You might remember the classic ’90s blockbuster, Home Alone. 8-year-old Kevin (played by Macaulay Culkin) is left behind when his family rushes off to a vacation abroad and boards the plane without him. The child is left to fend – and literally fight – for himself when two thieves decide to break into the house.
While the movie was filled with a laugh a minute, it’s important to remember, it was just that. A fictional film. Made-up stuff produced purely for entertainment purposes. There is nothing funny about leaving a young child alone at home for days on end, ya filthy animal!
So when one woman heard that her parents had left her 4-year-old unattended in their house because they didn’t want to wait for him to put his shoes on, she completely lost it. But the grandparents still don’t see any issue with their actions. The mom is now considering calling the police but isn’t sure if she should.
Looking after a child, for any length of time, is a big responsibility and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly
Image credits: Mikhail Nilov / Pexels (not the actual photo)
One woman thought her 4-year-old child was safe with his grandparents, until she found out they’d left him home alone
Image credits: Drazen Zigic / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: INeedCoffee101
Accidents can happen in the blink of an eye
It’s safe to say that many 4-year-olds wouldn’t be able to cope solo in the event of an emergency. Life is not a Home Alone movie, and a young child generally doesn’t have the ability to defend themselves against a criminal, to handle falling down the stairs, getting burned on the stove, or getting lost after running out of the (unlocked) front door to look for their caregivers.
Those are just a few of many things that could go wrong. Not to mention the fact that some young children are terrified of being without their parents or other familiar people. Many experts agree that children under the age of 8 shouldn’t be left alone, even for short periods of time. 12 and older is “a pretty acceptable age” for a child to be home alone for a few hours, says family therapist Sheryl Ziegler.
The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends that parents wait until their child is at least 12 years old before taking a chance at leaving them alone at home. But the right age will vary from family to family, depending on the maturity of the child, where you live, whether you have a support network close to home, and how far away you will be.
While being alone at home can be an opportunity for children and youth to develop their confidence, independence, and sense of responsibility, it can only work if the child has the necessary skills and maturity to handle staying home alone safely.
Some states and countries even have laws dealing with what age a child can be left unattended. Minimum ages range from 8 to 14 years old. You can be charged with child neglect for breaking these laws. And you’ll be hit with further charges should something happen to your child while you’re not there.
“Many States’ child protection laws classify ‘failing to provide adequate supervision of a child’ as child neglect,” reads this U.S. Government Child Welfare Fact Sheet. It goes on to explain that in some states, “leaving a child without supervision at an inappropriate age or in inappropriate circumstances may be considered neglect after considering factors that may put the child at risk of harm.”
People have gone to jail for leaving children home alone
In January, a woman was jailed for 10 years after her four sons died in a house fire while she was out shopping. Deveca Rose’s two sets of twins, aged 3 and 4, were unable to escape the locked house when the fire ripped through it in 2021. Their bodies were found under a bed.
The 30-year-old mom was found guilty of four counts of manslaughter in a British court. Besides spending the next decade behind bars, she will have to live the rest of her life knowing her children might still be alive had she not left them alone.
Just this week, a 2-year-old girl was found dead under a dresser in Indiana, U.S.A. Her 33-year-old mother is behind bars awaiting trial. It is alleged Chantell Gardner would leave her two young children alone at home for hours on end, coming home briefly once a day to feed them. She is facing a charge of child neglect causing death.
While these are extreme and very sad cases, they illustrate just how wrong things can go when adults don’t take their roles as caregivers seriously.
Shocked netizens shared their thoughts, with many advising the mom never to leave her son with his grandparents again
Some parents shared similar scary stories of how their children had been left alone
The post Grandparents Decide To Leave 4YO Alone, Mom Freaks Out: “Screaming And Swearing” first appeared on Bored Panda.
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