Manoeuvring our way through the party paraphernalia and into the backyard, I spied eight boisterous four-year-old boys blazing about the place, yet, to my surprise, not a single other adult was in sight. And that’s when it dawned on me: my husband and I were the only parents who’d chosen to stay with their child at this birthday party.

After the initial shock wore off – and an uncomfortable conversation was had with the hosts about our apparent unexpected attendance – it posed the question that is popular in parenting circles: just how do you gauge the appropriate age to leave your child at a party without your presence?