Can I leave my 10 year old home alone?

Question

I live in Michigan and I have a 10 year old son that will get home about 30 min before an adult after school, is this legal for him to let himself into the house and wait for one of us to get there? He would lock the door behind him and call me as soon as he is there. Also, he would not be using like the stove or anything, just watching tv until we get there from work.

We live next door to a stay at home mother of 5 kids that he could go to for help if needed, I have my parents, my sister and aunt/uncle that all live within a mile of my home he could call and the police/fire station is 5 houses down the street. The reason he would be going home rather than a relative is because that is where the bus brings him and everybody works different days and times, so no regular sitter options.

Answer 1

If you beleive you trust him being alone and with a house key then try it.  Find a good palce to keep the key so he wont lose it.  Tell him do no go on if any doors are open or broken (theft) and he goes right to the phone and calls you or dad and leaves a message if no one picks up.  He should be fine 30 minutes.

Answer 2

you should try letting him stay by himself but if anything happens you should make him stay at the "stay at home mothers" house until your home

Answer 3

no, i would pay the neighbor 10 bucks a week to watch him. otherwise its dangerous at that age.

Answer 4

I think he is okay.

Make sure you explain to him not to answer the door and to not tell anyone you are alone.

Answer 5

yea as long if she is reaspnsible......

Answer 6

what if someone snackes your kid. better safe than sorry.

Answer 7

its fine really i leave mine for 3 hours caues i have to work

Answer 8

I think it is fine to leave him home for just a short amount of time. My sister leaves her 10 year old son home for a liitle bit once in a while.

Answer 9

Call CPS or another city agency to find out what the rules are for your city. Where I live an 11 yr can stay up to 4 hours alone.

Answer 10

Where I live, there is a law that the child must be 11 to be home alone for any amount of time. You might want to check if there is some sort of law in your area.

If there is one that prevents this, why not ask the mom next door if he can come over for those 30 minutes? You could probably pay her with a homemade dinner for her whole family once a week.

Answer 11

I wouldn't. ask the neighbor to keep for those 30 minutes. I'm sure she could use some extra money.

Answer 12

um i'm pretty sure leaving a child home alone is illegal. and if relatives live within a mile of your home why he can't stay with them until you get off of work, or with the neighbor with 5 kids? i say it's better safe than sorry.

Answer 13

You may be a good, loving and caring parent and that is great, but in this day of pediophiles, I think even 30 mins. is too long.  Ask the next door neighbor about your son staying with her for the 30 min.  If you can't afford a monetary compensation, maybe you can return the favor by watching her children once in a while.  With 5 children, I'm sure she would like the opportunity to do " her own thing" for a couple of hours.  A child can be grabbed off the street in a matter of seconds as you probably know.

Answer 14

I think that is fine just practice a couple of times by leaving him home while you run to the store so he is used to it.

Answer 15

first of all, if you are gonna leave your 10 year old alone, you better know all of the neighbors, and know the route home for your son is safe.  if he is mature enough he should be able to stay home.  and of course this is legal, its not like babys are able to run around the street if there home by 9.

hope i helped! =)

Answer 16

That actually sounds fine to me. As long as your child is responsible, has emergency phone numbers (or goes to the neighbors for help), then he should be fine. I think I was able to stay home alone when I was 10, although my brother was usually also home, unless he had an after-school activity or something.

Answer 17

i guess. i hope he knows what to do in situations. and i hope he can cook food if he is hungry.

Answer 18

Yes it's legal. There are only two states with laws regarding being home alone and they are Maryland and Illinois. No other states have laws, just guidelines.

If it's just 30 minutes and you feel the child can handle it then I don't see it as a problem. Like you said there is a neighbor who is usually around if needed. Just make sure the child knows how to be safe..no answering the phone unless it's you and no answering the door.

EDIT: TL..there is no law in CT, I live in CT and there is no law regarding kids being home alone. Only Maryland and Illinois have laws on this.

quote:

"according to the National Child Care Information Center, only Illinois and Maryland currently have laws regarding a minimum age for leaving a child home alone"

http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factshe...

Answer 19

You can call the state and ask. I watched my sister at 10, and she's four years younger than me.

Answer 20

I stayed home for 30 minutes after school by myself at the age of 10. as long as he is aware of what he can and can not do (examples: Cook on stove, open door to anyone) I dont see a problem.

Answer 21

i personally think that you shouldnt leave him alone. its very dangerous! i say that because of the posibilities of he opening the door to someone he knows but that you know is dangerous. especially if a adult is unaouthorized to go to your house. so i think that you should put him in a program that is only for 30 minutes and if they do he can cpme home at the same time the adult does. when he turns 12 0r 13 he can stay home alone.

Answer 22

Only two states have legislated a specific age to leave a child home alone, Illinois and Maryland.

However, the child must be safe, must feel safe, and know how to take care of themselves in an emergency.

I would ask your next door neighbor if she can keep a watchful eye on  your son for the 30 mins until an adult gets home. Just checking everyone once in a while that she doesn't see any strange activity taking place.

Answer 23

Hun your house may be safe, but seriously look at the news. That would scare me into never leaving a 10 year old home alone.

There are alot of wackos in this world. What happens if someone picks up that routine, and knows his home alone. If something happens you would never forgive your self.

It only takes a few minutes for an unattended child to get into trouble, so no, dont do it!

Talk to your work, see about going a little earlier. Your sons safety is most important

Answer 24

"We live next door to a stay at home mother of 5 kids "...

Why not ask her to let him stay with them until you get home?

Answer 25

In Michigan, there is no legal age which has been established by statute as to when a child can be left alone.  (see website link below).  So I guess that means if you're child is 3 you can leave him alone and not get in trouble with the law.  

Does your school offer after school care?  Our elementary does, which you pay a small fee a week for your child to stay at school until you pick them up.  

If it's only for a few months, I don't see why you shouldn't be able to leave work 1/2 hour early.  You can make up the time by getting in earlier?

Personally, I wouldn't leave my child.  However, only you know your child, your neighborhood, your neighbors, your child's maturity level, etc.

Answer 26

If he's responsible, there shouldn't be anything wrong with him staying for 30 minutes...just a sign of the times....a lot of people do it!

Answer 27

Here in CT, 10 is too young to stay home alone (by law) but what blows my mind is that a 4th grader, 9 yo, can get off the bus alone w/o an adult.

BUT if my child were 10, I would not want him alone for too long alone.

Answer 28

I am not a legal expert. I know there is nothing inherently illegal about that some other places and seriously doubt it is illegal in Michigan.

You know your son. If you think he's ready to do this, you know better than anyone. Many—I would guess most—ten year olds are mature enough to handle this.

Just one warning: ten year olds lose keys. ;)

Answer 29

i think it would be fine because if you have a neighbor and relatives/friends close by then your son should be fine.