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The Boys were in a Apartment building, There pastor was down the hall, Sounded like there grandmother was nearby, but she did not speak any English, and they could not talk to her.
Is anyone wondering how the parents (and 3 siblings) could afford to go to Nigeria, as Refugees in the US?
... Our tax $'s at work... (or Not at work if they were working under the table for cash).
I was left home alone from the time I was 8 while my parents worked. My mother got home at 630. I knew to just come home, do homework, and then I could watch TV or go out and play with friends. When I got a little older (say 10 or 11), my mother would leave exact, detailed instuctions on how to cook dinner and when to start it so it would be ready when she got home.
I never had any problems other than one time burning my finger (and just instinctively put it under ice-cold running water) and one time I got bitten by a spider -- and I put ice on that and then called her at work to let her know.
Kids are a lot smarter than we (adults) give them credit for. My "baby" is 16 and I still think of her as a child even though she's got a lot of smarts and common sense.
But did you have to earn the money to go buy the food you cooked? These boys were left with next to nothing....
Kids are much smarter and more capable than we give them credit for. I do not think we need to return to the days of child labor and teens dropping out of high school to work. BUT we can start to recognize most of us are helicopter parents to some degree, including me. My older son, who is in middle school, walks to and from school alone and stays home by himself if I have to take my younger son to practice or a doctor's appointment. I see the way some of my friends eye me up when I tell them that but he is more than capable of this independence.
I stayed home all summer with my sister while both parents worked full time. We were 10 and 8.
The Uncle was probably using the Parents SNAP card for there (and his) food that he was leaving.
He wasn't leaving much....as when found there was only a few packs of Raman.....and nothing says the family was on benifits....free and reduced lunch programs are completely separate and have higher income allowences.
Looking back, I probably could have gotten by at that age on my own, if I was being fed breakfast and lunch at school, especially. Is it ideal, no. Could I have handled an emergency? Mmm, guess that depends on the emergency. I certainly knew what 911 was. If it was something like an intruder, I still don't know how well I would be able to handle that to this day! I think I was probably MORE responsible as an older child than I was as a teen/young adult, when hormones and impulsivity (and questionable friends) entered the picture. I think I would have gotten in more trouble as, say, a 15 year old left alone than I would have had I been 9-10 - when I would have kept my head down and just did my thing. My parents left me alone (not overnight, but close, they'd get home after I went to sleep) frequently from a young age. In cars, in a NYC apartment, in hotel rooms (nice places, not seedy ones), in our house in the woods... I never did anything against the rules. I never snuck out or did anything crazy. Then again, I never had to worry about food either - but if they were being fed in school, even if they missed dinner, they still weren't starving.
Many of the kids I grew up with probably would have been able to do it too, but it depends on their personality. My older cousin, at that age? Absolutely. My younger cousin, at the same age? No - she was very clingy and dependent. Not a fault, just personality. My DH had to fend for himself from a very young age; I'm sure he would have been just fine.
My own kids, no, I definitely don't think they'd be able to handle it. They'd go all "home alone" if left on their own. My son would probably be OK for a bit, but then he'd get some crazy idea and try to implement it. My daughter would probably just get way too lonely and get into trouble by trying to meet other people to hang with. I dunno.
To answer the OP, I think some children, when given responsibility, rise to the challenge quite well. Others don't. Regardless... any parent who would put their kids in that situation needs some help.
Two 9 year old boys left alone for 3 months is terrible, but I think 9 year olds are responsible enough to take care of themselves for a few hours.
I was a latch key kid myself at that age. In fact it was quite normal where I grew up to come home from school, unlock the door, make a sandwich and glass of milk, then grab your baseball mitt or hammer and nails (for building forts) and go out and play with all the other unsupervised kids until dinner time.
We didn't have cell phones, but there were usually a few 5 year olds just standing around that could be used as a messenger service if need be.
Why is there a value judgment on that at all? They were capable of doing so.
Some might have had to do so out of necessity and were unhappy with the situation. Others might have been proud of themselves and self-satisfied that they were capable of meeting responsibilities.
Some college aged people are now not expected to be able to live independently. Heck, some people in their late 20's still refer to themselves as "kids" and "not ready to settle down and get married and have kids" etc. There's a big difference between a 9 year old, a 19 year old, and a 29 year old - but the point is that culture plays a large factor in how responsible they're expected to be.
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