Would you leave your five-year-old home alone?

Would you leave your five year old on their own to run an errand? [Photo: Getty]

How young is too young for a child to be left home alone? One mum has kicked off an online debate about that exact topic after asking other parents if it’s ok to leave a five-year-old at home on their own.

The mum took to a forum on the parenting site Mumsnet to ask whether they thought it was acceptable for her friend to leave her daughter, five, alone in the house while her mother runs an errand.

“Leaving a child age 5 alone in house while running an errand taking 15 mins. A friend seems to do this a lot.,” the mum wrote under the title post ‘Neglect or just cr*p parenting?’

The user went on to explain that though she hadn’t witnessed it directly she’d discovered her friend does this because she’d said her little one was upset with her when she woke up from a nap to find her mum was out running an errand.

“Was mortified when first heard but thought prob a one off, as parent’s OH was away, but seems to be a regular thing…am increasingly concerned. Should I be.?”

How young is too young for a child to be left? [Photo: Getty]

The post seem to spark a debate about the dangers of leaving a child home alone.

“I’d be concerned. Hell would freeze over before I left my 5yo unattended like that - what if something happened to her while she was out? She could get hit by a bus for all she knew, and her DC would be alone and frightened. It doesn’t bear thinking about,” one mum wrote.

“The thing is the risks may be small but the outcome is so awful that why would you bother risking it? Your child gets distressed, wanders the streets, gets run over, SS get called, all the way to kidnap, fire etc,” added another.

But not everyone thought it was wrong to leave a five year old unattended.

“I have a friend who will do this, leave her 2, 6, & 4 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. Neglect and abuse? No. Potentially negligent?? Yes, ever so slightly,” one mum commented.

Some even offered up their own examples of leaving little ones to pop out.

“I used to leave my five year old for about 10 mins to do an errand. I’m not a neglectful parent. I would never have left her asleep to wake up on her own. I’d tell her where I was going and how long I’d be. She’s now still alive at 8 and I am happy to leave her for longer periods. She’s a sensible child,” one mum explained.

“Being left home for a short while is hardly fending for themselves, and my 5 year old asks to be left home. I won’t do it now because we just moved house and don’t really know the neighbours yet (and we’re in the middle of renovating so there’s power tools and other dangerous things accessible) but I did a couple of times in our old house where she could let herself out and go to the neighbour if there was a problem,” another mum wrote.

The law surrounding leaving a child alone is a grey area [Photo: Getty]

The post also sparked a debate among some of the users about whether leaving a child that age alone would be breaking the law? So what are the legalities surrounding leaving a child on their own? Though the law doesn’t specify an age when you can leave a child on their own, it is an offence to leave a child alone if it places them at risk.

A Government website encourages parents to use their judgement before leaving children alone or in a car.

But the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) believes children under 12 are rarely mature enough to be left alone for a long period of time, children under 16 shouldn’t be left alone overnight and babies, toddlers and very young children should never be left alone.

Would you leave your 5-year-old home alone? Join the debate @YahooStyleUK

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