Age Appropriate?

Question

When do you think you should be able to start doing these things or have done them. Just wondering.

Dating?
First Kiss?
Staying Home Alone?
Sleep over at friend's house?
TV in room?
Cell Phone?
Babysitting?
Getting a job?
Going somewhere like a waterpark alone or with a friend?

It would also help if you put your age group like Teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, etc.

Answer 1

ok im a teenager...and im a good kid..and these are the ages when i was first allowed to do stuff...
Dating? 16
First Kiss? 14
Staying Home Alone? 12
Sleep over at friend's house? 13
TV in room? 11
Cell Phone? 13
Babysitting? never.
Getting a job? 16
Going somewhere like a waterpark alone or with a friend? just a friend? no parent? 16.

im 17 now..ive had one boyfriend. ive kissed only about 5 guys and i havent had sex and dont plan on it until im married. i have a good job..so i pay for my own phone and cable. =)

Answer 2

I think they're all sort of connected and go by how mature the child is as well as the environment they are being raised in.
In example, regarding staying home alone.
If you live in a rural area as opposed to a urban area you are going to feel most comfortable leaving your child alone in the house. Either way you would not leave a child alone that has yet to know the following things:

How to use a phone
Not to answer the door to anyone he or she does not know
What to do in case of an emergency
Etc...

No matter what though I would never leave a child alone before the age of 9 or 10 just because of common child behaviors.

As far as dating goes I would look at the following things:

Has he or she been through sexual education classes?
Will they be going on dates alone or in groups?
What kind of relationship do you have with your child? (How well do you know them)
Would the child be honest and open as to what is going on in the relationship to you?
Etc...

A first kiss you cannot exactly regulate, that is something that may happen on a first date and may happen when they are 16.

Sleeping over at a friends house can also very greatly:

Do you know the friend's parents?
How long have you known them?
What activities will be occurring?
What is the occasion or reason for this sleepover?
How long has it been planned?
If you are not totally comfortable about leaving your child alone with another child's parents DON'T. Especially not with the way our society is.

TV in room is almost like a reward and can be taken away at any time.

Will the child have cable channels?
Is there a way to regulate what hours and what programs the child is watch?
Will the TV keep the child from completing homework and chores?
Will it interfere with the amount the child sleeps?
Etc...

A cell phone is one of those that depends on the others
if the child is leaving home a lot then they should have a cell phone. I think every child should have a cell phone upon entering Junior High or middle school just because of the amount of activities that they may want to go to after school and they should have a way to contact you.

As for baby-sitting:

Has the child been though a baby-sitting course or at least a health class?
Does the child know what to do in the following situations?
Stranger at the door
Stranger calling
Sick child
Power outage
Missing child
Does the child know how to handle children?
Is there a way for the child to contact you or the parents?
Is there a trusted neighbor?

Getting a job all depends on where it is and if you know the employer

As for an outing alone or with a friend:
Do they have a very easy way to contact you?
How close is it to home?
How many people are there?
How long will they be there?
Have they been there before?
Have you been there before?
What will they be doing there? (Hanging out, watching a movie, concert, swimming, playing, etc...)
Are you comfortable with the situation they will be in?
Do you trust the other people that will be there?

In all I would put it basically like this:

Dating? 13 - 16
First Kiss? 13 - 16
Staying Home Alone? 9 - 13
Sleep over at friend's house? 5 - 7
TV in room? 7 - 14
Cell Phone? 12 - 14
Babysitting? 13 - 15
Getting a job? 14 - 16
Going somewhere like a water park alone or with a friend? 12 - 14

I am 14 years old; live in a fairly well populated city, and going into my freshman year.

Answer 3

Dating? 15 and with someone thier own age.
First Kiss? 13 or 14
Staying Home Alone? 13 or 14 depends on the parents can trust the child.
Sleep over at friend's house? When they are ready for that. Age depends.
TV in room? Young age, most kids watch movies and tv show in there room at like 7 or 8
Cell Phone? 16 or 17 so they can have a money and a job to pay the over charged bill.
Babysitting? 12 or 13 or when they know they can handle one or many kids.
Getting a job? 16 if they can get one at the age.
Going somewhere like a waterpark alone or with a friend? 16 or 17 depends on how far it is.

Im in 20's

Answer 4

My age group is 20's. My answers to these questions may all change when I have kids. ;)

Dating - Probably 14-15. (Me: 15)

First Kiss - I assume you mean 'romantic kiss'. I would guess that one where they 'really mean it' would occur 14-15, but to be frank I'm guessing that kids experiment with 'what's the big deal about kissing' a lot younger (like even 7-8) (Me: 15)

Staying home alone: Depends on the maturity of the kid. Probably 9 or 10. (Me: 9)

Sleep over at friends house: Pretty much as soon as they have friends if the parents are around. ;) So... 3 or 4 is when they start meeting people at school and such I guess. (Me: 5)

TV in room: NEVER. If you have a few TV's about the house, there should be no reason for them to have one in their bedroom. (IMHO, TV's do not belong in bedrooms. Bedrooms are for sleeping.) When they move out, they can do whatever they want. (Needless to say, unless you count college where everything is one room, never had TV in the bedroom.)

Cell Phone: This is a hard one. By the time I have kids, cell phones will probably be so ubiquitous that everybody will have one. (Or maybe it's like this already.) Same with the TV though.. if there is a phone around the house, there's really no need for them to have their own. Maybe at age 15 -16 when they start driving on their own and are away from the house more would be a good time for a cell phone, but certainly not at school or other locations. (Me: Still don't have a cell phone. I don't like getting calls all the time.)

Babysitting: Probably could start doing this between age 10-12. (I babysat starting age 11 or 12 I think.)

Getting a job: Age 15 (assuming you don't mean babysitting!) (Age 15 for me)

Going somewhere like a waterpark alone or with a friend: If the friends family is along, I think they can start doing that at maybe age 7-8. If it is just them and a friend and it is far away (out of town), I'd say age 18. If it is someplace in town, I'd say age 15.

Answer 5

I'm in my 40s and a dad

Dating? About 13 or 14
First Kiss? The same
Staying Home Alone? During the day the same, overnight 16
Sleep over at friend's house? From about 8, if parents are there
TV in room? NEVER, NOT IN MY HOUSE SONNY
Cell Phone? When you can afford it
Babysitting? When you are old enough to look after yourself
Getting a job? As soon as possible
Going somewhere like a waterpark alone or with a friend? About 13

Answer 6

Dating- Teens
First Kiss- Teens
Staying Home Alone- Teens
Sleep over at friend's house- Teens
TV in room- Teens
Cell Phone- Teens
Babysitting- Teens
Getting a job- Teens
Going somewhere like a waterpark alone or with a friend- Teens

Answer 7

Late Childhood: 10-12 yrs
Early Teens: 13-14 yrs
Mid-Teens: 15-16 yrs
Late Teens: 17-18 yrs
Early Adulthood: 20-24 yrs

Dating: Mid Teens to Early Adulthood (depends on what you mean by "Dating")
First kiss: Early Teens
Staying Home Alone: Mid-Teens
Sleepover at Friend's House: Late Childhood
TV in Room: Early Teens
Cell Phone: Late Childhood (if responsible) Early Teens (if not)
Babysitting: Early Teens
Getting A Job: Late Teens
Going Somewhere Alone: Late Teens
Going Somewhere With A Friend: Mid Teens

Answer 8

16 dating
first kiss the child will decide that
staying at home alone 12
6 with family and friends that you know well and 8 with friends in groups that maybe you haven't known seen they were born.
not until they are mature enough to handle it -- 12 or 13. TV in room
Babysitting about 15
work at 17 or 18 nothing gets in the way of school.
16 cell phone driving or they are going away
not until they are 17 maybe 16 these are dangerous times and by the time i have children i don't want to think about.

I hope this helps and gives you some kind of an idea. There are many horrible things out there and people are either protecting there kids from them to much or not at all. I will not let TV watch my kids they will also have only so much TV time. where they can only watch shows according to there age.

Answer 9

Dating: 15-16ish. I went on my first real date when I was 15.
First Kiss: 13+. Got mine when I was 15.
Staying home alone: 12+. I was 12, when I started staying home alone, only during the day, and for small periods of time. Once you're about 14, I think it's ok to stay home alone pretty much whenever.
Sleepover: Whenever, really. I know 4 year olds that have sleepoevers.
TV: Same as sleepover.
Cell Phone: Once you start middle school, so like 13. That's when I got mine.
Babysitting: Eh, that kinda depends...on how mature the babysitter is, how long they'll need to sit, the age of the kids being babysat. I would say absolutely no younger than 13.
Job: Most places won't hire till you're 15, and some, evern 16.
Going places alone w/friends: 13ish.

Answer 10

Dating-It's a natural part of the teens. I just think it shouldn't go in the direction of sex. Teens aren't mature enough to handle everything that goes along w/sex.
First Kiss-Hey...it can happen anytime...but like I said before, shouldn't go beyond that.
Staying home alone-teens.
tv in room-my son has a tv in his room since he turned 6. i think you need put down rules on how long they should spend watching tv.
Cellphone-teens...it's a different day and age.
Babysitting-if they know what to do in an emergency? CPR and such? I think they're ready for babysitting.
Getting a job-I feel that unless you are in dire need of money, that only then should you get a job. Other than that, the only job a child should have is going to school and getting good grades.
Going somewhere alone w/friends-i think if you can trust your teen, it's okay.

In any situation it's all about trust and boundaries. I'm 29 by the way w/an 8 year old.