child neglect?

Question

Is it child neglect if you leave a 9 yr old daughter in the house while you run down the street to the store for 20 minutes?

is it o.k. to leave when my son is sleeping for his nap(he is 15 months old) with my daughter in the house for 20 minutes

she is very mature and a very good girl

Answer 1

I don't think it would be considered child neglect in a situation like that. I am mom to 4 kids. They are 27, 25, 22, and 9 (surprise!). Probably mostly due to the fact that she grew up with much older siblings, I think my 9 year old would be capable of staying alone for 20 minutes. I am a licensed child care provider in my home so my daughter is very comfortable with little ones and knows their needs. While I would never leave her with a daycare child, if she had a younger brother who would be napping while I was gone, I think she would be capable of handling that. Every child is ready to be left home alone at different ages. With my daughter, while I think she would be fine alone, she would not want to be left alone yet. We did not have cell phones back when my oldest 3 were ready to be left alone, but I began doing it for short trips when they were 10, 8, and 5. I always let a neighbor know that I was away at first so they had somebody near by to ask help from if it was needed, but it never was. If your 9 year old is comfortable with it and you either have a cell phone that she can call you on or you have a neighbor who can help if needed, I think it would be a good introduction to learning independence.

Answer 2

Yes it is, for 1 the child doesn't know what to do someone could be watching your house and know that you and a child was in the house and only see you coming out by yourself. What if the perp went in the house, and you was gone you have no guarantees that you will be back in time something could happen to you on the way. The law is you can't leave a child by themselves until they are 13 yrs old anytime before that, unless they are very responsible and they listen well then it wouldn't be neglect, because they understand not to open the orders or when the phone rings tell anyone that they are alone. I believe if you have to go down to the store for 20 minutes it could turn into more than 20 minutes.

Answer 3

my daughter has very clear cut rules when left alone for 20 to 30 minutes in the house. We turn the computers off, or at least get them to sign in screen as she doesn't know the password, phone use is a no no unless its to call 911 or my cell phone, door remains locked and even if someone knocks she is not to look or go to the door at all. She is basically allowed to watch tv or read or do art for the time we are gone. She has never had a problem, although we don;t do it to frequently.

EDIT: for your additional details, no i would not leave my 9 yr old home alone with her 15 month old sibling even for 20 minutes no matter what rules we had in place.

Answer 4

I don't think it is w/leaving the nine year old home ( I could be wrong and I also know I personally am not comfortable w/it even for 20 mins) but I would think it is with leaving the nine year old w/the sleeping 15 month old even for a couple of minutes no matter how mature she is.
Please don't take offense, I am merely answering as honestly as I can and mean no offense by it.

Answer 5

As long as you think she is capable of being alone for 20 minutes, and it is not against the law in your area. Do you let her play around the neighborhood on her own...does she ever go to the corner store on her own??? See if they have a "Home Alone" course in your area. They have a course for 10 and up in my area and I sent my son. A I have left him for a few minutes at a time if I need to drop something off or just pick up some milk. Expalin the rules and stuff and I bet she would be fine as long as she is capable, and you are comfortable with it...and its not against your local laws of course.

EDIT: I would not leave her to take care of the 15 month old...you just never know and 9 years old is just too young to be responsible for a little one. On her own would be OK but not to babysit.

EDIT: And most people think the law says they have to be 12 but if you phone your local police department they will likely tell you there is no age in the law books that your kids have to be before ou can leave them alone...at least where I am from.

Answer 6

There is a difference between child neglect and child endangerment.

Child neglect involves not providing your child with the physical and emotional things that they need to grow and feel safe and loved.

The question is, is this child endangerment? It depends on the child. If your child is not afraid to be alone for a short time, knows what to do if there were an emergency, has someone they can call if they are scared, and the child doesn't have a physical or mental disability that would require close supervision for her safety, it doesn't seem to be child endangerment. But as the parent, they know their child best and know what new situations the child is ready to handle.

Answer 7

Depends on the 9 year old. My 9 year old daughter? No, she's not mature enough. My 12 year old when he was 9? Yes. He was more mature. If you're ever in doubt, take the kids with you. You never know what can happen in 20 minutes.

Answer 8

Children Services would say that a child at nine is not mature enough to stay home by her self, much less watching her brother. Even if he is asleep. They don't think kids at 11 is mature enough. Best thing to do is check the laws in your state, they differ from state to state. Some states have set ages and others go by maturity. Personal opinion I know it is quicker to go alone, but convenience can be turned against you. If the right neighbor knows and bam you know who could come knocking on your door.

Answer 9

Yes, that is child neglect. Children cannot be legally left alone until the age of 12 in most states. Not even for 5 minutes. It's unsafe. In 20 minutes a fire could start and the kids could die in the smoke before you got back. You read about that all the time. Take your kids with you to the store or find a responsible person over the age of 12 to sit with them.

Answer 10

No, as mentioned, a 9 year old can call 911 and is relatively responsible. Both of my parents were latchkey kids at 9.

However, some states have enacted statutes as to what age and for how long children can be left alone.