Right age to leave child on their own?

Question

I was wondering the right age to leave child on their own. For example If I'm just going out to the store, run errands, go watch a movie with spouse or other things which I will be gone for 2-3hrs I was thinking age 13-14yrs. as long as they stay locked inside. and let's say me and spouse decide to take a weekend getaway I think the right age would be about 15.5-16yrs of age. I know it's been asked before but I wanted some fresh answers and also wanted to know the legal age.

Answer 1

I think it really depends on how well the children behave.  Some 9 or 10 year olds are mature enough to handle being at home for a few hours by themselves.  As far as a weekend goes, I would say 15-16 is a good age.  I think I was 16 when my parents first let me stay home for a week while they went to Canada with my sister.  I just didn't want to go.

Answer 2

My son is 11 and after many life changing issues this year we have decided to allow him to be home alone for 1/2 hour after school everyday BUT he has to take a cell phone to school (just incase he can't get into the house for some reason) and call me as soon as he walks in the door, nobody goes in the house, he is not allowed out, do not answer the door and do not answer the phone unless he sees it is dad or me.  so far it has worked pretty good.. our hospital has a class for ages 11-16 for staying home alone taught by the local police dept. that we had him take as well and we were told that at his age it is legal to be home for short periods of time

Answer 3

I don't know the legal age, but i think it most matters on the maturity and resoponsibitly of the child. If you can trust the child to not let any one in know that they know the rules and will follow them.  

Answer 4

i  say about 11 or so.. i was aloud to neways..if they know the rules and stuff  

Answer 5

My brother, sister, and I were latchkey kids by the time my brother was 7 (I was 9, my sister was 11). We took the bus home from school, got our own snack, did our homework and chores (okay, sometimes we didn't...but then we didn't get to watch tv that night, or had extra chores to do instead of getting to play).

Boundaries were set very earlier for us, and being latchkey kids was a necessity, since my father was Navy so often gone, and my mother was in college studying to be a teacher (so she could provide more income, so we wouldn't be stuck lower middle class). We knew from an early age what was allowed and what wasn't, and if we didn't do it, we got in huge trouble. So leaving 3 kids, aged 7, 9, and 11 at home alone for 3 hours every day was no big deal in our family.

However, there were 2 things going for us. 1) we knew all the neighbors, and  we could always go to them if there was -any- problem, and 2) we were very intelligent children, very mature for our ages (all 3 in gifted programs, all with IQ's over 120).

If the child shows maturity, give them a chance to prove themselves, by leaving them alone for 1/2 hour while you go visit the neighbor, then an hour another time while you run to the store, and just increase the time little by little.

I think for most kids, 10 is about the right age to start letting them be home alone for longer periods of time. I know teenagers that should NOT be left alone, and I know 8 y/o's who do wonderfully alone. It just depends on the individual child's maturity and their grasp of the boundaries.

Answer 6

I believe there are only 2 states who have laws about a kid home alone - Illinois is one, I'm not sure of the other.  I think it is 13.

So it depends on the maturity of your child.  In my opinion, my mom left me home during her errands sometimes - I was in 7th grade, so I was 12.  Elementary school, no way.

For a overnight or weekend, I was 14, but my brother was 17 at the time.  

Answer 7

My sister and I were good kids and we were left alone for short periods of time (under an hour) by the time I was 9 years old and she was 8.  We stayed home alone all day when I turned 11 and she turned 10.  

Answer 8

It all depends on the childs maturity level...there are some kids I know that are 16-17 and SHOULD NOT be left alone at home for ANY amount of time...then there are some kids that just have that whole Responsible ,Mature "THING" going for them at 12 or 13...they would be fine to leave alone for a few hours, I can trust all 3 of mine (12,14 and 17) for a few hours OR to leave my 12 and 14 year old for a weekend with their 17 year old sister (I haven't...but I would feel comfortable doing it, AND SAFE in my decision) it ALL depends on the Indivdual KIDS~~Aloha~~Michelle~~

Answer 9

the legal age for a child to be alone is 14 for under 24 hourse, the lagal age for a child to be alone completely which even means the allowance of legally moving out is 16 :)

Answer 10

11 sounds like a good age. As long as you haven't had any problems then it should be fine. Maybe to see how they are let them stay at home alone while you go to the store for 20 mins or so, quick trips. See what they do. They will probably be alright. But if they have siblings, then they would have to be at least 13.

They should be okay, just establish some rules for them to follow. ie. do dishes, don't answer the door if you don't know who it is, stuff like that. Maybe have someone they can call if they are having problems like a neighbour or friend. Leave them any emergency information by the phone if anything bad were to happen. Hopefully nothing will, but then at least they are prepared.