SHOCKING DECISION
Mum slammed for plan to leave kids aged 18 MONTHS & five alone at midnight to go and pick up her husband
Mum Em shared a video in which she admitted her mind was "blown" after she overheard the conversation
A MUM has left other parents stunned after revealing she was going to leave her two young children at home alone to go and pick up her husband.
The woman was overheard by Em telling a friend about her plan - with the situation made even more shocking by the fact her youngest is just 18 months old, and the eldest is five.
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And while Em couldn't believe what she was hearing, the other woman was heard insisting it would be fine, as her kids never wake up during the night.
Em to ask other people's opinions as to whether the woman was in the wrong or right.
"Yesterday I heard this conversation," she began her video.
"Two mums discussing how one of them had to go and pick up her partner that evening around midnight.
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"She said it would take 15 minutes one way and 15 minutes back and that her kids never woke up, so it'd be fine.
"I mean do people actually do that?
"My jaw was literally on the floor!
"I mean what if there was a fire? Or someone broke in or baby fell out of bed?"
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She also said that while "money's tight for everyone", she didn't understand why the man couldn't just pay "£15 for a cab".
Em, who said she was scared to even leave her kids in the car when going to pay at a petrol station, added in the video caption: "Not wanting to shame anyone just honestly mind was blown!!!"
I’m a 'bad mum' but people are reporting me to welfare for feeding my kids junk - they mostly get fed at school anyway
And she wasn't the only one to be shocked by the woman's plan, with people taking to the comments section to express their shock.
"My husband missed the last train from London once," one wrote.
"1hr 20 at 1am, I drove to get him.
"Took kids who were both under 10 with me- plus their duvets- so they could sleep and be snuggly in the car."
"As a Social Worker people do this .....a lot!.... and no it's not ok," another added.
"How how do they justify it? Mind blowing!" Em replied.
What's the law on what age you can leave children at home alone?
SURPRISINGLY, there's no law on what age you can leave a child on their own.
However, it's an offence to leave a child alone if it "places them at risk", according to
Parents are urged to use their "judgement on how mature your child is before you decide to leave them alone, for example at home or in a car".
And they can be prosecuted if they "leave a child unsupervised in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health".
The (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) also 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
"It’s not only what might happen at home but what might happen to the parents when they’re out," a third commented.
"What if they got into a car accident?"
"This exact thing happened to my sister in law," someone else wrote.
"She left the kids in bed and hit a tree and was in a coma for 6 months. "
"I don’t even leave mine to go the bins outside.. mine are 11,8&3.. absolutely not!!" another said.
"No no no just no! Jesus," someone else said.
"Absolutely not," another wrote.
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"Both my girls wake repeatedly in the night - imagine their fear if they woke and couldn't find me?"
"None of us would be sleeping at night again."
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