According to a BBC news article I read today (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12380329), a woman was given an official police caution for leaving her 14-year-old son in charge of his three-year-old brother. I think this story highlights a lot of interesting points, in particular that apparently there is no UK law that states a minor cannot be left alone, or that they have to be a certain age to babysit other children. According to this story, the police used their "discretion" in this particular case, yet it also reads that the mother was only gone for 30 minutes and that the child came to no harm.
I remember as a child I was babysitting my younger brother, my young cousins etc. when I was 14/15 years old and it was pretty much considered to be the norm. Is this still standard practice among parents with teenagers and young children? If you regularly left your older kids in charge of younger ones, does this story act as a cautionary tale, or do you think it's just a fuss over nothing?
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Should a teenager be left to babysit a toddler?
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Proof of the complete mollycoddling of children and young adults today. It's already proven to be the case that teenagers are having more traffic accidents because they have no idea of judging speed and approach of cars and not a clue about risk assessment. If children are not given increasing freedom and knowledge so that they can make logical decisions they don't grow up to be all that they can be.
My generation were earning their living at 15 yet now a 14 year old is incapable of 30 minutes babysitting? This is as stupid as the couple reprimanded for letting their children cycle to school last year and if it continues we will soon have 17 year olds judged incapable of babysitting while other 17 year olds are marrying or serving their country. Whatever happened to common sense?
My generation were earning their living at 15 yet now a 14 year old is incapable of 30 minutes babysitting? This is as stupid as the couple reprimanded for letting their children cycle to school last year and if it continues we will soon have 17 year olds judged incapable of babysitting while other 17 year olds are marrying or serving their country. Whatever happened to common sense?
I agree, this sounds OTT to give the mum a police caution.
I live five minutes away from my children's school and on occasion will leave my 12 year old with her six year old brother whilst I pop to school to pick up their sister after a club.
Giving them responsibility increases confidence in their capabilities and therefore self-esteem.
I guess though it does depend on the children to a certain extent. As a parent you have to make a judgement whether you think they will be safe, and that the eldest knows exactly what to do in an emergency.
I live five minutes away from my children's school and on occasion will leave my 12 year old with her six year old brother whilst I pop to school to pick up their sister after a club.
Giving them responsibility increases confidence in their capabilities and therefore self-esteem.
I guess though it does depend on the children to a certain extent. As a parent you have to make a judgement whether you think they will be safe, and that the eldest knows exactly what to do in an emergency.
I read something similar too, about a nurse who left her almost-teen child alone for a trip to the shops and also received a caution. I think it's a bit silly really... how do they expect kids to develop a sense of self-awareness and sensibility if they're not allowed even a short time on their own?
I agree that it depends on the child, but parents can judge that and why should parents of sensible children be penalised? My mother was leaving me in the house on my own at 13 because she knew I wasn't likely to burn the place down, I don't believe that makes her a bad parent at all. At the age of 14 I had to walk home alone because I went to a school outside the catchment area, which meant we got into town at any time between 3:40 and 4:20PM - by the police's reasoning, that should have earned her a caution too, because it's a half-hour walk from the bus-stop and she wasn't there to pick me up.
It's a topic that tends to make me a little angry, so I'm sorry if I'm ranting. I see kids younger than I was walking home from school every day, and I'm sure their parents probably leave them alone for five or ten, or even - gasp - twenty minutes when they nip to the shop, but it doesn't make them bad parents... Why can't they focus on parents who do things to their children that actually warrant a caution rather than law-abiding parents of law-abiding children?
Anyway, I don't see what the problem is if the child knows what to do in case of emergency, and although many schools teach basic first aid / CPR, most kids still know to call mum / dad / 999 if they need to.
I agree that it depends on the child, but parents can judge that and why should parents of sensible children be penalised? My mother was leaving me in the house on my own at 13 because she knew I wasn't likely to burn the place down, I don't believe that makes her a bad parent at all. At the age of 14 I had to walk home alone because I went to a school outside the catchment area, which meant we got into town at any time between 3:40 and 4:20PM - by the police's reasoning, that should have earned her a caution too, because it's a half-hour walk from the bus-stop and she wasn't there to pick me up.
It's a topic that tends to make me a little angry, so I'm sorry if I'm ranting. I see kids younger than I was walking home from school every day, and I'm sure their parents probably leave them alone for five or ten, or even - gasp - twenty minutes when they nip to the shop, but it doesn't make them bad parents... Why can't they focus on parents who do things to their children that actually warrant a caution rather than law-abiding parents of law-abiding children?
Anyway, I don't see what the problem is if the child knows what to do in case of emergency, and although many schools teach basic first aid / CPR, most kids still know to call mum / dad / 999 if they need to.
Agree that this is all a bit OTT - and that's coming from me who is a probably overprotective mother of a toddler. And anyway - it depends on the person so much. I have serious doubts if my 64-year old mother in law can be trusted to be left with our son, given her poor judgement, but nobody would question her abilities. Whilst when I watch the 11 year old son of our neighbours with our little one I can see he is caring and nice, and I would not hesitate to let him babysit in a few years time
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I think it was a bit OTT because it was only for half an hour. I don't think a teen should be left in charge of a toddler for a long time though. My mum left me and my brother at home from the age of 10 when she had to go to work in the school holidays it was no big deal.
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