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Old 04-29-2008, 12:49 PM
 
4 posts, read 42,399 times
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Me and my wife have been looking for the "official" age... how old for a kid to be left home alone? We have 2 boys, 13 and 14. We don’t have any issue leaving then in bed at night and then going out, but we are a bit concerned about our nosy neighbors… they are so interfering that if they get to know, they would call the police. Therefore, we really need the official age, we have been browsing in miam-dade.gov and ymca.com, etc… but no luck so far.

Another guide could be the minimum age for a babysitter…

Thanks in advance
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Old 04-29-2008, 05:22 PM
 
11,642 posts, read 23,808,705 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ccc_javier View Post
Me and my wife have been looking for the "official" age... how old for a kid to be left home alone? We have 2 boys, 13 and 14. We don’t have any issue leaving then in bed at night and then going out, but we are a bit concerned about our nosy neighbors… they are so interfering that if they get to know, they would call the police. Therefore, we really need the official age, we have been browsing in miam-dade.gov and ymca.com, etc… but no luck so far.

Another guide could be the minimum age for a babysitter…

Thanks in advance
I don't think there's a minimum age. We leave our kids alone and the oldest is 14.
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Old 04-29-2008, 05:34 PM
 
Location: Miami
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I agree with momma_bear, there isn't an age I can think of. But probably 14/15 is a good age.
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Old 04-29-2008, 06:41 PM
 
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I believe most classes for babysitting have an age of 12. As long as you don't leave your children overnight alone, then there shouldn't be a problem as long as your children are comfortable with being alone. Make sure they have someone to call if they get scared and leave them a list of do's and don'ts. The age to let children come home alone during the day is 8 yo

You could call DCF and ask.. but I didn't see anything on their website. They are the ones you have to worry about..
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Old 04-29-2008, 08:42 PM
 
Location: Hialeah, FL
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I've had babysitters as young as 13.
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Old 04-30-2008, 08:58 AM
 
4 posts, read 42,399 times
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i called miami-dade police dep. yesterday, they dont have a defined minimum age, is totally discretionary, up to the parents…

but if a neighbor calls the police to “report” some kids being alone in your house, the cops will show up and check and talk to the kids to make sure they are Ok, imagine, kids playing guitar hero at 11 pm, cops knocking at the door with the patrol and flashing colorful lights… they would get scared…

now, in the event of something bad happening while the kids are home alone, something external like a burglary, someone trying to break-in and the kids call the cops, what then?

Are the parents liable? I know that in that case the kids security goes first… and the cops need and they better show up, but not sure about the parents getting in trouble
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Old 04-30-2008, 09:09 AM
 
11,642 posts, read 23,808,705 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ccc_javier View Post
i called miami-dade police dep. yesterday, they dont have a defined minimum age, is totally discretionary, up to the parents…

but if a neighbor calls the police to “report” some kids being alone in your house, the cops will show up and check and talk to the kids to make sure they are Ok, imagine, kids playing guitar hero at 11 pm, cops knocking at the door with the patrol and flashing colorful lights… they would get scared…

now, in the event of something bad happening while the kids are home alone, something external like a burglary, someone trying to break-in and the kids call the cops, what then?

Are the parents liable? I know that in that case the kids security goes first… and the cops need and they better show up, but not sure about the parents getting in trouble
What would the parents be liable for? It's not against any sort of law (or even common sense) to leave teens in charge. Teenaged girls have been babysitting for centuries. Who would you hire to watch a teen boy anyway? A teen girl? If you ask me THAT is asking for trouble.......
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Old 04-30-2008, 09:14 AM
 
Location: Miami
546 posts, read 2,139,851 times
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Keep in mind it is also up to the police officer discretion whether or not you will be charged with endangering/neglecting the child. The officer will evaluate the child's age, state of mind, the security of the house, the ability for the child to call the police or call you if there's any need to, etc. The "totality of the circumstances" if you will.
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Old 04-30-2008, 09:16 AM
 
4 posts, read 42,399 times
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I know...

you 100% correct, i guess my wife is getting just paranoic because of those nosy ppl that live around us.
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Old 04-30-2008, 02:09 PM
 
1,770 posts, read 8,224,379 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Momma_bear View Post
. Who would you hire to watch a teen boy anyway? A teen girl? If you ask me THAT is asking for trouble.......
I'm sure your kids would appreciate this though.
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