NP. These responses are all so strange to me, so 2019. All kids are going to be home all day. Yes, some kids will be at gyms or martial arts camp all day, but many will be at home, with a WAHP or SAHP or alone.

OP, you are welcome to drop your kids off at our house with two laptops, they can go to school next to our 7 and 10 year old. We're in Springfield though. Contact your kids' friends or classmates, see who will take one or both of them.

Also, her kids are supposed to be "in school" while at home. They can't be babysitting someone's toddler or hanging out somewhere without their laptops and wifi.

I'll be leaving my 10 and 7 year olds home alone some days. (In VA, no laws- just guidelines). My situation is a little different because it will only be for 2-3 hour stretches a couple times a week if I have to go in for a meeting. I am going to try other options first, like finding a babysitter (but high school kids have their own DL, college kids are gone, SAHMs have their own kids home and don't want extra exposure) or seeing if they can go to a close friend's house for the day. Especially when the weather is good and they can mainly be outside I think this will work.

We have a front door camera, a nanny cam, a landline phone with preprogrammed numbers, and a grandparent that lives less than a mile away available in an emergency, and several neighbors on our block who will be home with their kids. But for exposure reasons we aren't comforatable asking the grandparent to do babysitting either. I mean, we're both working outside the home.

Normal safety nets and childcare options ARE NOT available right now. People need to wake up and realize that many kids will be left home alone earlier than they should be.

Maybe try and find someone in your complex that is available for periodic check ins and emergencies but can’t actually babysit? I work from home and can’t full time babysit but if I lived in your building I’d be willing to check in a couple times a day and be available for emergencies. If I knew you and your kids well enough to know they were calm and well behaved I might be willing to have them hang out in my living room and watch tv or work quietly.

Maybe you could find a mom who works long weekend shifts and you could watch her kids for the weekends?

If you work 8 to 4 maybe you could pay someone like a teen to come over for an hour or so in the middle of the day to check on them and to eat with them or maybe take them outside. Preferably someone who is in the building or very close by anyway, since a job like that would have to have zero commute to really be worth it and to be an effective emergency contact.

Anonymous wrote:Even if you aren't religious look into churches. Some have "Moms Day Out" programs that are usually half day like 9:30am-1:30pm for $25/day. If you could find something like that for your 6yo, I'd feel comfortable having them at home with the 10yo for the remainder of the day.

What about a mom trying to WFH with toddler(s)? Maybe she'd have your two over to "gain babysitting experience" and yours could entertain hers as a trade off.

Can you find a 13-15yo thats distance learning and pay them like $8/hr for half days to ride their bike over and play with your kids?

An elderly neighbor looking for a purpose? Maybe you could also find this through a church.

This is a terrible idea. No WFH mom wants two more kids those ages. They will not be "gaining babysitting experience," they will just be another two kids for the WFH mom to manage.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe a childcare swap? Single mom nurse who works nights?

No, a nurse that works nights needs to catch some sleep during the daytime. Most night nurses with small kids have childcare during the daytime for at least a few hours while they sleep.

Anonymous wrote:Maybe a childcare swap? Single mom nurse who works nights?

That nurse sleeps all day. She cant watch any kids while sleeping. Im in that situation now.

Maybe a childcare swap? Single mom nurse who works nights?

Anonymous wrote:My aunt used to leave my cousins alone that young while she went to work at a bank. To make sure they stayed out of trouble she would give them an impossibly long list of chores to finish every day.
No one died and her house was immaculate.
It'll be ok.

I know desperate times lead to desperate measures, but wow. Those poor kids - how bored and miserable they must have been.

OP- I agree with the PP who suggested you look into finding a pod to work with. No 10 year old should be in charge of a 6 year old day after day after day, especially if that 10 year old is trying to do her schoolwork. Additionally, I think the effects of leaving a 10 year old home all day alone could be just as bleak. A learning pod might be really helpful and keep socialization in their lives.

Anonymous wrote:Can you afford a nanny who brings her own kids to your house? Probably be about $10 to $15 an hour?

If she’s an admin, how much more than $15/hr do you think she’s making? I don’t think there’s a way for her to afford a nanny.

Anonymous wrote:My aunt used to leave my cousins alone that young while she went to work at a bank. To make sure they stayed out of trouble she would give them an impossibly long list of chores to finish every day.
No one died and her house was immaculate.
It'll be ok.

Agree. Leave them alone until you come up with a better plan.

My aunt used to leave my cousins alone that young while she went to work at a bank. To make sure they stayed out of trouble she would give them an impossibly long list of chores to finish every day.
No one died and her house was immaculate.
It'll be ok.

OP, if it’s possible to reach out to the after-care staff or aides at your elementary school, there might be people there in need of jobs.