RUN-BELIEVABLE
I leave my 7-year-old at home to go on a run – trolls call me ‘selfish’ but I like to keep fit & she is sleeping anyway
The little girl has also had nightmares about the house 'burning down'
A FITNESS-LOVING mum has come under fire after revealing she leaves her little girl, seven, at home by herself to go for a run.
The anonymous woman explained she's a single mother and finds it difficult to find time to pop out for a run whilst juggling work and looking after her daughter.
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However, she's come up with a controversial solution - going for a jog early in the morning while the child's asleep, for around 30 minutes.
According to the fitness lover, she didn't think much of it until her ex-partner who warned her not to leave the little girl on her own due to the risks.
Taking to the popular parenting forum , the running fanatic said: "I am looking for advice. My daughter is seven.
''I have started running but struggling to find a time to do this as it is just the two of us in the house.
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''I work and we leave home at 7.15 and get back home at 5.30pm, barely having enough time for dinner, bath and homework before we start the bedtime routine.
''This week I went for early morning runs leaving my daughter in bed.''
The mum said that the kid had woken up before she left on two occasions and ''each time she stayed in bed and read a book or played on her tablet''.
''The 3rd time she was still asleep when I left and I left her a note in case she woke while I was out.''
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The post received mixed responses, with divided readers saying it was fine as long as the kid's responsible - however, others branded the mum "selfish".
One person said: "I think it depends a lot on the child and you know her best.
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''I think if she’s a responsible 7yo then I don’t see the harm in leaving her for half-hour whilst you go for a run.
''As long as she knows where you are and can contact you."
A fellow parent chimed in: "Personally, I don't only think it's okay, I think children should be left alone (at home and outside) to develop into responsible and independent human beings."
A third penned: "In my opinion, a 7-year-old being left alone for 30 minutes is way too young and frankly think you are being selfish."
"For goodness sake this child is 7 years old,'' wrote a concerned member of the site.
''I just can’t believe you are even considering it. You are entitled to a life too but, your child is the most important and precious consideration.
When is it safe to leave your child at home by themselves?
As for the law, Gov.uk states there is not a legal age from which you can leave a kid on their own - however, it’s an offence to leave a child alone if it places them at risk.
They add: "Use your judgement on how mature your child is before you decide to leave them alone, for example at home or in a car."
The says:
- Children under 12 are rarely mature enough to be left alone for a long period of time
- Children under 16 should not be left alone overnight
- Babies, toddlers and very young children should never be left alone.
Parents can be prosecuted if they leave a kid unsupervised ‘'in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health’'.
''She is far too young to be left alone."
Another user said that even when their seven-year-old begs them to ''stay at home alone'', the answer is always a ''simple NO''.
''Two minutes or 20 minutes anything could happen and they say the worst accidents do happen in the house.''
Although ''nine times out 10 you would probably be okay leaving them'', it's still a huge ''risk'', they emphasised.
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After being brutally slammed on the platform, the mum updated the post, saying her daughter recently had a nightmare about their home burning down and is now afraid to be on her own.
The woman noted that for the time being the "running will have to wait until she is feeling more confident again."
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