A horrified mom has shared how she found out her husband left their two children unsupervised at home.
The Reddit post titled: "My husband left our 5-year-old and 9-month-old home alone and refuses to explain why," has racked up 6,100 upvotes since it February 4.
User suitable-Mission7422 explained she was at a local nonprofit organization event on February 1, but things took an unexpected turn.
The 31-year-old said: "I got a call from my mom. She said my son had just called her, and when she asked him what he and his sister [are doing], he said they were both watching TV. When she asked where their dad was, he said his dad wasn't there."
The woman explained that her mom asked several questions and believes the five-year-old son was telling the truth, meaning he was looking after his nine-month-old sibling.
"She said he didn't seem scared to be alone or worried about where his dad was at," she wrote, adding that he has a device designed for children, with family members' contact details on it.
"I left the event immediately and began texting and calling my husband repeatedly. He didn't respond to my first several attempts. It took him about 10 minutes (I was halfway home at that point) to respond.
"I was so confused, so worried, really mad, and I asked him where he was. He said he was at home," she wrote.
Upon arrival, she checked on the children, and they were both fine. Her husband swears he was at home and possibly in the basement doing the laundry during the phone call.
"I ran down to the basement—it was the same load of laundry I'd thrown in the dryer the night before!" she said.
"I begged my husband to just admit it, to stop treating me like an idiot, and to stop accusing our son of lying. He says I'm overreacting and letting our son's imagination drive me crazy."
While some states do not have a legal age requirement for leaving a child home alone, Siobhan Chirico, a registered psychotherapist specializing in helping children and families, advises against leaving kids this young.
According to online legal information FindLaw, age limits vary by state, ranging from 6 years (Kansas) to 14 years (Illinois), while 37 states have no specific law. When determining if a child is ready to be left alone, factors like maturity, environment safety, and precautionary measures should be considered. Many states provide guidelines to help parents make informed decisions.
Chirico, who works for VOICE Counseling and Education Services, based in Burlington, Ontario, told Newsweek that the post is "complex."
"It remains unclear if the children were home alone, for how long, and if this is a common occurrence," she said. "In general, expecting a five-year-old to care for a baby can have serious psychological and developmental consequences. Children are still developing their own emotional regulation, problem-solving skills, and sense of security at this age."
She explained that being responsible for a baby can create overwhelming stress, anxiety, and fear of failure.
"It may lead to guilt if something goes wrong and an excessive sense of responsibility that could last throughout life. If this becomes a repeated pattern, it could disrupt their attachment needs, leading to difficulties in trust, self-esteem, and emotional resilience later in life," she said.
Reddit Reacts
The top comment has 6,800 upvotes. It said: "It's either drugs or an affair. Also, the fact that your 5-year-old was calm and nonchalant about the situation makes me believe that he does this frequently enough that the kids are used to it."
"Talk with your son. He should know if that happened more than once. Even the 5-year-old can give you some clues," advised another user.
A third said: "Your husband is trying to gaslight you into thinking the kids were just dumb."
Newsweek reached out to u/Suitable-Mission7422 for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.
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