Is it normal to leave a 10-year-old kind alone for 17 hours?

18% Normal
21 Comments

The 10-year-old son of someone we know has to stay alone for 17 hours at home from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. while his parents having fun partner swapping at the swinger club. If the boy needs his parents (if their mobile phone works!), they need nearly 1 hour to get home. The boy has dinner alone, watches TV the whole time and has to go to bed alone. They are living at a detached house since 10 months, where no one around knows about his situation. Who could help the boy immediately if something happens? The parents said, that their son is "not a baby anymore and would not burn the house down" when they are not at home. I think this is absolutely irresponsible! Is the parents behaviour normal? What do you think?

Voting Results
18% Normal
Based on 71 votes (13 yes)
Help us keep this site organized and clean. Thanks!
[ Report Post ]
Comments ( 21 )
  • DameInDistress
    11 years ago

    I'm kind of young and since I was 6 my mum did this to me. I hate it so much, now she doesn't give a toss about me, but I don't really care anymore..

    But I think you SHOULD report this. It's not fair to the kid.

    N. x

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    1
    1
  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    Call CPS man, that shit isn't right. What a couple of scum bags.

    Child=Responsibility.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    1
    1
  • NeuroNeptunian
    11 years ago

    That is illegal in my country and deplorable in my opinion. I don't care how grown up that child seems, a 10 year old is a 10 year old and if Mom and Dad didn't want the responsibility of having to give up a bit of their naughty shit to have to be parents then Mom should not have gone off the pill. Disgusting excuse for parents.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    1
    1
  • dappled
    11 years ago

    I would do it as a one-off in an absolute emergency (i.e. someone is going to die if I don't attend to them immediately) but doing it for other reasons (regardless of what they are) is irresponsible to an extreme degree and, I think, illegal in my country. It certainly used to be illegal when I was a minor and I can't see any reason why the government would change that law.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    1
    1
  • drugsrbadmkay
    11 years ago

    Not normal, not healthy, not safe. Report them to child protective services, child welfare, department of children and families, or whatever it's called in your state.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • kittylitter101
    11 years ago

    These are badddd parents. But at least he's learning independence.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • Terence_the_viking
    11 years ago

    Dirty bastards just so they can have dirty sex with dirty bastards they leave their kid alone if you know about it you should report it damn

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • Crazystupidguy
    11 years ago

    well, duh! of course that's not normal! I feel sorry for that kid, with his parents that fucking crazy.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • yesnomaybeso
    11 years ago

    These parents are insane. poor kid.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • BlueAlice
    11 years ago

    What the hell does the kid do when he needs help with his homework?! Does ANYONE come over to check on him?!

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
      -
    • Curiosity73
      11 years ago

      I do not think that his homework is really a problem - it's from Saturday to Sunday, but what is he doing in a case of emergency?! I don't know...

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      0
      0
        -
      • BlueAlice
        11 years ago

        Oh, well, that's something. /sarcasm

        Are there no aunts/uncles/grandparents around? Why have they not hired a babysitter?

        Comment Hidden ( show )
        0
        0
          -
        • Curiosity73
          11 years ago

          No, there is no family and friends around them. We are living near, but they don't ask us to help the kid if something happens. Only the kid told us. I am in doubt how to react...

          Comment Hidden ( show )
          0
          0
            -
          • BlueAlice
            11 years ago

            I would check on him yourselves anyway. What does he even do for food?

            Maybe report it to whoever it is that deals with child cruelty in your area too.

            That is not right or fair, I don't think

            Comment Hidden ( show )
            0
            0
              -
            • Curiosity73
              11 years ago

              I think, he is eating bread or something like that. I found out about this situation 3 weeks ago, before I did not know. My personal horror: the kid ist calling us for help and we are not at home. *omg*
              I think I talk to the parents before I report it to a youth welfare office... keeping silence is the wrongest way to go!

              Comment Hidden ( show )
              0
              0
  • Avant-Garde
    11 years ago

    If no one around knows the situation, how then do you know? Did the boy tell you?

    I don't see much of a problem. It teaches independence. I wish my family would've left me alone at a younger age instead of waiting till I was about 15. If they did it sooner, I probably wouldn't have been so dependent on them. How does he feel about this?

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
      -
    • Curiosity73
      11 years ago

      Yes, he told us. From his point of view there ist no problem. He said, he likes that because of watching TV all the time.
      I think, you are partially right: it teaches independence - but I think, 17 hours, over night till daybreak is too long. We are not talking about 2 or 3 hours...

      Comment Hidden ( show )
      1
      1
  • KeddersPrincess
    11 years ago

    It is irresponsible. I can understand leaving a 10 year old home for a little while to run errons or something of the sort, as a 10 year old is mature enough to be home by himself. But never would I do it for that long, at that time, and for an unnecissary reason such as that. Those folks need to wake up! They had a child and it's not about them anymore! It's about that kid, and they need to be there to take care of him and be responsible. What idiots! People like this don't need to have kids!

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    0
    0
  • Ryan556
    11 years ago

    Hers a question is it normal to leave a 8 year old for 8 years

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    -1
    -1
  • thanksforthefreecar
    11 years ago

    Maybe he's better than all the rest 10 year old

    Comment Hidden ( show )
    -1
    -1