Is it okay if I leave my daughter, 8, at home alone for 10 minutes while I walk around the block?

Question

Sometimes I like to take the baby for a walk while my daugher is busy on a project, reading or listening to a book on tape. Our block is small: I can walk it in about 6 minutes. I would lock the door and bring my phone. She's a careful, thoughtful girl. California has no age requirements for being left home alone, so I'm looking for general guidance.

Answer 1

I think she is at a good age now where she should be ok up to 15 minutes on her own.

I was about the same age when my parents would let me be by myself for small periods of time.

Having 7 & 8 year olds in my brownie group I know girls that age are already very smart and growing up very fast.

It is important to show trust in her so that she will gain the self confidence she needs to go out in the world.

I really think this could be very good for the both you and your daughter.

We cant live our lives on what ifs. We would be held hostage in our own world.

Answer 2

I remember my mother leaving me home once or twice when I was 8 or 9 while she went to the store for 20 minutes or so. Of course, that was about 17 years ago, and things just seemed safer then. I kept the doors locked, stayed inside, and sat in the living room reading a book the entire time she was gone. I'm not sure if I would feel comfortable doing that with my daughter or not. Just to be on the safe side I'd probably wait until 10 or 11. A lot of maturing can happen in a couple of years.

Answer 3

I know you mean well and want to trust your daughter!
But - let me put it this way. An opportunist lying in wait to take advantage of just such situations, could have notice any pattern of your leaving the girl behind and two minutes after your down the block be knocking on your door.
A fire happens to erupt in the house and the entire house could be engulfed in a matter of minutes.
Any type of accident only takes seconds to happen. 10 minutes could be several lifetimes flashing by if the wrong decision is made at the wrong time.
An eight year old does not have the presence of mind to deal with any of these possibilities. And no matter how carefully you plan against them, well - that's why they are called accidents!! I would rather be safe than sorry. It only takes once for something to happen that you didn't plan on and she can't handle.
Around age 11 or 12 kids are a little better able to deal with "what ifs". Set up a safety net. If you really insist on allowing her to stay alone for this few minutes, have a trusted neighbor keep an eye on things till you get back. Have a back up system for that "just in case" event! And enjoy that walk!

Answer 4

Sorry to disagree with a lot of folks on here , but we would never leave our kids alone at that age , the guide lines are 12 years of age , you have 4 years to wait , please wait; it takes less than 5 mins for a fire to start and a few seconds for any kind of accident to occur , and the same for a child molester to attack
Our 2 girls are 12 and 10 and are only now allowed to be alone for at the most 30 mins after school as long as they are together , and no Friends can come over unless there is an adult at home , the same thing for all their Friends they can not go unless an adult is there , and an 17 year old brother does not count as an adult



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Answer 5

I was babysitting for three kids for a half an hour every day when I was ten,and I'm pretty sure my mom left me with my niece for a half an hour or so when I was eight.My niece would have been about two.We had a phone and good neighbors,so there was nothing to worry about.I knew how to get out of the house in an emergency by the time I was four,I think.It's just up to you.As long as you are comfortable doing it.Yes,if something happened to her while you were gone,you would never forgive yourself.If she got hit by a drunk driver while you were walking,you would never forgive yourself.It can go both ways.

Answer 6

I think 8 is still too young. A 6 minute walk would be a good break for an 8 year old, especially from a big project.

Answer 7

well i have an 8 year old, that is a straight A student and has been since she was 4. But I would never leave her alone. But that is your decision, she is after all your child. There is no telling what could happen in this day and age. There is all kinds of sickos in this world, you never really can tell who is good or not. Just please be careful!!!
that's just my thoughts!

Answer 8

I don't see why not, if you are only gone for 6 minutes or so, do you have a cell phone, if you do take it with you and make sure she has the phone with her. also it would be a good idea to have caller idea on your phone so she knows who is calling, etc. It also depends on there level of maturity and if they know the rules, don't answer the door, or the phone.

Answer 9

sorry, no way. She is only 8. Six minutes is long enough for someone to break in. It's long enough for someone to bang on the door and convince her to let them in. (ie. Its the police and your mother sent me) She likely isn't ready to handle a tricky situation.
She would probably love to take a walk with you however and you don't need to leave her feeling left out while you're always tending to the baby. Let her push the stroller or collect leaves or whatever.
It almost seems as if you don't want her around. I hope she doesn't feel that way.

Answer 10

That's really a tough call, she should be ok for 10 minutes on her own and it likely would show her that you trust her. But what if something happened to you while you were out on that 10 minute walk and you weren't able to get back home as quickly as you thought. Improbable but not impossible.