How old before leaving kids "home alone"?

Well... I'm 19, and my brother is 13

My brother and I are completely different, simply because he is very impulsive and has ADHD.

I was allowed my first tape player well...since I was born, my parents used to play music to me, I was given a portable tape player when I was 3 to take with us to England so I had something to do, and personal choice I used the Cd player I got for my 14th birthday until last year when I finally got an Ipod. I had a cell phone since I was 6, because that was the time I started walking to the mall or to a friends in England, I still have a cellphone now (not the same one!). I got my ears pierced when I was 10, my first "piercing," which was an eyebrow piercing when I turned 14, and then my other piercing I got on my 16th birthday.
I was given my first computer when I was 10, which sat on my desk in my bedroom, laptop at 15.

I was staying home by myself at 7, 6 for very short periods of time... usually 10 or 15 minutes at a time. Walking to school by myself from day one, and I had to cross a main road with a crossing guard.

My brother on the other hand, didn't start walking to school by himself until he was 10, because of his impulsive nature he would take... "detours," he was given a cd player at 9, he now has an mp3 player. He's had a computer all his life because my dad is in the IT field, he got his cellphone at 10 because we needed to know where he was at all times. He's been staying home since he was 7 or 8, but when we come back there is no food left in the house! so we've started taking him out with us now.
 
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You have such strong opinions - regarding no kids need or should have cell phones.

I think its up to the parents, and as you don't have little children to worry ENDLESSLY about, its a totally different world out there now for parents, with the creeps and weirdo's - perhaps you should just leave that subject alone.

amen to that!












Also, a good cell phone company is Tracfone. it is prepaid, so the kids cant run up their cell phone bill.
 
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SORRY , but no way would I allow 7 kids left alone for ANY REASON . ESp. not gone snow mobiling .
Its hard enough for adults to control and be responsble of 7 children . TO MANY things can happen .


I will give you a small example : WELL it turned OUT PRETTY BIG thing .

My sister in law left 4 kids in the house . 3 asleep for afternoon nap , oldest ( 12 ) watching TV and walked across the street to have coffee with the neighbor .
The 12 year old found a cigarette and LIT the cigarette , and was puffing away when he thought he heard his mom coming back , and paniced and throw the LIT CIGARETTE in the trash can and set the house on fire . SHE had only been across the street MAYBE 15 minutes .

THANK GOD nobody was hurt . this was 2 weeks before Christmas also and they LOST everything .
 
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We were never allowed to use the phone in the office at school.

ALSO - in my case when my son decided to go play with his friends after school - he wouldn't have THOUGHT to phone - he DIDN"T think to phone, IF he had HAD a cell phone I could have called HIM. Children don't often think "OH I better phone home" they have other things on their minds.

20 years ago if cell phones were availble - plenty of kids would have been issued with them - there is NO doubt in my mind. In todays world, we have to deal with both parents working, we have to rely on after school care and the help of others - now and then - things DON'T fall into place, and if a child had a phone handy they could call or BE called.

Since moving from the busy city - we don't need the phone anymore - and I work from home so its not an issue, but I still KNOW what its like for those parents who are in offices or on worksites, and NEED to have that little bit of security knowing they can call their own child if they need to.
 
I think that it depends on the kids and your states laws.

My son watched his siblings for short periods of time starting at 13. This time period increased as he got older. I wasn't really worried about him doing anything wrong because his two younger sisters and brother would have gladly tattled on him.

My 12 year old daughter is very mature but I would not leave her alone but that is due to my own paranoia. The media is very good at scaring parents, isn't it?

There were a lot of latchkey kids when I was young. It is because of the actions of some of my friends that I tend to be overly cautious about leaving my own kids alone. I had friends who snuck their boyfriends in the house, had sex, did drugs or other things that would have shocked their parents.


As far as the cell phone, I give my daughters my own cell phone when they are out, even out just playing with friends. My hubby and oldest son have their own phones so in an emergency my daughters could reach someone.
 
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when my DD was 11 I left her alone with a friend for a half hour to run to the market. Her friend's mom was consulted and said it was fine.
And a friend of mine lived down the hall.
When I got back from the market the whole apartment was filled with smoke.
They lit a candle and it tipped over and caught the dish towel on fire. That was the last time she was left alone till she was 14.
Cell phone's are not allowed in my grandson's school and since he is with and I don't think he'll be getting one since his mother doesn't even have one.
As far as a MP3 I guess it would depend on how they treat their belongings, but I really can't stand seeing a child plugged into to those things and ignoring the world around them.
 
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You have such strong opinions - regarding no kids need or should have cell phones.

I think its up to the parents, and as you don't have little children to worry ENDLESSLY about, its a totally different world out there now for parents, with the creeps and weirdo's - perhaps you should just leave that subject alone.




EXCUSE ME !!!!!!!!!!! I DO NOT think you have the right to tell me NOT to join into this topic .
This is an open forum and I did NOT know anybody could JUST be excluded from different topics . EXPERIENCE IS A BIG PLUS


BUT I do have 10 grand children and I hear alot the problems caused by several of their classmates . SCHOOL'S are even having to BAN cell phones off the property because parents ALLOW their kids to bring them to school . THEY are even cheating by texting back and forth in classrooms . BUT , since you are SUCH an expert , I will gladly stay out and LET you handle it .
 
Heavens walking to school. We just got a letter from the school system. Since we live less than a mile from the school. *Just under a mile BTW* There is NO bus for even the KG kids.
And the city next to mine no longer provides ANY busing. No money. No matter how far you live from the school you are assigned to. In this day and age I think this is scary. According to the Watchdog site I have pedophiles surrounding my neighborhood. None IN my neighborhood. But they can walk, ride bikes and drive just as legally/easily as I can. And they think it's ok to let children WALK to school...
Looks like I will be doing the part time/fudge/email thing from home for years. Even if she has a phone, which she will. When she is older. I just dont know if that will make her any safer.
I will teach her everything I can to keep her safe. But it's a scary world out there. And I dont see it getting better.

BTW She is with my mom this week. No stomach pains or sleepless nights for me. I know she is safe there.
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