What age to stay home alone?????

[momto2]

At what age do you think a child can stay home alone? We live in a community where we can still leave our doors unlocked.(we lock at night though) We know all our neighbors and have family that all live 5 to 20 minutes away. I'm an over-protective mom so I'm curious to know others opinions!!

 

[debilorrah]

With mine it was 12 and only after school until I got home - about 2 1/2 hours.

 

[Crest Acres Girl]

I stayed home alone since I was 10

it depends how mature your kid is

 

[Redfeathers]

I agree. It's not about age, it's about maturity. I know some 8 year olds that are more reliable then some teenagers I know.

 

[the simple life]

I agree, 12 for very short period of times, like after school etc.
I know that if you have younger kids the law is that the oldest must be 13 to babysit the younger ones.
At least that is the law where I live.

 

[sunshineinsc]

I think it really depends on the child and how long they will be left alone.

I told my oldest son(10 yr old) maybe when he's 13 I'll leave him home while I run to the store(takes 30 mins tops) cause he hates shopping with me. But then he's alot more responsible than my 13 yr old nephew who is left alone for hours.

I'm a little overprotective too.

 

[derby]

There is a law here that the kid has to be at least 8 to be left alone and I think 13 to be able to babysit. I am starting to toy with the idea of leaving my 10 year old home a bit - no more than about 10 minutes at a time. Make sure you discuss what to do in an emergency -where the water shut-off is, etc.

 

[Guitartists]

Yeah, that's a hard question to answer with an across the board answer..... it really does depend on the kid. I let my kids stay home for short periods of time during the day when the youngest was 8 (making the other 2 9 and 11), but, now that they bicker so much, they can only stay unsupervised so long as they are not ALL home together

If they are old and mature enough to follow the rules (don;t answer the door, no friend's over while I'm gone, no cooking, etc..... ) and they know how to use 911 and WHAT constitutes an emergency! Then I'd try it out a for a half hour here and there to feel out how comfortable you both are with the situation.

 

[momto2]

My son is 12 and I do agree with not leaving him alone with my 10 year old daughter, since they fight like cats and dogs!!!

 

[MissPrissy]

Some states have laws as to what age a child can be left alone. Check the laws for your state. If you break that law and are reported social services needs no other reason to come and remove the children from the home.