What Age to Allow to Stay Alone?
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What Age to Allow to Stay Alone?
| Mon, 08-21-2006 - 9:00am |
When do you think a kid can stay home alone?
| Mon, 08-21-2006 - 9:00am |
When do you think a kid can stay home alone?
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When you feel their ready and they feel their ready. Staying home alone can be for 15 minutes while you run to the store or 3 hours...and you may be comfortable with 15 minutes initially but not 3 hours. Just listen to your feelings and go with your comfort level.
Lynn
My son has stayed alone at home since he was around 9 or 10 years old. I would just run to the store & would be gone for less than 30 minutes. He has stayed for several hours since he was 11. And he has his own key to the house to let himself in just in case I'm not here when he gets off the bus.
One of his best friends has only started staying by himself for an hour or less at a time this past spring. He turned 13 last month. He is extreamly immature & just wasn't trust worthy. His mother (one of my best friends) would worry that he would start a fire in their fireplace since he is so fascinated with fire. They hired a babysitter for him this summer.
When I was in the 1st grade, I was a 'latch key kid'. I would get off the bus & be by myself for about 3 hours. It's hard for me to imagine my son coming home to an empty house when he was in the 1st grade.
Quinn is going to have to start coming home to an empty house when I go back to work (which will be soon, I hope!). The difference is that he'll be here for several hours until I get home. But I trust him.
Ramona Mom to 2 great kids and wife to one wonderful hubby since 1990!
Yep another vote for depends on teh child!
Some children tend to be
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I agree that it depends on the child. Daniel has stayed home for short periods of time and comes home to an empty house after school. He has a key to let himself in and there are neighbors that he could go to if he needed to. He calls me when he gets home so I know he got there ok. There are also ground rules, like he can't use the stove while I am not in the house. Do not answer the phone unless it is mom or dad. Do your homework as soon as he gets home.
I am a grad student so my schedule is set by the classes I have to take. My DH is working day shift now ( he was working nights and was home when Daniel got home) SO this year is the first year that he will come home to an empty house 4 days a week.
FYI I was a latch key kid in 1st grade. Would come home from school get my gym bag then take a bus downtown and go to the YMCA for my swim lessons. I can't imagine having Daniel do that at age 7 or even now to take a bus by
Here's Maryland's law:
Here's Illinois
Preparing Children to Stay Alone (May 2001), by the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS), has the following information about the legal age to be left home alone in Illinois:
Kelly
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