What is the correct age for a child to be home alone?

Question

I would say 13 or 14. What do you think?

Answer 1

Yes, I'm positive it's 14 if not 13.

Answer 2

14 sounds right to me.

Answer 3

I would say 12 or 13

Answer 4

12

Answer 5

13-14

Answer 6

I was not allowed to be home alone until I was 11, and then it was only for short periods of time. I should add that I was very grown up at that age.

I guess it all depends on the maturity of the child, and the period of time during which they will be left alone.

I know people who leave their 8-year-old children alone for long periods of time. Personally, I would never do that. I don't think a child of that age has the presence of mind to handle emergency situations of the small variety, like something burning on the stove.

I wasn't allowed (and this seemed to be the general consensus among the parents of my friends, as well, as we were all treated pretty much the same way) to be home alone for long periods of time, say for an entire day, until I was about 13 or 14, and I wasn't allowed to be home alone with my mother out of town until I was 16 and had a drivers' license so I could get myself to school and do my grocery shopping. Even then, at 16, she was calling me several times a day, and neighbors and relatives were dropping by daily to check on me. I think I was 17 before I was finally given free rein to be alone for several weeks while my mom went out of state to take care of some business related to my parents' divorce. At that point, she just had me call her each night at a set time to check in and let her know how my day had been. I also had strict instructions to call my aunt, who only lives a few miles away, if anything at all out of the ordinary should happen. One night, after a busy day at school and an after-school rehearsal for a play, I fell asleep before calling my mom, and since I had the ringer turned down on the phone in my room, my mom called called my aunt, who has always had a key to our house. I was awakened at 10:30 pm by a cool hand on my forehead, checking to see if I was ill. I had missed the 10:00 pm check in call with my mom, and she had given me 15 minutes to call, and then called the cavalry ;). The cavalry (my aunt) made sure I was okay, gave me a tiny lecture about calling my mom, waited while I called and checked in, and then went home.

The only thing I would add is that I believe the age of the child should be a bit older if they are responsible for younger siblings while they are home alone. If there are younger kids in the house, then 13 or 14 seems reasonable to me, as that is the age at which many teens are babysitting for other families. If they are alone, I would say 11 to 12, and only for limited periods of time, not for a whole day. If it's sleeping in a house alone, with no parents in sight, then I think the child should be old enough to have a driving license, so they can get themselves around, and to school, and to the grocery store.

Your age choice seems very reasonable to me. Even if it does not to your child or children, stick to your guns. They may think you are trying to treat them like a baby, and they will never understand that you are doing it for their safety.

Good luck.

Answer 7

Depending on your country,in mine it's fifteen.