Age <s> you'd allow your child to stay by his/herself

[Pinky]

I agree with you Angel. My parents never abuse or neglect me. They are good parents to me. I was only child in my family. I have older half brother about 11 years old than me.

I have a friend who work at Welfare and CPS. She taught me anything about parents and children. That's interesting.

You read my last post about my cousin went to jail for neglect her 3 kids. She was on crack drug and being a young mother. She just got out of prison last Dec. She learned her lesson now. Her kids are 10, 7, 5 now.

I am not buying Lucia's crap opinions. I do disagree with her. I do agree with you, Cheri and GarnetTiger.

That's good things about new cellphone for kids to use contact parents for emergency. If I have kids. I will let my kids with cellphone for emergency. I am not worry about it.

 

[Angel]

I definitely agree Pinkyie about using cell phone for emergency contacts and I cannot say the specific age for a child that may be left at home alone without adult supervision because there are some older children who are not sufficiently mature enough to be home alone, it's best for the parents to make these decisions carefully because they know their children better than anyone else does. For myself, I don't feel comfortable leaving my children home alone when they're under the age of 16. I guess I'm too overprotective when it comes to my children.


Like Cherie-o mentioned above, it's depends on if the child is mature enough to look after him/herselves and knows how to handle emergencies in case something goes wrong such as accidents, fire, strangers and etc. also to know and follow rules but I don't believe that younger children should be left in charge of other children because it's a big responsibility IMO. It's never easy being a parents, we try to do what we feel is best for our children.

 

[Oceanbreeze]

Needless bickering...

Guys,

Please stop the needless bickering in the thread. It ruins the thread and invites flame wars. If you can't respect my thread, I'll ask for it to be closed.

Thank you.

 

[SCBassist]

Dont have kids, though like any life event that requires responsibility, I would teach him/her as a headstart rather than let them figure it out on their own. Their own ideas could be laced with irresponsible friends' ideas, so talk to them and make sure they know the drill about emergencies, what not to touch or enter, etc. Like many of you have posted, It is smart to start gradually, and early so they can start getting used to it. Don't forget to give a little incentive now and then to let them know you appreciate their trustworthiness. Odds are, one day, you may need to tend to a situation alone when you can't find someone to watch them.

 

[Oceanbreeze]

Dont have kids, though like any life event that requires responsibility, I would teach him/her as a headstart rather than let them figure it out on their own. Their own ideas could be laced with irresponsible friends' ideas, so talk to them and make sure they know the drill about emergencies, what not to touch or enter, etc. Like many of you have posted, It is smart to start gradually, and early so they can start getting used to it. Don't forget to give a little incentive now and then to let them know you appreciate their trustworthiness. Odds are, one day, you may need to tend to a situation alone when you can't find someone to watch them.

 

[Pinky]

Guys,

Please stop the needless bickering in the thread. It ruins the thread and invites flame wars. If you can't respect my thread, I'll ask for it to be closed.

Thank you.

Okay, I understand. I do respect your thread. But it was not my faulted. It was someone attacked my opinions. It make me mad. Someone need to stop criticize or judge on me. Peace!

 

[Pinky]

That's right. I don't want to leave my future kids alone while we are go somewhere. You know how teen kids always have a party and mess up the house. I don't want to leave my kids alone in the weekend while we are gone. You know I mean?? It happened to my older brother. He was home alone about age 16 or 17 while my parent were on vacation to cruise. My mom told my brother to be good boy and no party. Then he was rebellion and have a party. My mom grounded him for lied to her. I was at my grandma or cousins for sleepover.

By the way, My brother and mom aren't along since I was young kid. My mom do trust me but I was riding on a bike alone when I was 15 when she went to work. I never tell her where I was going to. I went on a bike to bad area. My friend's mom took me home. She tattled to my mom.

I definitely agree Pinkyie about using cell phone for emergency contacts and I cannot say the specific age for a child that may be left at home alone without adult supervision because there are some older children who are not sufficiently mature enough to be home alone, it's best for the parents to make these decisions carefully because they know their children better than anyone else does. For myself, I don't feel comfortable leaving my children home alone when they're under the age of 16. I guess I'm too overprotective when it comes to my children.


Like Cherie-o mentioned above, it's depends on if the child is mature enough to look after him/herselves and knows how to handle emergencies in case something goes wrong such as accidents, fire, strangers and etc. also to know and follow rules but I don't believe that younger children should be left in charge of other children because it's a big responsibility IMO. It's never easy being a parents, we try to do what we feel is best for our children.

 

[Oceanbreeze]

Okay, I understand. I do respect your thread. But it was not my faulted. It was someone attacked my opinions. It make me mad. Someone need to stop criticize or judge on me. Peace!

Take it up with that person in PM, please. It doesn't belong in the thread.

 

[Pinky]

I thought you would like to check it out. It's very interesting.

Latchkey Kids Age Limits Listed By State

Parenting: Are Your Kids Old Enough to Be Home Alone?

How old is old enough to let your child stay home alone for an hour? | I'm Not Obsessed - Celebrity Gossip And Pictures


...Children Home Alone and Babysitter Age Guidelines from the National Child Care Information Center, only Illinois (age 14 and an unreasonable length of time) and Maryland (under the age of 8) actually have laws that set the legal ages that children can be left at home alone. However, many states, counties and Child Welfare agencies and governmental departments have put together some basic guidelines similar to these from Fairfax County, Virginia:



"Whenever any child is unsupervised/unattended the following should apply...

o There must be no emotional, medical, or behavioral problems which affect judgment or decision-making skills.
o Child must be comfortable being alone.
o Youth must have a safety plan worked out with the parent/caretaker, which includes:
1. How to access parent or other responsible adult at all times (including knowing the parent/caretaker's whereabouts and having a telephone number where parent can be reached).
2. What to do in case of emergency.
3. Guidelines for acceptable behavior.
4. Knowledge of emergency telephone numbers.
Youth must demonstrate the ability to follow the safety plan and to make decisions that reflect concern for personal safety.

Age Guidelines
7 & under Should not be left alone for any period of time. This may include leaving children unattended in cars, playgrounds, and backyards. The determining consideration would be the dangers in the environment and the ability of the caretaker to intervene.
8 to 10 yrs. Should not be left alone for more than 1½ hours and only during daylight and early evening hours.
11 to 12 yrs. May be left alone for up to 3 hours but not late at night or in circumstances requiring inappropriate responsibility.
13 to 15 yrs. May be left unsupervised, but not overnight.
16 to 17 yrs. May be left unsupervised (in some cases, for up to two consecutive overnight periods).

This is what King County, Washington, says about it at Article - School Aged Children Home Alone? :



"The decision to leave your child home alone is a very personal decision that needs to be made based on your feelings and experience with your child. Washington State does not have any laws or rules that say at what age a child can be left home alone. In general, children under 10 should not be left on their own, and babies and younger children should not be left alone even for a few minutes. Here are some questions to ask your self before you leave your child home alone.

* Does your child feel at all frightened or apprehensive about staying home alone?
* Does your child follow your instructions and your rules?
* Can you count on your child to tell you the truth?
* Can your child be counted on to stay clearheaded in an unexpected or emergency situation?
* Can you child calmly dial 911, give their full name (and yours), street address and phone number, and explain the situation?

You might feel most comfortable starting out leaving your child alone for short periods of time. Go slowly and make sure that you and your child are comfortable with the situation."

In our family, we set age 12 as the age at which the kids could stay home alone for an hour or two. I know other families allow much younger children to stay home alone (the boy across the street is 7 and stays at home alone from 3:30 to 6:30 every work day) but I feel that is too young. I have made sure to tell both the mom and the boy that if anything comes up we will be happy to help him as we are generally home all afternoon.

So in answer to your question, there is no legal age at which children can start to stay home alone in Washington, but the child protection agencies seem to feel that 10 year olds can in fact be left unsupervised for a few hours, depending on the maturity of the child and his/her ability to follow rules and keep a cool head if there is a problem.


What is the legal age a child can stay home alone in the state of Washington?

 

[christie]

sometimes i leave my son home(he's 11) but only for no longer than 1/2 hour to 1 hour. i also keep in touch every 15-20 minutes. he knows what to do and what not to do, who he can call if he needs help and how to call me on my cell phone. my other son is 6 and he has to go with me!!!