According to figures obtained by BBC Breakfast last week, more than 500 people were arrested in England and Wales in 2014–15 for leaving children unattended. In the majority of cases, the children concerned were aged ten or under, but some parents got into trouble for leaving their 15-year-olds home alone. It’s hard not to conclude that the police are being a bit heavy-handed, trying to take on responsibility for something that properly belongs to parents.
As regular readers will know, Caroline and I have four children aged 12 and under and we don’t see eye to eye about this. Her level of anxiety about the various disasters that might befall them is about average for a west London yummy mummy, whereas I’m at the intensely relaxed end of the spectrum.
For instance, it’s our 15th wedding anniversary coming up and I suggested we spend a long weekend in Les Trois Vallées. We both used to ski regularly, but since Sasha was born in 2003 we’ve been only once, and that was a disaster.
‘What about the kids?’ she asked.
‘Don’t worry,’ I said. ‘Sasha can look after the boys and we can get a neighbour to check up on them. They’ll be fine.’
If looks could kill, I would have resembled an extra in a Quentin Tarantino movie.
One of the reasons I’m OK about leaving the children to fend for themselves is because my parents were so cavalier with me. When I was ten I was doing a paper round and walking to and from primary school by myself. Admittedly this was in Highgate, not Peckham, but the school was over a mile away and the journey involved plenty of main roads and a shortcut through a council estate.
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