Leaving a child home alone - Page 2

[Dov'sMom]

I have a very distinct memory of us kids being left at home when my brother was 8, I was 7, and my sisters were 5 and 3.

The house was completely and eerily empty because we were moving the next day and the moving van had already left. There were mattresses on the floor that we were taking in the U-Haul to sleep on until the moving van got there. My parents left around 8 PM, expecting to be gone for 1/2 hour to an hour. It was high summer, so it didn't get really dark until 9.

Maybe around 9 my brother got really scared about kidnappers seeing us in the windows, realizing we were alone, and kidnapping us. So we closed all the window shades and turned off all the lights. Then he thought some more and "realized" that with the lights all off, robbers might think the house was empty, break in, find us and kill us. So we turned some lights back on and opened some shades. To prevent the kidnappers from realizing we were alone, the four of us huddled together in the basement hallway which had no windows.

I don't know how long we were there before my sisters got hysterical and my brother decided that actually, if the "kidnappers" would assume adults were home if they saw NO ONE in the windows, they're probably assume adults were home even if they only saw kids, so it was safe to go upstairs.

[Waaay too many mystery books, obviously. We had no TV.]

Time is passing all the while, and the sisters fell asleep. My brother and I started playing hide-and-go-seek. He hid and I couldn't find him. I was sure a kidnapper had snuck into the house and made away with him, so I called 911.

It was just around midnight when my parents pulled up to our house just behind the lights'-flashing, siren-blaring police car. (It felt to me like forever between making the call and when the police came, but I'm sure it was just a few minutes.)

Amazingly, the police looked around, saw everything was okay, and LEFT. No consequences.



I've also been told that when I was five, the school bus would drop me off kitty-corner to my house, and I'd cross the fairly busy boulevard myself and if my mother wasn't home yet (which was about 1/2 the time) I'd cross again to stay at a friend's house -- and then again to check if she was home every few minutes. After a few WEEKS they arranged for me to ALWAYS go to the friend's house and have my mother pick me up from there. But geez -- it took them weeks.

[A&A]

Originally Posted by annethcz

Oops. I also meant to post this link, it lists the legal age for children to stay home alone in each state, along with the citation.
http://www.latchkey-kids.com/latchke...age-limits.htm

"The National SAFEKIDS Campaign recommends that no child under the age of 12 be left at home alone."


(From the link above.)

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

I agree that the test is whether they know how to respond to emergency situations, as well as being fully capable of using the phone and obeying safety rules.

I recently began allowing my nearly 10 YO to stay at home for 30-45 minutes while I go to the grocery store (3 blocks away). However, I don't let DD (6) stay with him and its always a time when all he's supposed to be doing is his homework.

[phrogger]

I left my oldest at 10 for an hour or two with no problems at all. I had my cell, he could call me and did sometimes just to chat, but he HATED going to the store.

Now he is 12 and he babysits the younger two (both 9) and it is no problem at all. I could leave him for a few hours and not worry one bit at all. He is so much more mature then most of the 16 year old teens I could hire around here to babysit, and he isn't girl crazy yet so he really is even more trustworthy.

One of my 9 year olds though, he would NOT be left alone at 10, and probably not even at 16, so really, it just depends on the kids themselves. I trust my 12 year old more then I would trust many of my adult neighbors, my almost 10 year old I would leave him alone now, but his big brother is always home so it doesn't matter, but my other 9 year old, nope nope nope.

[PoppyMama]

All by themselves....8. My ds was 7 but his sister was 9 and on the days I worked they would be home for several hours. He still doesn't like being home alone (although he is mature and capable at 9) so he rarely stays home by himself. His sister was fine and started staying home alone at 8. I feel perfectly comfortable leaving them to go to work, dinner, movies, whatever. They are fine. I totally agree about different kids being different.

[aniT]

Originally Posted by philomom

It varies by state law as well.

When I lived in Georgia... the rules according to my cop friend were that you could leave an 8-10 year old alone for "short periods of time". They may not however, be left in charge of siblings or other children until they are 13 years old.

I live in Oregon now and should check the laws.

12 to babysit. I called the police station a few weeks ago becuase I wanted to leave my sleeping 2 year old in the car with my 10 year old to run in the bank. I was told I could not do that until she was 12. I have however left him with her for VERY short trips. Like going to the bus stop 1/2 mile away to get DH.

There is no real law about what age they can be left alone becuase Oregon recognizes that a 13 year old may not be mature enough to be left home alone while a 10 year old might be. 10 is the general rule of thumb I think though.

[Storm Bride]

It really depends on the kid. I was a "latch key" kid during tax season from the time I was about 8 or 9, I guess. My sister is a year and a half younger. We'd come home together and get something to eat and watch tv until one of our parents got home. With ds1, I started leaving him for very short periods when he was only 7...but our situation was unusual, because my sister lived in the same house. DS1 was in our suite alone, but knew he could go up to his aunt's if he needed anything. That was just short jaunts to the corner store, though.

DS1 was walking to and from school alone at age 9, though. He was never home alone at that time, because we had four adults living in the house, and there was always someone there. I wouldn't have worried about him at all, though. He was pretty sensible. I have no doubt that he'd have just watched some tv, or drawn some pictures, and grabbed himself a sandwich.