Kids are capable of far more than we give them credit for.
Let me start by saying this isn’t some wild-assmovie. I had a sick 9-year-old and a sick 5-year-old. I also had a 7-year-old with a homeschool gardening program at 10 a.m. in the morning. The 7-year-old didn’t want to skip for his own reasons . I didn’t want him to skip either. The gardening program is located, according to Google Maps, 1.3 miles from my house, about a 4-minute drive.So I did what any mother from the 1980s would have done.
My 9-year-old says he “liked being left home alone a lot because it meant that I could just have a break and make sure Simon was happy.” He says that “sure,” he was proud to be left home alone, because “it was nice, but in a boring way” and that he “felt totally safe — the dogs were here, and I could call you if something happened.” When I asked him if he wanted to be left alone again, his answer was an enthusiastic “YES!” and he begged me to go on a date.
I trust my 9-year-old not to set something on fire, let a stranger in the house, prank call people, or do something idiotic while I’m gone. He took the responsibility of being home alone and in charge very seriously. Maybe some 9-year-olds wouldn’t be ready for this kind of thing. I don’t know. I don’t parent your kid. I only parent mine, and he is ready.
It was important that my parents knew I could be trusted to be by myself. So I was always, always good while they were gone.You’re going to say I don’t deserve to have children.
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