Leaving a child alone?

Question

I live in NY. I have a 7yr old. I recently found out a kid in my daughters class walks himself home after school. I also found out that he's been doing this since kindergarten. Also,he stays all by himself from 3:00-6:00. Am I over protective, or is this kid a bit too young to be doing this by himself? I don't know his mom.

Answer 1

I see nothing wrong with a child walking home from school alone.  I did it all my life, my kids have done it.  However I do know that the law in New York states that no child under the age of 9 years is allowed to be home alone.  I would call Social Services if I knew a 7 year old was home alone for three hours, because 9 year olds have a liimit of one hour in New York.

Answer 2

In Illinois the law is you have to be 11 years old to be home alone. Yes, it is too young for this child to be home alone. Talk to the parent and you could offer to watch the child.

Answer 3

there is no way i would ever allow my child to be in our home by him self for that long...i would never leave him home alone period...that is way to young..if something happens and he gets hurt or a fire,he'll be taken away...someone needs to bring this to someones attention...because its an accident waiting to happen...

Answer 4

I agree with you.  This child is way to young to be staying by himself.  I have a daughter in Kindergarten and I would never dream of letting her by herself.  I think the age is 12 or 13 depending on the maturity of the child.  Although you don't want to you should make someone aware of this situation.  Just imagine how you'd feel if something happened to him.

Answer 5

i used to let my 6 year old walk with my 11 year old niece but theyved moved away and ive took her ever since

anything could happen!

Answer 6

Not sure what the law says in NY but this is from an NSPCC website for England:

Leaving children at home alone

What the law says

The law does not set a minimum age at which children can be left alone. However, it is an offence to leave a child alone when doing so puts him or her at risk.

How do you decide if you can safely leave a child alone?

There are many important things to consider before you decide to leave a child alone. These include:

the age of the child

the child's level of maturity and understanding

the place where child will be left

how long the child will be left alone, and how often

whether or not there are any other children alone with the child.

For example, most parents would think it's OK to leave a 16-year-old alone for the evening, but to leave them for a week would be unacceptable.

Many young children play outdoors with other children without supervision but most people would agree that this is an important part of growing up.

You are the best judge of your child's level of maturity and responsibility. Read our "Home alone" information leaflet for more information:

Answer 7

I would tell the parents that if they don't find someone to take care of him I would call CPS.

Answer 8

Some folks need to work and can't afford after school care.  These kids are called latch key kids.

Answer 9

i know kind like that boy she is 1 of 4 and the oldest since she is the oldest she is extremely reasonable she is always helping her mom out with her brother and sisters.

i also know another child she is 1/2 year older then then the other one but she is 1 of  3 but she is the youngest and she is air headed and very irresponsible.

my advice to you is be the judge of your own child and you should be able to make the right decision

PS:no one knows her like you do

Answer 10

It is obviously on your mind for a reason.  It just doesn't sound right.  I would encourage you to say something to the school social worker or the guidance counselor.  They can learn more about the situation and direct the mother to resources if necessary.  That way there's no pointing fingers involved, the mother just may need more options for childcare and can get help if she needs it.  Then if the situation continues, the social worker and guidance counselor have the Child Protective Service's information to contact them if it's necessary.

Answer 11

he's way too young and I am pretty sure it is even illegal. here is Connecticut the law says you have to be 12 to be home alone.

Answer 12

here in ILL we have a law that says children under the age of 10 can't stay home for more than 30 mins without a gaurdian.

Answer 13

I'm pretty sure they have a word for this, illegal. I really think theres a law saying that a child that young can't stay home by themselves, especially that long

Answer 14

I would be afraid to leave a child on the streets of a big city.  I grew up on a farm and walked 2 miles a day to school in the 1st grade and roamed an 80 acre farm but kids are different and you have to consider the surroundings.  The government would love to prosecute u if u left a kid to go check the mail in your front yard now.  Just my thoughts.  God bless and may you and your child have a long and safe life.

Answer 15

It is too young and I'm certain it is illegal.

Answer 16

i don't think your over protective at all. i had a discussion w/ my ex. a few years back about this very same topic. he was a "latch key kid" mother worked endless jobs/hours and at age 5 w/ half day school for kindergarten he too would walk home, was alone for over 6 hours everyday. my jaw dropped. that was then, now with many more freaks out there it cant be legal. call the child service dept, ask whats the age. my daughter is 12 now , and during the day ill leave her for short stints, but I'm one that thinks that the less children are left alone the less trouble they can get into , from their own actions or those from the out-side world. it has nothing to do w/trust, its safety first.

Answer 17

there is actually a law (at least here in DC) that states you can't leave a child alone in a house for more than an hour if the child is under seven years old.

i think it is a horrible thing that a child of that age walks to school by himself. the mom seems naive to me to think that her child will be same walking himself to school.

Answer 18

That is unusual.  He is to young to walk the streets and be home alone.  And you are not over protective.

Answer 19

I don't know about illegal but it sure isn't safe!  contact the mother to see if maybe he could come to your home after school or if you don't want to do that then think about contacting protective services.

Answer 20

I had to do the same when I was a little kid and it was because my mother and father had to both work to afford our home and feed us four kids. My Mother explained it to me at my young age and I understood why and stayed in the house alone for 2 hours before Mother got home and I didn't mind. You are too worried and need to mind your own business. The child's parents are doing the best they can. The child has been told what he needs to do when he gets home. Go ahead and give me a thumbs down. Are you going to pay the rent and buy the groceries for the Kids mother? I didn't think so. We have become sissified and intolerant. We never wore helmets to ride our bikes and Bipolar used to be a kid acting like a spoiled brat with no discipline. It was remedied with a spanking, not thousands in testing and drugs.

Answer 21

That kid should not be doing that. Call child protective services and/or the cops next time it happens. A little boy(5) from the apartment complex got hit by a school bus one morning and all he did by himself was walk to the bus stop.

Answer 22

in ny there is no particular age for being home alone so it is not illegal. if there is a problem and the police arrive, they evaluate the maturity of the child and if he/she is too immature then the parents are blamed.

in my opinion 7 is too young but maybe he is trusted and deserves it.

Answer 23

Different states have different guidelines about when you can leave a child by themselves and for how long.

Are you sure the kid is home by himself for 3 hours?  There could be a relative inside the house or a neighbor could be stopping by every half hour or so to check on him.  If don't know the family or talk to the mother so you don't really know whats going on in the house.