Poll: Would you go for a walk?

emowens

So, the hubs asked me if we (meaning he and I) could go for a walk at night a few times a week. This is simply amazing for many reasons, the least of which is that my arse needs some exercise.  The only issue...um...hello...we have 2 kids.  He doesn't seem to think it's a big deal to go for a walk around the neighborhood (thinking about 30mins) once they are asleep.  I just don't feel this is right, so I've said no.  I've asked a few of my friends and 2 have said no way, no how.  The other 2 said they don't think it's a big deal (and 1 of them actually does it themselves, locks the door and goes for a walk around 8:30-9pm).

What do you ladies think?

rara855

Wait, do you mean and leave the kids in the house while both of you leave the house. Hells to the No!

I'd say find another time to go, or each of you push a stroller with a kid inside. That is just crazy cakes to me.  

emowens

rara855:

Wait, do you mean and leave the kids in the house while both of you leave the house. Hells to the No!

I'd say find another time to go, or each of you push a stroller with a kid inside. That is just crazy cakes to me.  

YES, that's what he means...just he and i - leaving the kids at home asleep...ALONE.  I think it's pretty much RIDICULOUS (not to mention possibly illegal?!?!?)  I told him we should try after dinner and to take the kids (stroller and or walking).  It takes a major event to get me exercising though, so i'm guessing it won't happen. 

UGAbride

No, I would not ever leave the kids at home while I was out walking (potentially up to 15 minutes away if I was on a 30 minute walk).  My kids would FREAK if they woke up and couldn't find us, not to mention what if there was a fire or someone broke in.  We've sat outside in the neighbors yard before with the monitor, so we could hear if they woke up and easily be inside the house in less than 30 seconds, and we could see the house/hear if fire alarm were to go off, etc. 

I think a family walk with the kids in strollers sounds really nice before putting them to bed, wish we could remember to try this...our evenings seem to just away from us once DH gets home from work, but I'm going to try and do it this week since the weather is so nice in the evenings. 

noyoucomehere

Oh, hell no!

slwprincess

Not even with my super strong video monitor strapped to my hip :-(  I'm super paranoid.  Oh, and our kiddos don't go to bed until dark anyway, so we wouldn't want to go walking that late either.  We've been struggling in the exercise department too so that's why we've started back up with the kinect/wii fit.  It is hard as hell for me to even drag my lazy butt downstairs though after I put the kids to bed, so it has not been happening nearly enough.  We are trying to increase it gradually over the next few weeks so maybe it will become routine.

mmd7999

I would say yah its a big deal and no dont leave them aloneto go on a a walk.  from my experience...once we put john in his room for bed & 20-30 minutes later we hear him crying and coughing.  he was having a allergic reaction and his face was swelling up.  we needed to rush him to the ER.  even if they are alseep when you leave....anything can happen in just a few minutes. 

maybe he can go for a walk then you can go

remote_girl

no way. heaven forbid there is a fire, a break in or an emergency. from what i know there isn't a specific law in ga for leaving the kids alone under a certain age, but they can come at you for neglect esp if they are under 12. i will go outside to take out the trash or other small chores but i keep my video monitor with me.

 

i would aim for a family walk. i know it is hard to wrangle the whole family before bedtime for something like this, but once it becomes a habit it may be a nice way for everyone to wind down from the day.

donna&ed

Would not dare leave the kids alone for one bit!

Maybe go for a walk with both kids on a stroller or bike?

tracigator

Absolutely not!  Things can go wrong in so many ways in less than a second.  The furthest I venture away from the house while the kids are alone inside is the mailbox and that's usually a quick 30 seconds.  

I completely understand the need to exercise and the need for some adult time. What about doing a family walk/bike and then once the kids are asleep have some one on one time?

Mrs.Guz

No. That's plenty of enough time for something to happen.

scarlet115

NO WAY!!! Those children are YOUR responsibility. You should NEVER leave a child alone in a house unattended. It is actually illegal...

K&P414

I would not do it.  But, are you friends w/ any of your next door neighbors?  Maybe they would let you take a monitor over to their house and keep an eye/ear out of the kids.  They could always (a) call your cell if the kids woke up and (b) run over if there was an emergency.  Or, is there a kid in your neighborhood that could sit over like a mother's helper? You know, kind of young to babysit 2 kids during the day but totally competent to be in the house while they are sleeping? I'd totally pay $5-$10 for a 30 minute walk alone with my husband every now and then :-)

I would be comfortable doing either of those.  But I agree that it would probably be a good start to take the kids out in the stroller for a family walk.  Maybe you can do both!  

Mrs.Guz

K&P414:

I would not do it.  But, are you friends w/ any of your next door neighbors?  Maybe they would let you take a monitor over to their house and keep an eye/ear out of the kids.  They could always (a) call your cell if the kids woke up and (b) run over if there was an emergency.  Or, is there a kid in your neighborhood that could sit over like a mother's helper? You know, kind of young to babysit 2 kids during the day but totally competent to be in the house while they are sleeping? I'd totally pay $5-$10 for a 30 minute walk alone with my husband every now and then :-)

I would be comfortable doing either of those.  But I agree that it would probably be a good start to take the kids out in the stroller for a family walk.  Maybe you can do both!  

Laurann had a good suggestion! 

MrsKLB

As convenient as it would be (for us, too), I have to say no.  Instead we either take a walk with the dogs and DS after dinner before he goes to bed or one or the other of us will go for a run with the dogs after DS goes to bed while the other stays home.  It's very easy to think "but he's asleep... what could happen?" but it's our responsibility to provide supervision for him 100% of the time, so we just can't do it. 

mingaling2

No.  Not at all.  You'd be lucky if you weren't arrested, but god forbid something happens in the house!

MLvK

Remember that girl Madelyn McCann?  I think her parents went to dinner in the hotel with the kids asleep in their locked room.  Whether or not it was the parents, or if it was a kid napping...who knows.  Just saying. 

Anything can happen in a few minutes.  Like others said- fire, break in, the kids general freaking out because you're not there.  

I don't know what schedules you guys keep.  I know my husband gets home so late that we do the dinner/bedtime race.  We used to do baths after dinner, but it just added to the stress level, so now I do baths before he gets home and they get messy again at dinner.  I guess what I'm saying is if we threw a family walk into the mix, it would add to the aggravation.  I understand where you're husband is coming from, but I like Laurann's idea of asking a Mothers Helper to come sit there for $5.  I would totally pay $15 a week for quiet alone time with my husband, but I can't even find a reliable babysitter for the big stuff.  

katgracenugget

How old are your kids? I would say if they are 6 and up, it is fine. I remember being in kindergarten and my mom having to dash to the store. I knew how to call the police if there was any trouble and also to not open the door to anyone. This was only in emergencies (usually my siblings were around since I have 7 older ones!) but it did happen on occasion. I would definately let your kids know where you are and make sure they know what to do in case of emergencies. If they are not old enough to do that, then they probably shouldn't be by themselves.