Something that I find it unthinkable and very risky is that a small child is left alone at home. However, it often happens, as can be seen from a study prepared by the Mapfre Foundation and the Spanish Association of Primary Care Pediatrics.
The report, titled “Accidents of the Spanish child population”, leaves us the fact that 9.1% of children under 12 are left home alone at some time and of these, 5% are less than four years old. Even babies under one year old are left alone at home.
A really dangerous practice that encourages more child accidents and that I think years ago was more frequent. My parents tell me that they and some neighbors left us sleeping at home to have a drink at the bar next door. When I grow up, I remember this situation (and not even move from bed!).
Today, it seems weirder for young children to be left alone at home, we all know stories of a disaster that occurred in this situation. The home is dangerous for the little ones, there are plugs, balconies, windows, faucets, steps, furniture that becomes mountains ... Everything can be potentially dangerous with an unsupervised child.
However, the laws in Spain do not establish a minimum age from which children can be left alone at home. The Criminal Code speaks of the fact that they cannot be left "in a situation of helplessness".
But isn't this what we do if we leave a baby or toddler alone? They are not able to react to any unforeseen event, they cannot take care of themselves. They need our protection, our protection. I find it incomprehensible that children under four, including babies, are alone at home.
Not even sleeping, there can be many reasons for them to wake up and not understand what happened. Even if no misfortune happens, the fear that the little ones go through seems enough reason for me not to take risks ...
It is like the issue of leaving children alone in the car, which we have often talked about. Although in this case the risks are more evident (and now that the heat comes, especially). Whether in the car or at home,
The report from which these figures of children alone at home are drawn up was prepared through the more than 1700 questionnaires that 204 pediatricians made to families of children up to 14 years who had at least one accident (except traffic accidents) in the last year , and we will return to it because other interesting data are released.
Today, it has served us to reflect on whether or not we would leave our young children alone at home, with the risk that this entails. I do not dare, nor have I considered it. Even to climb the terrace for a minute, they always accompany me. We'll see when I think they could be alone, I think it will take many years ...
