At What Age... - Allen,TX

I believe 12 years of age is the age for babysitting by law - I don't know that's an interesting question.

Here in Minnesota, there are guidelines mostly, but a local TV station (CBS affiliate) did this story I found from 2009....

http://wcco.com/goodquestion/kids.left.alone.2.###-###-##...

There are a LOT of factors at play. It depends on the child and their maturity, the circumstances, the location (city/rural), the neighbors, the time of day/night, if there are siblings, etc.

Our son is 12. He sometimes stays home alone for short periods of time (an hour or at the most 2). But not at night. If we will be gone during a meal time, we get a sitter. I might drive into town to the grocery store during daylight hours and let him and his sister stay home. Or my hubby might go for a run (he runs 3-5 miles a few times a week) and leave them home alone together for 45 minutes while I am out running errands somewhere. Our daughter is 9, and she doesn't stay at home alone, ever.

I have friends who let their 11 yr old daughter babysit her younger siblings for an hour or 2 at a time.

Grown and out my house...

Ok just kidding but legally in NJ the age is 12 but only for a few hours. Personally I know that teens need just as much supervision as the two year olds. They don't really intend to hurt themselves for the most part but do things with and to each other that can cause a lifetime of pain and damage.

The youngest in the house is 14 and I'm still uncomfortable with him being home alone. It's just how I am.

I think it depends on the safety of your area, the maturity of your child, and how long you will be gone for. For me, I would expect that starting around age 10 I should be able to leave my son while I run to the bank or dry cleaner, etc., but wouldn't be gone for more than an hour. (and would not leave younger siblings in his care until about 12 or 13.)

im thinking 10, but im not there yet, my daughter is 7 and is very responsible, knows how to call 911, our address my phone number etc....but im still not comfortable with it. It depends of the maturity of the kid too. I know some 13 year olds i wouldnt leave alone for 5 min much less a few hours. When i was growing up both my parents worked, my mom had two jobs. At age 6 i was getting off the bus with my brothers, both under 10, and we would stay home alone for a few hours.Even though i considered my mom the best of moms i would never do this now. Its really up to the type of kid. theres no right answer, and too many variables. IMO

I am assuming you mean for a few hours...and I think that all kids are different but at our house most our kids were capable of being left alone at around 12-13 years old.

They were allowed to babysit younger siblings while we ran out to the store at around 14-15....and anything after 16 we don't even worry anymore!

This is a tough question! I think it is going to differ by each child based on maturity level and for what length of time they will be alone. As a child my siblings and I were not allowed to stay home alone (we really didn't care to much though until we were older) until about the age of 13. Even then it was for a short period of time. Maybe my mom was just out running an errand. I have an older sister (3 years older than I) and honestly she didn't stay home alone with my brother and I until she was 15 or 16 as our sitter!
Good luck!

I think it depends on the kid. When we were small my mom and dad both worked and my brother and I were fine with staying home and following our parents rules. My older sister was constantly in trouble and breaking the rules. I have yet to leave my kids home alone and they are 10 and 6. I think my daughter would be fine actually (the 6 year old) but my son has yet to show me that I can trust him alone. I also think the area you live in has a lot to do with it. We lived in NYC when my son was small and I NEVER would have left him alone there.

No younger than 12! I believe that's the law...but it really depends on the child even at 12.

I was a latch key kid in the mid 90's at 11, and I was ready but it really depends on the kid, my sister started earlier and he handled it ok.

what do you mean by "stay home alone"? for five minutes while you run to the store, overnight, during the daytime or nighttime, how far will the parent be? my age would be dif for dif situations...

It really depends...
- on your state laws
- your child's maturity
- how long
- where will you go

I believe in my state there is no set age limit and it is "depending on the childs maturity and circumstances". However, after school programs in our area typically do not take kids older than 12.
Good luck!

It would depend how long and how many are there. My sister and I used to walk downtown, take a city bus, and then stay at home alone until my mom came home.

It depends on the maturity of the child but each state has its own laws. In Illinois I could legally get in trouble under 14 yrs of age. Personally I think that is ridiculous but....
I think Texas is 12 but might be 14. Of course, that would depend on someone reporting it.
My kids do stay home alone occassionally but only for a short time, couple of hours max. And I never let them once it is dark. they also know they can go next door for help if needed.

I think it totally depends on the maturity of your child, the safety of your neighborhood, where you will be and for how long. We started leaving our boys home alone for very short periods of time (30-45 min.) while we were in the area (10 min. away) at ages 9-10. However, I don't leave them in the evening and it was awhile before I would leave the two of them home alone together (now 11 and 14) because when together they have disagreements and fight. I will leave them now for a 2-3 hours during the day, but not at night. I usually try to be fairly close by. We have nearby neighbors they are comfortable with and both know our cell phone numbers. Most counties have guidelines or recommendations about this and you can probably look it up. In our county, it is a guideline that kids can stay home alone for short periods of time at age 7 or 8, which is too young for me regardless of the maturity of the child. Also in our county, a child is supposed to be 11 before they can be responsible for younger siblings. I'm actually fairly conservative on this issue in my neighborhood, but apparently not on this website. I've had friends and neighbors who leave their 13 year olds in charge of their younger siblings for entire work days throughout the summer. My kids tell me I'm overprotective!