuation map beforehand and make sure that we could text each other and that the 11 year old knew how to use the room phone to call the front desk as well. But yeah, my 4 year old at the time wouldbhave beennperfrctlybhappy to watch hotel TV for an hour being watched by an 11 year old relative.

The overprotectiveness among some parents is really astounding and worrisome. How will these little people have any sense of competence and self-reliance without safe opportunities to demonstrate responsibility?

Blah blah blah. It’s illegal.

I think the law is not clear on this, since OP will be still inside the building:

MD Family Law §5–801.

(a) A person who is charged with the care of a child under the age of 8 years may not allow the child to be locked or confined in a dwelling, building, enclosure, or motor vehicle while the person charged is absent and the dwelling, building, enclosure, or motor vehicle is out of the sight of the person charged unless the person charged provides a reliable person at least 13 years old to remain with the child to protect the child.

(b) A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment not exceeding 30 days, or both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your 11 year old can babysit in some jurisdictions. It would be fine with me unless there was a specific issue or sibling dynamic in play I was worried about causing problems.

This

I agree with this, but I'd probably take the 4 year old with me, give him/her an ipad and headphones, and have him hangout with me while I was at the gym. 11 and 7 can hang out in the room no problem IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have to ask this question, you should not be a parent. No, you shouldn't be selfish, leave the room for an hour with young kids. What if there is a fire or something else? 11 year old should not be responsible for two younger kids. Wow, just wow.

What on earth!?! An 11 year old can certainly be responsible for younger siblings in a locked, safe environment for an hour, with a phone, assuming all of the children are healthy and there are no major behavioral issues. What kind of crazy helicopters world do you live in to pronounce this insane indictment against older siblings watching younger ones?

Yes, hotel fires happen, on extraordinarily rare occasions. The chances of that are essentially nil but I’d review the hotel evacuation map beforehand and make sure that we could text each other and that the 11 year old knew how to use the room phone to call the front desk as well. But yeah, my 4 year old at the time wouldbhave beennperfrctlybhappy to watch hotel TV for an hour being watched by an 11 year old relative.

The overprotectiveness among some parents is really astounding and worrisome. How will these little people have any sense of competence and self-reliance without safe opportunities to demonstrate responsibility?

I'm about 95% with you, but the 4 year old gives me pause - they can just do something impulsive so quickly and if the plan is for them all to be on screens and 4 year old is bored, 11 yr old distracted...

[Anonymous]

Hell no. Madeleine McCann. Never would I leave my kids below teenage age in a hotel room alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your 11 year old can babysit in some jurisdictions. It would be fine with me unless there was a specific issue or sibling dynamic in play I was worried about causing problems.

This. I'd do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No way, even if it's just the older two. If something happens in the hotel, would they know what to do? Who to call? What if there's a fire - will they know where the nearest stairwell is? What if someone comes to the room? I've had housekeeping disregard my "Privacy" sign on the door before. I think staying in a hotel room is MUCH different than staying home alone or even babysitting at someone else's house.

Either bring them with you to work out (preferably at an off time when others aren't likely to be in the hotel gym), work out in your room, or get your exercise with them in the hotel pool.

This isn't meant to be snarky, but do your kids have delays? Because my 11 yo is more than capable of dealing with emergency exits, etc.