hi.again.sweet42.........before we all get carried away on this question.i think you know in your own mind what you are going to do.........
regards.and take care.....xxx.........john-doe.........

A while ago, I booked flights to go away for the weekend leaving my seventeen year old to fend for himself.
The following evening I arrived home in the middle of a power cut to find the gates open, the dog gone, the door unlocked, candles burning and son asleep in bed!
I cancelled the flights.

Think it may be a while for me! So far this weekend, nearly 15yr old daughter went out on Friday night - an hour later went into her bedroom and thought "what is that smell?" Straightners lying on floor switched on. Yesterday, had to fend for herself and when I went to the freezer, jammed solid with ice (must have left the door ajar).

Don't think it would be a break for me, leaving her alone in the house

I honestly think it is down to the child and not necessarily their age . Whilst I am happy to leave my eldest son for 3 days ,my middle son who is just coming up to 15 is a completely different story . When i leave him alone during the day if im at work I always come home later in the day to find no Harry but all the doors left open. The back door is always left open ,once the front door as well , the ironing board is always up with the iron still going. computer and telly still on ,the list is endless. He just doesnt think and he is supposed to be the brighter one . no common sense though

Lesley i did that with my hair straigheners .burnt a chair in a cottage we rented . they sent me a bill for £80
Kayley .your post did make me laugh and i think I would of cancelled them too

lyn

Any child under the age of 16 is legally a minor.

The question is not is your child sensible, more like are you prepared to accept the consequences should anything happen.

Sods law states that it will.

Go back to my original post. Take him/her with you and turn it into a special holiday - then everyone is happy.

One other alternative - stay at home.

fwh

Thanks for all your replies, I would'nt dream of going away on holiday without him, it was only for 1 night, he will be sixteen next Feb, so I might leave it till then (legal wise), it was more having him at home to look after the dog.

Regards sweet.

i hear loads of stories about not leaving your 17 year old kids alone .... i was on my own and as such an adult at the age of 17... and i mean living alone... no one to answer to but myself

If I remember rightly you are allowed to leave a child from the age of 11 alone [don't know how long for though]. As other posters have said I really think it depends on the child and how sensible they are. You can get some mature 15 year olds and some really stupid ones. Only you will know what category your son falls into

Pity the McCanns didn't check this out

Well, my parents first left us when I was 16 and my brother was 14. We were both sensible and managed just fine. We even cleaned the house after we had had the wild party!!

Deanne was 15 when she decided she no longer wanted to come on holiday with us..so she stayed behind and she was fine. Gav decided this summer aged 15 that he didn't want to come back to Gozo with us..so he stayed behind..but trusting him slightly less to fend for himself, we arranged for him to check in with my parents every couple of days..he was totally fine and even managed the food budget that we gave him for the household stuff. He had done shopping for our return and fed and watered the animals as well as hoovering etc and generally keeping the house tidy. We left him again for 1 night a couple of weeks ago while we went up to Seahouses to go scuba diving with the seals and all hell broke loose!!!! He had a bit of a party that was gatecrashed and a so called friend of his decided to burgle our house..the neighbours didn't realise that Gav was home, phoned the police and reported the burglary and the police came screaming round and raided the house of the little old lady across the road...needless to say, Gav was in a lot of trouble, his so called friedn ( who we even took on holiday with us) is barred from our house
forever for deciding he would burgle our house, and then denying it after being caught!!

The general rule i would apply is how well you know your children, whether there is a support mechanism around them just for extra reassurance and what other risk factors would apply. If you can satisfy all of those, then base your decision on that.

oh and FWH.anyone under the age of 18 is classed a minor..

Val, it's a nightmare isn't it?
First left my son home alone aged 17 whilst we went to Paris for the weekend - no probs. House spotless when we got back, plus my mum and mum in law live just round the corner. Last year left him for a week whilst we went to Turkey, again no probs except front door left on the latch whilst he was down the pub. He had put alarm on - so no big deal.
This year in May, however when we walked in the door we could smell gas.... the fool had left the gas cooker on!!!! Luckily we have a cooker hood that is vented to outside. Thank God, otherwise when we had walked in and switched the light switch on !!!!!!!! It doesn't stop us going away, we just turn cooker off at main tap and leave a load of take away menus for him........

Denny

we are going away in 3 weeks and i will be leaving my 17 year old and the dog alone for a week as he didnt want to come, we have left him for a weekend and all was fine, my 21 year old daughter and other relatives live within 4 miles if he needs anything, i stock the house up with food for him and hes perfectly happy and sensible, luckily for me hes a laid back quiet lad ,not one for partying etc , so i hope lol, i went away in the summer for 3 weeks and left him with a 22 yr old friends daughter i had staying with us for a while and had no problems, so im hoping the same again

You cannot leave a child alone under 13 years old and it is only acceptable while you are out for a day. I left my daughter of 16 alone for the first time this year because she couldn't couldn't go anywhere without her boyfriend, love is so intense at 16. She had asked me to be left alone at 14 because she didn't want to be away from her friends but I having none of that. I consider her sensible enough to be left alone now she is 16.

How times change !!!!!
At 15 nearly 16 (birthdays july) my first job leaving school was "live in mothers help/nanny" to two boys, aged 13 months and a new born baby. The house was massive in the middle of the country. During my 18months there I was left numerous times in total control. While the parents were away in London. France weekends with friends etc.
The only time I acted iresponable was when i came across a dead mouse I screamed and screamed... woke both boys grabbed the older baby to protect me while i threw the offending object into the garden and sobbed for about an hour . And the babies washing remained on the line till the bemused parents returned 3 or 4 days later.
During my time there, when the parents and boys (with me to look after them) went away together to friends or birthday parties I met many girls the same age as me in fully control of pre school and older children Its hard to think in todays climate we would be considered "children" ourselves.

Up here in Scotland you can be married with a home of your own at 16 so being left home alone at 15 doesn't sound so bad. However I do agree that it does depend on the individual.

luci

I don't think it bad to leave a 15 year old on their own but its the social services, they love nothing better then going after a responsible parent while not going after the parent who abuses their children and so sadly with news reports of little ones tortured, abused and found dead. They go after the easy target instead of the one what will cause them the most problems.

I have two lads 15 and 13. We are quite happy to leave these at home in the day alone either together or if one is out -the other is happy alone.

We also if are on a night out will be happy to leave them, with the usual rules, no answering the door and we will call them on their mobile phone so they know it is us calling.

Although they are both sensible we do return home at a reasonable time, and no i would not yet feel happy to leave them overnight or to go away and leave them at home.

Oh but I must admit, it is nice to get a bit of independance back and not to worry about arranging a babysitter

For one night cant you arrange for him to say at a friends house nearby. Then he can come back during the day to look after the dog. That way there is a parent aware of his situation, he doesnt have to stay in at night alone etc.

I agree with some postings you can be married with kids etc by 16 but although it is a very small chance that something would happen how would you feel if something did. Not worth the risk.

Kind Regards
Stewart

Don't you beleive it that 16 is when they no longer come on holiday with you. Both of our sons stopped coming along when they were 16 but suddenly changed their minds about going away with the oldies when we booked to go to Canada to watch some ice hockey. Suddenly the 25 year old and his 17 year old brother we all for coming with us!

I can remember being really miffed when my Mum and Dad booked a holiday abroad and I was told it was just the two of them going. I was 17 at the time and every holiday we'd ever had right up until I was 16 was in a caravan somewhere in the UK, I would have gone like a shot had I been invited