At what age do you leave your children home alone?

Question

When do you feel safe to leave your children home alone? I know there are many circumstances, so lets say you and your spouse go out to dinner from 7 to 12 at a restaurant 10 miles from home.

Answer 1

It really depends on the maturity of the children. I would have no problem letting a 12/13 year old stay home, but if there were younger children at home too, I would want the older children to be 14/15. I might be a little overprotective though.

Answer 2

When I was a younger (I'm from Ohio) me and my sister would arrive home before my other older siblings. I think I was about 9 or 10 yrs. old tops and my sister was about 6 yrs .old we would be home alone for about 45 min to 1 hr. 30 minutes. Having said, I'm a parent now and I would NEVER leave my children home alone at that age. I would have a trusted neighbor or teen come and watch my children. I don't know what my parent's were thinking.. However, on the up side I did learn how to do laundry, chores and housekeeping at an early age! Also, even at the age of 10 I was mature for my age. I remember coming inside the empty house and locking all the doors and doing light chores before my sisters came home.. They were in their teens so they watched up for a few hours till my parents came home. Still- I wouldn't leave my children younger than 12 or 13 home alone... Maybe that's just me... Good luck

Answer 3

Midnight is kind of late because you have to assume that the kids will do a lousy job of getting to bed on time and will get into mischief instead. Could you get home a little earlier? 10 or 11? That would help a lot.

Also, let's assume you'll not only have your cellphone with you but also leave the restaurant phone #. (Wait a minute -- how exactly are you spending 5 hours at a restaurant, less 20 minutes travel time??? Are you drinking extensively? Please don't)

I'd say the oldest kids should be at least in high school for what you have in mind -- 16 ideally but I could conceive of 14 yrs old. The youngest kid should be at least 11. A 16 year old can babysit a kid younger than 11, but it's harder for them to keep control of their own little brother/sister. Who knows what the younger kid will get into while you're gone and the older kid isn't watching closely. No alcohol should be left unattended in the home if you have any concerns in that area.

They should have instructions as to what they can/can't watch on TV while you're gone, any rules for staying off the internet (especially if they might stumble across adult content), and a time by which they should be in bed reading or sleeping. Needless to say, they shoud be told not to leave the house or have friends over while you're gone. If you want them to limit their phone time so you can get through if you need to, tell them that too.

If you do all that -- compromise your own desire for freedom a little and get home earlier, check up on them, and give them some rules to live by, it should work out fine. If it does, you can loosen the reins in the future.

Yes, I know it might theoretically work out with younger kids, but I think you are pushing your luck depending on the circumstances. Kids can get into a lot of trouble when you're not there. I don't mean that they'll kill themselves while you're out. I mean that they'll get into things they shouldn't and start ruining their lives by a slower process through premature exposure to internet porn, experimenting with drugs or alcohol while you're gone, etc. etc. etc.

Answer 4

Phew! That's a hard one! It all depends on how you think the child will be on their own. Even if a child is older than the legal age for being left, some children may not be happy to be left alone.

I don't think I'd want to leave my ten year old in the house for 5 hours even if I was 10 minutes away.

Answer 5

I would say 10 if you children are mature enough at that age
but they have to know the number to reach you and everything should be wrote down and they have to know not to open the door or answer the phone for anyone they don't know and not to tell anyone they are not home and not to be on chat lines
maybe wait until they are 11 maybe 12

Answer 6

16

Answer 7

I started letting mine stay alone at 10. By 12 and 13 they were staying alone in the evening for short periods and we expanded from there depending on where we were and how long we were going to be gone.

Answer 8

At age 10 you can start leaving them for 30 minutes or so until they start to feel comfortable. Make sure they know the rules in advance. They should not be allowed to go outside, answer the door or the telephone while you are gone. Every few weeks you can test them to see if they can handle it longer. Remember, they will grow up fast enough, so don't rush it.

Answer 9

First of all how old are these children?????? and most of all are they mentally and resonsible enough to be home alone, my answer would be about 11-12 depending on there ability to take care of them selves and there responsiblity level that would be up to u. If you feel comfortable that they are in a safe enviroment and neighbor hood that decisicion is all yours Hope I helped

Answer 10

The standard age is around 12 but it also depends on the maturity of the child. Is the child responsible and trustworthy? Sometimes a child can be 12 but they cannot be trusted and they are too immature to be left on their own.