Sorry Jinny rather be honest than popular I think you got it wrong.
Never happened in my family and never should in my view.
Understand it is hard but thats how I see it.
Welcome to the forum hope you stay.

Jinny

Before anyone could really decide whether you should be charged we would need to know the full story? Why did you leave the children, how often. how long etc? It seems people have formed an opinion without the facts. I am not suggesting you did but some parents go off to drinking holes or pokie hangouts. This is child neglect at best.

Jinny, I sure hope that if you are selfish enough to expect to go to bead, & actually sleep at night, you set an alarm for every half hour. It would be dreadful if you hadn't got up & checked the kids for an hour or two.

King, I don't think this stuff has anything to do with the politicians, few of them are this interested, unless their gilt is by default.

The problem is too many graduates, with qualifications in some make believe discipline in the public services. These people put up these ridiculous rules to give themselves power, & the pollies are too lazy to check what they are allowing through.

This cr4p is getting in every where, in all areas, & quiet law abiding people are saying it will take a financial collapse, or spilt blood for it to be corrected.

I believe we need an injection of French farming blood to get some resistance happening. If bureaucrats tried this stuff in France, their ministry buildings would disappear under a heap of manure.

Dear Jinny,

I'm sorry but young underaged children should not be
left alone under any circumstances.
The laws are in place to protect the children.
It's that simple. You wishes or needs come second
to that. If you need to go out for whatever
reason there are babysitters, there are relatives
or friends, even neighbours who can help in an
emergency. But leaving children on their own - is a
No! No!

How many times have we read the news where children
were left in cars, while parents went gambling or
shopping? How many times have children died in fires
in the home? The laws should be explained to you,
and frankly with small children - they come first
before your own needs. You have to put your children
first. No matter how well you've "trained" them - thay
are only children and should not be left on their own.
And their welfare is your responsibility as a parent,
not theirs.

I'm with Foxy here.

Quite frankly, I'm amazed that you believe it's acceptable to leave such small children to sleep at night without mature supervision. It wouldn't cross my mind in a zillion years to do that.
As much as we like our children to develop a little autonomy as they grow, they do not have the foresight to deal with emergencies - that's why parents are usually around. Aside from this, and keeping in mind their tender years, I should think it would be most unsettling for them to know that you purposely remove yourself from their environment at night (or anytime?) leaving them unsupervised.

Jinny, welcome to OLO.

Notwithstanding the fact that I don’t know the full story, I totally sympathise with you.

The nature of this law is one objectionable thing. The lack of publicity about it is another objectionable thing altogether. If we are going to have this sort of law, it needs to be publicised long and loud, so that there is practically no chance of anyone inadvertently infringing it.

How is a mother ever supposed to know such a bizarre law exists?

I for one, and I suspect many people, would have never given such a thing a second thought. I would simply have presumed that the welfare of one’s children is the responsibility of the parent(s) and that the parent(s) has the right to make judgements accordingly.

Here is a very similar general thread that I started about four weeks ago:
http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=3937