ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 My oldest (10.5) takes a two-hour art class every week, and I really want to use that time to get some stuff done. This week, that could include running 25 minutes to my parents house and back. DD has a cell phone and is with a trusted teacher and a friend. I knew she feels a little nervous about my going, but really, I'm the ONLY parent who seems to stay in the building. And she's been in this art class, with these kids and this teacher, for 6 months now. WWYD? Would you feel comfortable running to your parents' house and coming back, or even going home (10 minutes away) and coming back? Or would you stay and sit and wait every week? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 It sounds like your bases are covered and she's in good hands. Unless she's highly anxious I think you're fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I would definitely feel comfortable doing either thing. I would not sit and wait every week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 When my 7 y/o is in ballet, I'll make a run to the grocery store about 5 minutes away. Usually takes about 30 minutes and is in the same town. I trust the teacher Dd is well behaved. All the other parents do the same. My rule is that I'm back no less than 5 minutes before class is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I have been leaving my DD (9) for several years now, as long as her classes are at least an hour long. I mostly do close shopping, within 5-10 minutes. If she was in class for 2 hours I would definitely feel comfortable going farther. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I leave my children at their social club (pokemon league) and leave for a few hours. They've been going for long enough that I know many of the other people there; ds12 has a phone; ds10 is responsible and both know the rules. The rules are very simple. Never, ever leave that building. Never. We tell them every time and they understand the consequences of if they do. They will not be able to go again. This is very important to reinforce because there's a wide range of kids there. The teens run to 7-11 or a fast food place all the time. We make sure our kids have treats/snacks so there is no need. I feel fine leaving them. Actually, dh and I drop them off together and have mini-dates every Saturday. It's glorious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 My kids are 5 and 8. They both take a couple of classes that are 2-3 hours in length and it's never even once occurred to me that I ought to stay in the building. They get dropped off, I go home or run errands, and then pick them back up at the end of class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 For art, yes I would. I'd have a backup plan in case if you're delayed though. Where I live, going 25 minutes away could mean getting stuck in traffic. That would concern me. When mine are in martial arts, I don't go more than 5-10 minutes away because of the chance of injury. That's just me though. For other things I'm fine going further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I'd be completely fine with leaving either of my girls at the class (and I do for their activities). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicianmom Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I only stick around during my children's activities if the teacher requests it. Otherwise I am gone! I can get the week's grocery shopping done during gymnastics class! As for the distance, I'm constrained only by the amount of time I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Yeah, I don't see any problems with leaving her. We drop Rebecca at her gym for 3.5 hour practices and I stay in town (we live 40 minutes away) but I'll go 15-25 minutes away. I keep my cell phone and she's about to inherit my super cheap basic one. We trust the gym, and they all know the team girls and their parents. She'll be 10 next month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureMoms Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 My 4yo took a 2 hr art class this past fall and I went about 10 minutes away to a grocery store. I couldn't stay with the twins, there was nowhere for us to be. She was a little nervous About it the first 2 weeks ( though never enough to have the teacher call me) but fine after that. And she is a fairly anxious 4yo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 At that age and knowing she is in good hands, I'd take advantage of that time and run lots of errands! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 My oldest (10.5) takes a two-hour art class every week, and I really want to use that time to get some stuff done. This week, that could include running 25 minutes to my parents house and back. DD has a cell phone and is with a trusted teacher and a friend. I knew she feels a little nervous about my going, but really, I'm the ONLY parent who seems to stay in the building. And she's been in this art class, with these kids and this teacher, for 6 months now. WWYD? Would you feel comfortable running to your parents' house and coming back, or even going home (10 minutes away) and coming back? Or would you stay and sit and wait every week? I'd feel comfortable dropping off as long as I had adult back up. Should you blow out a tire 25 minutes away, you want to make sure someone other that the art teacher can cover for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 At The Little Gym we leave if we want to. I usually stay just because I don't have anything better to do in that time frame, but if I need to leave, I just tell my kids in advance, inform a teacher, and make sure I get back by the end of class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I've always sat on the little hard benches or in folding chairs to wait for classes that are around a hour long. If the weather is nice and the location is good, I might als enjoy a walk. I bring a book and enjoy the quiet time. For classes stretching beyond two hours, I'll typcially run an errand if I need to then sit and read. I figured out long ago that I'm different than other parents, and it is okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I don't leave the island. Mostly because of the drawbridges potentially making me miss my pick up times, as my children's activities top out at 1 hr long. But with 2 hours, I could actually get something done off-island and build in enough time to wait out any bridge opening. I would do it. I wouldn't always do it. But sometimes, sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I'd go. When youngest was in one of the gym classes for preschoolers that don't require parental involvement, I would go grocery shopping. With 2 hours, I'd get a lot done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Whatever distance so that I can reliably be back on time to pick her up. She has adults around who can handle an emergency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I absolutely would if other parents are using that time. I don't sign up for classes that I need to stay on site for very much anymore, because I NEED that time. I'd just make sure you had someone's number on my cell phone that was staying on site. Like the teacher's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I can't imagine NOT going. Outsourcing classes has multiple benefits and I am an efficiency minded soul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 it depends on the teacher. Has she signed on to take full responsibility for your child for that period or just to teach art? Does she have backup - if a child had a major emergency and she couldn't get hold of you for some unexpected reason does she just call an ambulance and hand them over? Ds5.75 takes an after school gym glass held in his own school hall. He and a friend play in the playground for a while then go over then I join him after I have picked up ds3.5. It would not occur me to leave a child at a preschool class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 For an hour class, we drop off the kids and walk around to do groceries shopping and banking. For two to three hours class we will run errands. However our kids classes are in schools or centers where there are staff who we can call in emergencies to stay with our kids until we reach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 I think it sounds reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 I often leave ds9 at the dojo for his martial arts class. Sometimes even a bit past his class time so he can play with the other kids (only if I have arranged it with another parent who will be there at the end of class to keep an eye on them). We have been at this dojo for 5 years now though, and know the instructors and most of the other parents and kids very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 24, 2013 Author Share Posted February 24, 2013 Thanks everyone. I did run my errand yesterday while she was in class, and it went fine. I don't want to go that far on a regular basis, but I'm glad I did yesterday, because I was so tired I would have had a hard time making the drive AFTER class, which was the other option. Normally I sit and talk with my friend, whose daughter is also in the class, but she wasn't there yesterday, so it all worked out well. I think it was good for DD too, to know that she's safe there even if I'm not sitting downstairs waiting. She was OK when I told her I would be leaving, too, so that was good. I appreciate the input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 I've been leaving Hobbes at his Karate and Cubs/Scouts for at least two years. I walk the dog or go to the supermarket. By the time I was eleven, I was taking two public buses to get to school. And no, the world was not safer then - the 24-hour news cycle had just not started. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 24, 2013 Author Share Posted February 24, 2013 I've been leaving Hobbes at his Karate and Cubs/Scouts for at least two years. I walk the dog or go to the supermarket. By the time I was eleven, I was taking two public buses to get to school. And no, the world was not safer then - the 24-hour news cycle had just not started. Laura Just to clarify, my concerns weren't about safety (I was walking home across town to an empty apartment at age 7!). They were more about whether her anxiety was reasonable and about whether 25 minutes each way was realistically too far to go given the chances of an accident, a flat tire, traffic, a power outage in her building, or some other very-small-odds occurrence. I wanted to see if most people thought going, say, more than five minutes away from the building was too much of a chance to take in case parents might need to return quickly. I personally didn't think it was, but I find that I tend to be more on the optimistic side of things like this, so I wanted to get some more perspective. I was recently in a conversation at our co-op where people expressed that they'd feel more comfortable leaving their kids at home alone than in a parked car in broad daylight for five minutes. That conversation made me feel a little like I must be missing some important piece of parenting information! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 Just to clarify, my concerns weren't about safety (I was walking home across town to an empty apartment at age 7!). They were more about whether her anxiety was reasonable and about whether 25 minutes each way was realistically too far to go given the chances of an accident, a flat tire, traffic, a power outage in her building, or some other very-small-odds occurrence. I wanted to see if most people thought going, say, more than five minutes away from the building was too much of a chance to take in case parents might need to return quickly. I personally didn't think it was, but I find that I tend to be more on the optimistic side of things like this, so I wanted to get some more perspective. I was recently in a conversation at our co-op where people expressed that they'd feel more comfortable leaving their kids at home alone than in a parked car in broad daylight for five minutes. That conversation made me feel a little like I must be missing some important piece of parenting information! Okay - that makes sense. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 I like to stay within 10-15 minutes. I would go farther if I had a back-up plan...someone who could pick them up if I had car trouble or was running late. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 My oldest (10.5) takes a two-hour art class every week, and I really want to use that time to get some stuff done. This week, that could include running 25 minutes to my parents house and back. DD has a cell phone and is with a trusted teacher and a friend. I knew she feels a little nervous about my going, but really, I'm the ONLY parent who seems to stay in the building. And she's been in this art class, with these kids and this teacher, for 6 months now. WWYD? Would you feel comfortable running to your parents' house and coming back, or even going home (10 minutes away) and coming back? Or would you stay and sit and wait every week? Well in your situation, *I* would be comfortable with going home 10 minutes away, but I probably wouldn't go 25 minutes away during a 2 hour class. Mainly because around here, a trip that usually takes 25 minutes can all of a sudden take 45 minutes because of traffic or construction. However, if my *child* wasn't comfortable with it, then I would stay. But I'm a softy like that, LOL. Moose is very, very attached, even now at 7 years old. As in, he is not comfortable with the idea of staying with his favorite uncle/aunt/cousins for an hour or two so Daddy and I can go out on a dinner date. And he LOVES going to this uncle's house. So I really don't think there's any way he'd stay at a class without me. Zee, who's almost 10, *might* be comfortable in your scenario after being in the class for six months. Maybe. If he was having a good day. :D Now, I wouldn't fault you for deciding that your dc is old enough at 10.5 that you can leave during her class. I think that's perfectly reasonable, assuming it wouldn't cause her so much anxiety that she cried or something. I just know that I happen to be very accommodating to my kids in regards to not leaving them; some might even say more than I should be. I think we each know our children best, you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted February 24, 2013 Share Posted February 24, 2013 With my younger two, I've never been gone from the location of a class for more than 15 or 20 minutes just because my son can be hard to handle. He may be better now but the last time they did a class was almost a year ago. With my oldest, she was dancing 2 or 3 hours on some nights by the time she was 8. I would not stay on her long nights. She had already been at the studio for 3 years by then, knew all the other girls, was comfortable with the teachers and the studio director. At that age I would usually go home, which was about 15 minutes away. We moved when she was 10 and didn't want to change her studio. I still went home on her long nights, even though it was at least 30 minutes away. There were rare occasions where something happened and I didn't make it back in time (maybe 3 or 4 times in 10 years). I would text or call her to let her know, or call the studio before she had a cell phone. If the studio was still open, she'd sit in the waiting room and wait. If it ended up being after closing, one of the teachers would wait with her until I got there. She has had injuries or gotten sick while there. I would go pick her up but if it was a true emergency, her father and my mother, along with at least one parent that I really trusted, were closer. Usually I didn't even hear about injuries until I picked her up and she'd come out and say she hurt..whatever limb or joint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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