kids managing alone at home

[Guest uma]

We have two kids of age 13 and 10 and we are going to move to Adelaide from India.

I have one general doubt regarding the kids managing alone at home while my OH and me are at work for full time.

 

Can some one please tell me, how easy for the kids - one going to secondary school and one to Primary to manage while no one is at home?

and if we are statying at parkside and opt for parkside primary school and Glenunga high school for kids, will there be any issue for them to come back home alone and spend time at home until we return back from work?

[Guest moonraker1959]

Hi Uma,my feeling is that kids aged 13 and 10 are too young to be left alone.People might say it depends on how mature they are for their ages,but its not something I would of done with my kids at that age to be honest,and looking back (my kids are grown up now)I don't recall anyone else for that matter leaving their kids alone at that age.Maybe you could find an after school club for term time,but then you would have to consider what would happen with them during school holidays.Its not easy juggling work with kids.Good luck and I hope it all works out for you.

[Anne B]

look to see where the nearest OSHC (out of hours school care) is. They will look after primary school age kids before and after school, not sure if they do high school age as well.

[Lazy Cow]

Moonraker and Anne B have offered some great advice on how you can avoid leaving them, particularly the younger one.

 

Uma, you are the best judge of how your kids would cope but I would suggest that even if they could manage now remember that, the first few months at least, things will feel very different for them. Who will they call for immediate help if there's a problem, or will they feel confident coming home to a strange place, on their own? I guess most of us have encountered this problem, for me, my solution was to take work which meant I could be home when they finished school, or for school sports days etc. It can feel quite lonely without the connection of immediate family or 'old' friends and we wanted our kids to feel settled and confident in their surroundings before we left them at all.

 

Personally, I would not have left my kids when they were that young...even if just to make sure they didn't kill one another lol!

 

LC

[NicF]

Check out the school websites to see if they provide out of hours school care. My kids primary provides OHSC before and after school and during school holidays and teacher training days. I haven't got a job yet but I am planning to use it if and when I do. Pretty much all of the primary schools I looked at had something similar, but I'm not sure about the senior schools.

[Guest Guest5035]

You have to ask yourself can a 13/14 year old manage a emergency situation at home, you might think yes but its a massive responsibility for them at that age to not only care for a younger child but the house aswell.

http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/home_alone_-_cyh.html

 

stevo

[Guest Sachertorte]

Sensible advice above- Depending whether you are eligible for childcare rebate (eg if you are permanent resident), it might be worth hiring a nanny? OSHC fees vary a little - after school (3:15 till 6 pm in most schools) charge is around $20 per child, before rebate. However, your eldest is already at high school age so he will not be able to use OSHC for liability reasons? And have you thought what might happen if you cannot make it by 6 pm or whenever the end of OSHC if you are stuck at work/traffic?

The younger child might not be allowed to be signed out by your eldest, as he is too young.

 

In my opinion a nanny might be the answer for you.

Edited August 20, 2012 by Sachertorte

[Rich & Chit]

You will probably find that school finishing times may differ as well. i know Glenunga has one day when they start/finish at a different time to normal school hours. What about after school activities your eldest may want to enroll in? They may not be available to look after the youngest all the time. I think the authorities would not approve of a 10 year old being left alone to fend for themselves. It's all about priorities.

[Diane]

I'd look at putting the youngest into OHSC and check out what is offered by the high school you choose - I know where my kids go, there is after school homework club, or the library at the school may stay open after hours so your son/daughter could stay and get their homework done. Depending on what work your OH and you do, you may find the employer could offer you flexible start and finish times as well, or it might be possible for the older child to catch a bus to your place of work or your OH's, and do their homework there till you've finished. It does depend what your children are used to - I did used to leave mine occasionally when they were younger, once I'd got to know the neighbours and knew if there as a problem the kids could go round there and ask for help.

[wizzywozza]

It's actually illegal to leave a child under 12 home alone

[The Monaghans]

It's actually illegal to leave a child under 12 home alone

 

That's what I was thinking as well actually...

[Kingpin]

It's actually illegal to leave a child under 12 home alone

 

 

It is not actually illegal. There is no law saying children can't be left alone at home.

[Guest Helchops]

There should be IMHO.

[Guest moonraker1959]

I remember years ago when my nephews were aged 12,14 and 16.My sister had a part time job,and worked for my older sister.Anyway it was school holidays and decided to give them a trial run alone whilst she went to work for 3 hours.Two hours into her work she had a frantic phone call from her eldest to say the youngest was injured.She rushed home to find the youngest bleeding heavily from an injury to his chin.She rushed him to hospital and he had to have stitches.Turned out the middle one was play fighting,it got silly and out of hand and thats how it ended up.Its just not worth it imho,you just don't know what might happen.A chip pan left on,a stranger calling at the door,the list is endless of the risks.

[Guest Helchops]

I just think that kids are just that, Kids. They are unreasonable, erratic, selfish, dangerous and impulsive by their very nature and leaving them to their own devices is dangerous. Even when they're teenagers, most can't be trusted...you've got to accept that they ARE going to do things that you don't approve of - its just when they're 16 or so, it's probably not going to be as dangerous for themselves, and more for your home!!

[Anne B]

I remember seeing something on A Current Affair or similar, about kids being left at home alone, even if only for half an hour. They did an experiment (with the parents' consent and hidden cameras) on several kids home alone, who had been told to never answer the door bell. The parents were confident that their children would do the right thing. They sent a respectable looking middle aged man round to each house, asking if he could use their telephone because his car had broken down (or something similar). In every case the children happily let the complete stranger into the house to use the phone. Quite an eye opener. Children are very trusting and in every case did the exact opposite of what their parents had told them.

[Guest uma]

I am a systems engineer and my OH works for Retail sales. Hence could any one please tell me whether we can have flexible timings for us to work in IT and in Retail. I am in a hope that for Retail sales side like Super markets, Big chain shops etc. there will be a possibility for the flexible timings. Am I correct please suggest...

[Guest xX HOBO JOE Xx]

it shoud depend on your kids behavior if there well behaved 13 year old is in charge slowly youl get more trust and you wont have to worry

[Bevev's]

I think it'd be a good idea to sort this out before moving to OZ. Also be prepared,financially, for one of you to stay at home if work cannot be found with flexible hours until your children are much older.

 

 

I am a systems engineer and my OH works for Retail sales. Hence could any one please tell me whether we can have flexible timings for us to work in IT and in Retail. I am in a hope that for Retail sales side like Super markets, Big chain shops etc. there will be a possibility for the flexible timings. Am I correct please suggest...

[Guest Sachertorte]

Hi again Uma,

I agree with Bevev's- because of the age of your children, having you both in employment will be very unlikely without support from your employer.

There does not seem to be much support here for families where both parents work.

The locals obviously have a network of families, friends and neighbours you will need time to build.

Retail sales have very different hours depending where you work, but on average retail hours overlap with the times you have to be taking kids to school and back home. IT is definitely more flexible (and better paid). Something to think about.

Don't rule out alternative careers for your husband, it's tough but once here you really will need an open mind and to stay flexible with work options.

 

Good luck!!

[Guest uma]

Hi Sachertorte,

 

Thanks a lot for the suggestion. As per your suggestion, my husband is ready for alternative careers also other than retail sales.

 

Basically after reading all the replies above, we are planning me to work full time and my husband work for part time and reach home by the time kids reach home from school.

Hence can any one tell us whether we can work on hourly basis in Adelaide? that is like working for 5 - 6 hrs like that. Also could you please tell us what alternative careers will be available for my husband who has experience in Retail/FMCG sales.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Regards,

uma