My just about 12 yo son does not want a "babysitter" anymore. He is Extremely responsible and has stayed home for short periods of time with his younger sister. Now that he's going into 7th grade he wants some more independence. I only work 2 days a week but I'm torn about what to do. He is going to stay home tomorrow but I have his aunt bringing him lunch and his grandparents will be down in the afternoon. At what age do you think it's appropriate? I was babysitting when I was in 7th grade.
All I can say is PAY him something.
My mother used me as a free babysitter for years and gave me a major guilt trip when I told her I didn't want to do it anymore (I was 14.)
If you can't afford to give him cash then please try to work SOMETHING out. It creates very bad feelings when a child is just expected to step up and take the place of a parent for nothing :(
Does he get paid to baby sit is younger sister? If not, he should.
I leave my 12 year old home alone. He knows how to prepare food - microwave as well as the stove. I leave him home alone and responsible for himself for about 2 hours...maybe more. He is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and responsible.
I would extend the responsibility to him. While I get that you say he doesn't want to be a babysitter - if he wants to be home alone - he needs to show that responsibility. Talk with him about it. Offer him wages for babysitting so that in the future he can be left alone.
My two youngest are 10 and 12 though they will be 11 and 13 in a month. Anyway this year was the first year they latch-keyed. I wasn't sure if they could handle it but my god they have been amazing.
I only let them stay alone for a couple hours because too much free time I am afraid they will sell my home on ebay or something.
Now my older two were younger though they never latch keyed because I was a stay at home and their ride home from school. Still if I had board meetings and such in the evening they stayed home by themselves.
Sounds OK to me. He is responsible and will be checked on twice...
~There really is no one answer for this question...every kid, every parent, every neighborhood is different. Just go with your gut!
I was staying home alone in 3rd grade! Back then ,no one even batted an eye. As long as he is responsible, go for it.
Before you make a decision regarding what you're comfortable with, contact your police department to find out at what age they are legally allowed to stay home alone. Here in IL, they cannot be home alone under the age of 14. This is a more recent law, as I was also babysitting in 7th grade. My mom would even leave me home alone for short periods when I was 10, or leave me to watch my younger brother while she ran to the grocery store when I was 10.
I think a mature 12 yo would be OK for short periods, but not all day.
Such a horrible way to answer this question, but it depends. It depends on your child, you, and where you live. If your child is responsible, mature, and follows your directions then I would easily leave him alone. It's a good idea to have someone check in on him the first few times. If my son was responsible enough, I would feel fine leaving him home at 12. I don't think it is unreasonable at all.
"The child psychologist who thought she had all the answers to parenting until she became one herself." www.themommypsychologist.com
If your son's maturity age is 12 or more than he can be home to babysit. If his maturity age is 8 then he cannot be left home to babysit.
I had 6 kids when I first left them home with my oldest three to babysit. They were given instructions on what to do and if they did it made the determination if they were paid or not.
BTW, I was babysitting when I was in the 9th grade and was delighted to make 35 cents per hour.
Good luck to you and yours.
He's fine. Leave him home reinforce the rules he's fine the way u have family stopping is only easing ur worries but there's no need have trust in him.
Totally depends on the kid and parents. Sounds like you have a great support team to check in and help out if there is a problem. My dd is 10 and some of her friends are being left at home for short periods of time. I'm not ready for this yet, she thinks she is. Oregon law doesn't even put an age on begin left alone. It reads something to the effect of "when a child is capable." It sounds like your son is ready to take care of himself.
The Red Cross offers a babysitting class to kids 12 years old. So in my opinion if they are legally able to watch someone else they should first be able to watch themselves.
There are many way to teach a child to be home alone. One of them is to go to the store to buy a few items, a neighbor should always be aware there is some training going on so if they see something suspicious they can report it. The child needs to be able to be home for short periods of time before they can work up to being home alone for hours.
I was also babysitting at 13 so leaving a 12 year old alone in the daytime seems okay to me. If he can reach you by phone an there are other adults who can be there if needed.
Mine stayed home alone at a much younger age.
If he's equipped with phone numbers and the rules for using the stove or microwave, emergency numbers, etc. Sounds like you feel he's mature enough.
He is at that age where you need to trust him until he breaks the trust. Not trusting them when they've done nothing wrong is not good for building their esteem. jmo
