parenting & exercising question
Replies
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I wouldn't until it's legal (and responsible to do so). Legal is 11 here I think. Depends on the kid if they are responsible enough at 11.0
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A few thoughts:
1) I saw a mom run around a high school track with a baby in a portable play pen that had a shade protector, set up and breakdown in no time. She had a little boy who threw a ball against the wall by the pen.
2) Even if its not ideal, HIIT exercises, with body weight and even inexpensive (yard sale) weights can be done in virtual no space. You can do them at home and have no worries if time or gym membership babysitting is an issue. I have a little area I work out at home and can destroy myself (for rebuilding;-))0 -
Can you crate them when you go out?
I tried that once - they tend to escape:
You need better locks.0 -
Can you crate them when you go out?
I tried that once - they tend to escape:
You need a bigger crate he wouldn't escape so much if he was comfortable!0 -
My gym is in my basement so they are always home with me when I workout.0
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I say if they are old enough and cognizant enough to take care of themselves in an emergency, why not?
I was babysitting and house sitting alone at 11.0 -
Can you crate them when you go out?
I tried that once - they tend to escape:
You need a bigger crate he wouldn't escape so much if he was comfortable!
But not too big or they'll pee in the corner.0 -
I say if they are old enough and cognizant enough to take care of themselves in an emergency, why not?
I was babysitting and house sitting alone at 11.
Me too. My girls are 9 and 7. I'm just getting to the point where I'll let them ride bikes without supervision. My youngest has Epilepsy and can never be unattended. Our gym has childcare and that is worth it's weight in solid gold.0 -
13mo old and 11yr old. I know, huge gap.
My older kid is very mature and I can count on her (she learned infant cpr. I still feel until my older kid is older, she shouldn't be left home alone for long periods of time. Our neighborhood is okay and we have good neighbors, but still. Too much cray in this world right now. Not the same type of childhood for these kids as we had. When she's 12/13, I'll feel a little better maybe.
Crime rates have actually fallen significantly since we were kids.
That being said - generally states have laws about kids that can be left alone, ages a sibling can watch another kid, etc.
If I need to work out while my daughter is asleep, I do a plyometrics workout or something downstairs and keep the baby monitor with me. Or I take her for a run with me, or drop her off at the gym day care (she's 3).0 -
Depends on age and maturity of your child. My DD is 11 and my son is 7. I trust her to stay home by herself, but not to be responsible for her brother. I have left her here while i went to the gym when he was at his cousin's house. My DD face timed me during my workout to tell me she needed me to stop on the way home and get more milk lol.0
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I remember baby sitting at 7 now that was like 20 years ago but we have more ways to stay connected with our children then our parents did then also on another note I believe that the legal age to start babysitting is like 11 or 12 kids should be mature enough by then....just my opinion now the baby sitting age could be different but I remember reading the babysitting handbook and it was 11 then0
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That being said - generally states have laws about kids that can be left alone, ages a sibling can watch another kid, etc.
My understanding is that only Maryland (8) and Illinois (14!!) actually have laws. The rest have CPS/HHS guidelines.
We waited until the oldest was 12 (legal age to babysit in our area).
ETA: 14 is not really the age limit in Illinois. That is apparently when you can leave them home alone for an "unreasonable" period of time.
(d) any minor under the age of 14 years whose
parent or other person responsible for the minor's
welfare leaves the minor without supervision for an
unreasonable period of time without regard for the mental
or physical health, safety, or welfare of that minor.0 -
No I never leave my child to exercise no matter wake or asleep to paranoid of what might happen while I'll gone single or not single unless its inside the home. Its just not safe, I take my daughter all the way to my moms house. But if your child is like 13 or older I think that it should be ok maybe for 1 hr.0
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I was a latch key kid from the age of 6, so was home alone every day for 2 hours until my mum came home. Also had to get myself ready for school, walk there and back and do my homework, all without supervision. I utterly fail to see the problem, unless you feel your kids can't be trusted. I have friends with kids who I wouldn't trust on their own, but other kids who could run for mayor and would get my vote. Sometimes these kids are siblings to each other lol
If you take your children out in your car, you're exposing them to dangers you can't control, yet wig out at the thought of leaving them alone for an hour?
Children are no more safe than they were 30 years ago, we're just more neurotic.0 -
I don't know where you live but there is no legal age in the UK and I used to babysit in the US at 12.are you kidding me? I thought it was illegal to leave kids alone, if under the age of 14? I certainly wouldn't dream of leaving my 5 year old home alone just to go for a friggin run. God can't you take them with you , go to the park or something??? newsflash: your kids come first. I am horrified!0 -
No I wouldn't leave my 17 month old alone if I'm in the backyard yes and if she having nap and as long my partner is around
Feel free to add me0 -
are you kidding me? I thought it was illegal to leave kids alone, if under the age of 14? I certainly wouldn't dream of leaving my 5 year old home alone just to go for a friggin run. God can't you take them with you , go to the park or something??? newsflash: your kids come first. I am horrified!
lol 14?!?! You're horrified? We do have to teach our children how to be responsible by giving them the opportunity to actually BE responsible. At 14 you can legally work a full time job here in Canada... the community centres offer babysitting courses for kids 11 years and up. My 7 year old son walks himself to school and back (or bikes or scooters) - it's about 4 blocks away.
I'm horrified that some people would not allow their children to walk alone to school in the 8th grade in a perfectly lovely middle class neighborhood (relatives of mine) and that their 14 year old daughter doesn't know how to make her own lunch. That's more horrifying to me than teaching children to be responsible.
FWIW, I've had my then 5 year old watch his 18 month old brother while I took a shower. There is sometimes no other option.0 -
It depends how mature they are. I think I was 8 when I started watching my then 5 year old sister. But I was a really responsible kid, and it was the late 80's. The world seems to be a little crazier now.
I have a 5 year old, who I obviously wouldn't leave home alone, so I work around it. I run after work, before I pick him up from daycare, and on the weekends when my husbands home. I lift at home in the gym I put together. It's not exactly ideal. I live in FL, so in the summer my afternoon runs get canceled due to lightning...a lot. Also it's bloody hot at 4:30. I also don't have anyone to spot me while I lift. But I get it done.0 -
I've dropped my 3 y.o. and 7 y.o. into the woods at night a few times with only a flashlight and a hunting knife, to see if they can hunt and forage for food for a few days. So far so good, though the 3 y.o. keeps wanting to cuddle with the bears.0
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My kids are under the age of 3 so no. But I was babysitting other people's kids at the age of 8. Shrug*0
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I've dropped my 3 y.o. and 7 y.o. into the woods at night a few times with only a flashlight and a hunting knife, to see if they can hunt and forage for food for a few days. So far so good, though the 3 y.o. keeps wanting to cuddle with the bears.
I trust that when they were born they spent the first night on the roof, to weed out the weak offspring?0 -
Yes. I am a single mum and if I didn't, I would never have any time to go to the gym. Or couldn't work for that matter, then who is going to pay the mortgage?
I get up at 4:30am, go to the gym and am back, showered and ready for work before I get my 14yo DD out of bed. She knows that I go, but she sleeps right through. I wouldn't have done it before this year, and I think you have to make a judgement call based on knowing your own children, what they are like and what they are capable of doing in an emergency (if it arose). And also have very clear instructions on what to do if something did go awry.
I do not however go out (anywhere) after work, or after say 6pm on a weekend without my DD, as she is not comfortable with that idea.0 -
My dad used to leave us on the side of the highway when we wouldn't shut up. It's so easy to get rides when you're 8.0
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I've dropped my 3 y.o. and 7 y.o. into the woods at night a few times with only a flashlight and a hunting knife, to see if they can hunt and forage for food for a few days. So far so good, though the 3 y.o. keeps wanting to cuddle with the bears.
Lol0 -
No. But my kids are 3 & 1 so that is a good reason not to. Hard to say if I would if they were older. Depends on the child. My Mum used to leave me alone to work when I was 8 & my brother was 1 (very rarely) but I was a responsible mature child. She could never trust my sister to be on her own even when she was 16! So totally depends on the kid. It's a shame gyms don't have an area for older kids to hang out whilst parents exercise like they do a creche for the little 1's.0
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My dad used to leave us on the side of the highway when we wouldn't shut up. It's so easy to get rides when you're 8.
That's funny.
My dad did that to us several times when we'd take family vacations (2000 miles, 4 people in the cab of a pickup) he'd drop us off outside a town and then find a gas station about a mile down the road - we'd walk until we found them. I think we were 8 and 11. It was fun for us. We got away from them and got to walk a bit - they got rid of us for 15 mins.0 -
My dad used to leave us on the side of the highway when we wouldn't shut up. It's so easy to get rides when you're 8.
Mine would make us all get out on the side of the highway for talking to much... but he wouldn't leave us... he'd make us pick up trash. :grumble:
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Heck no! Mine are 11 and 7. When I want to run and there is no adult around to watch them, I make them hop on their bikes and go with me. They love it and we all get exercise.0
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are you kidding me? I thought it was illegal to leave kids alone, if under the age of 14? I certainly wouldn't dream of leaving my 5 year old home alone just to go for a friggin run. God can't you take them with you , go to the park or something??? newsflash: your kids come first. I am horrified!
Depends on what state you live in. Not all states have a "law" about how old your child has to be in order to leave them alone. Mine doesn't but it seems like the age is 10-11 and again, it depends on how mature the child is.
And as someone pointed out they OP didn't say how old their child is and I highly doubt she's talking about a 5 year old.0
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