Mom Says Her 8-Year-Old Was Left Alone During A Sleepover While Her Friend’s Mom Ran To The Store

Giving the go-ahead for your kid to attend a sleepover can be a hard trigger to pull for some parents. Sleepovers for kids have become less popular in recent years, as more and more parents balk at the idea of sending their kid to another person’s home who they may not know very well for an overnight hang.

So, when a parent does allow their kid to have a sleepover, there should be a sense of security and safety knowing that your child is in good hands. One mom worries that may have not been the case after her daughter came home from a sleepover and said that her friend’s mom left them home alone a couple of times.

An anonymous mother posted on Reddit to share her experience with a sleepover her daughter had and get some advice.

“My daughter slept over at a friend’s house for the first time yesterday,” she said. “She’s eight, in the second grade.”

“When she got home, she told my husband and I that her friend’s mom (the only adult watching the girls) left them home alone a few times. She said a couple times she left them alone to walk the dog.”

Now, running the dog outside for a quick minute didn’t seem like that big of a deal, and she was able to rationalize, noting that their townhouse is very close to their neighborhood’s lawn.

However, her daughter informed her that wasn’t the only time she left the girls alone.

“One time my daughter said she left them home alone to run to the store,” the mom said. “I guess she had tried to call her mom to come watch them but couldn’t reach her so she left anyway.”

“My daughter’s friend got scared at one point and tried to call her but her mom didn’t answer. My daughter said her friend was scared and crying.”

The mom was confused and wondered if she was “missing something.”

“I’m at a loss,” she said. “I host sleepovers often and would never do this. I don’t leave my daughter home alone at this age and would never leave her and a friend I’m responsible [for] home alone.”

The OP received hundreds of replies on her post with several Reddit users agreeing that the friend’s mom should not have left the girls alone.

“Don’t let her go over there anymore,” one user wrote.

“I’m with you, this is not ok. Walking the dog one minute from the house while bringing her phone, ok. But going to the store and not answering your phone: not ok. Children that age can do stupid things,” another said.

One user asked, “What did she need so badly that she couldn’t order ubereats for? And why couldn’t she take the girls?”

The OP replied, “I don’t know. She didn’t tell my husband and I that this occurred, our daughter told us. (Also a concerning detail for me).”

It’s one thing to leave a prepared, mature 8- or 9-year-old home alone while a parent heads out for a quick errand. It’s another to leave two girls alone, who are not equipped to do so, and then become unreachable.