How old before leaving kids "home alone"?

[CATRAY44]

We keep our computer in the kitchen, which is where we tend to hang out a lot of the time. Everyone is accountable that way. They know that I am going to be looking in. I have let them, as they have grown older, have a 'Myspace', but with the condition that I have the passwords and will be checking, that it is kept set at "private" and that they are willing to block any friends who are going over the line (you learn a lot about what kind of friends they have and what they are all up to that way, too

. ) So far, my kids have used really good judgment. Some of their friends have not. I do think we have to help them learn to walk/wade through the culture they are growing up in. It is all available to them, outside of my home, so I want them to learn to really think about what THEIR standards are and hopefully, make wise and healthy decisions.

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

thanks for all the replies

We have a computer with internet access in the living room. She will not be allowed to have a computer in her room until she is much older. Homework can be done in the office, since I will be in there also. She already knows how to navigate the web,, at 5. SCARY!!

I wasnt allowed to get my ears done until I was 13. Why? Because I rode and worked with horses. One girl that took lessons at the same barn I did wore cute dangle ones to a lesson one day. After the lesson the horse rubbed his head on her and sure enough. The bridle caught the earring. When he pulled his head up the earring went right with it. Right out of her ear. Lots of screaming, crying and blood. BTW Both her and her mom had been warned not to wear loose earrings. Small studs, not a problem. I stall make sure I have none on when I got to take care of my horse. Nearly 32 years after that day.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

We have a family computer in the den where it can be seen and they can be watched.

I have the only cell phone in the house and the girls won't be getting one until they are driving at the earliest.

Our oldest got a cheap MP3 player this last spring-she had to help pay for it. Our youngest will be getting one later this month for her 4th b-day. It was a cheap one that was on clearance for 1/2 off. Why so young? Most of the music comes on CD's today. It is expensive to replace them so I would rather get a cheap MP3 player for them than have to replace scratched CD's. Either of the girls MP3 players would only take 2 CD's to replace to pay for them. They gave me the same MP3 player for Mother's Day and it is good enough for the three of us. I even used mine to record the rooster crowing and the hens clucking to play to the eggs that were ready to hatch in the bator!

As for staying home alone, our oldest is about to turn 10 and it will be at least a couple more years before that happens. I turned in a family that left their 7 year old to get himself and younger siblings up, ready, and off to school. To young!

 

[whitecra]

I know here in Oklahoma there is a law that kids aren't to be left alone until the age of 12. Then to add to that they can only stay so long and take care of other kids that are certain ages.

About the cell phone well that depends. My nephew has diabites and he got his cell phone when he start school but it was one of those that he only had 5 buttons with preset numbers on it. Not my son got one when he was 10 and that was a prepaid. He is now 13 and he pays for most of his now with his allawonce. He wanted a new phone this year and he spent his birthday money on it.

Chris

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

I agree with most of you - the answer to many questions regarding children is IT DEPENDS.... It depends on the child's maturity, it depends on the living arrangements, it depends on external conditions.

When I look back at my childhood and the freedom we had! Whew! No seatbelts, riding our bikes all over the place.... Now, I shudder at the idea of no seat belts. And there is no way my kids could ride all over like that. It's a different world, and it will be different again. My kids will probably shudder that we drove them into the city without gas masks or something! LOL!

My kids have computers at 6 and 8 because we have enough hand me downs that the chickens could have one if they wanted! But, no internet access except for the one in the living room.

Our kids are not allowed to bring cell phones or MP3s to school. School rule. Our school will not leave a seven year old or younger off the bus unless there is a grown up to get them. They take them back to school. This means we cannot wait in the house for them, one of us has to walk to the end of the drive to prove we are there... Its OK with me, they take the kids' safety seriously and don't relinquish their responsibility until they give the kid to an adult.

I leave them home "alone" when I walk to the end of the driveway to get the paper in the mornings. When we loved in the city I would never have left them alone long enough to run to the store which was closer than the end of my driveway is now! Different ages, different settings.

In some ways I think we are too afraid for our kids and we make them afraid. There are fewer child abductions now than there were 20 years ago, but parents are more afraid of them than they were then.