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I let my neighbor's 13yr old babysit my 4 and 6yr old on a regular basis at night. Most of my neighbors let their kids stay home alone by 9-10 yrs old. Of course we live in a smallish town and in a close knit neighborhood.
I babysat regularly by 11-12 years old.
My mom had a double standard. She used 13 year old babysitters (and when I was 7 those girls actually seemed "old" to me lol), Yet when I was 13 she still left me with babysitters.
I reminded her that I used to have 13 year old babysitters and that I'm now at that age. She told me I wasn't mature enough. What I really think was going on is that she was strict and wanted someone there to enforce her rules, make sure I do my chores etc. She didn't want me to have any freedom. About a year later she finally stopped using babysitters, except for when she left town for several days at a time.
I've left my 10-year-old for the 10ish minutes it takes to pick up my teen from school, or to run down to the corner store for eggs. I wouldn't leave him for more than about 20-30 minutes, though. We live in a quiet, fairly undeveloped area, but we have a trustworthy neighbor diagonally across the street, and he knows that he can run to her house if necessary.
I think that by the time he's 12, I could leave him for an hour or two. He's a pretty mature kid at 10. I know that I was babysitting at 12, and staying home with my younger brothers for a couple of hours at a time at 10. Times have really not changed that much, and kids are safer now than ever, with cellphones and all... if you trust your kid and you live in a safe neighborhood, I don't see a problem with a mature 10-year-old being left for short periods of time.
My neighbors kids r 6-11 n their parents have Bern leaving them home alone for over a year now for 8-12 hour at a time all the time whie they work, I have always thought that is not good patenting but there not my kids but I always wonder of something were to happen I fear for those kids. Is this even legal in Mn???
My neighbors kids r 6-11 n their parents have Bern leaving them home alone for over a year now for 8-12 hour at a time all the time whie they work, I have always thought that is not good patenting but there not my kids but I always wonder of something were to happen I fear for those kids. Is this even legal in Mn???
Call Child Protective Services in your state and ask if it's legal. If they say no, give them your neighbor's address.
My mother used to leave us home alone like that and it was terrible. I used to hope someone would report her (especially the year my youngest sister was a newborn and my middle sister kept accidentally starting fires) but it was legal in TX.
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When I got home from Junior High (10 years old) I would walk home since I lived across the street from school and I'd be alone (with about 3 or 4 friends ) until about 6:00 when my parents would get home from work. There's NO way I'd do that with my kids now. Not that I don't trust my kids (they're not old enough anyway, only 4 and 7) but there's too many weirdos now. Even in the "high-end" neighborhood I'm in, I still wouldn't do it. I think trust in a lot of places have died out. Children aren't safe from anything these days.
I wouldn't worry about weirdos. I'd worry about their peers causing trouble. You don't really see things about kids being taken out of their homes in the news. You see more about what happens at those homes when parents aren't there.
12 years old. Check w/ your social service agency..I've heard it is ok to leave a 9 yr old, for just a short time. It really depends on the amount of time, and the kids maturity..Do they know what to do if the toilet overflows...Do they know not to open the door to strangers...How long is Mom going to be gone.....etc.
If you aren't comfortable, have him come to your house.
My girls are both 11 although the youngest just turned 11 last week. We have no trouble leaving them alone for very short periods of time during the day and maybe for an early movie from time to time. Sometimes the oldest one wants to stay home and do her homework while I run her sister to ballet class and wait for her. I'm gone no longer than 1.5 hours. We have 2 dogs to alert if something is wrong and they are instructed not to answer the door or even the phone unless they see caller ID and know it is us.
I think they both would know how to get out in case of fire or other emergency. They know where flashlights are and we practices fire drills. Still I would have a hard time leaving either one alone for longer than 2 hours at the most-not cause they would get into any trouble but because they might get scared. I've taught them it is better to call 911 to be careful or if they are suspicious rather than deal with any emergency by themselves.
Last year at exactly this day the three of us were home alone (Daddy out of town) when it became apparent I was extremely sick. I called 911 and asked them not to have the siren on when they came into the neighborhood. I explained to the girls what was happening, to put the dogs in the laundry room, that I had called their daddy who was one his way but 8 hours away by car. I told them I would be carried out of the house on a gurney because that was procedure and that somebody would let them know how I was. I tried to call neighbors but nobody was home. Remember they were 10 years old and no relatives within 10 hours of us.
They were terrific and I think it was because I prepared them so well and because we had left them alone for small stretches starting only months prior. I did not panic although I was terribly afraid I was having a heart attack. At the hospital I had angioplasty and pace maker inserted. The girls walked and fed the dogs several times, washed the dishes and swept the kitchen floor and watched TV and played Wii till their Daddy came home. We were so proud of them for how they acted and it was a load off my mind to know they could be trusted alone and knew what to do if they needed help. The fact that they never fight or fuss was a great comfort as well.
Glad the girls did so well in such a scary situation!! It is important to prepare children for being left alone in an emergency.
Here it is normal for children to come home alone from school from the first grade and be alone in their homes (or out playing with friends) for several hours as school ends long before office hours end. I would reckon they would cope well in an emergency situation as they learn independence and responsibility at a young age.
There is no specific age under Colorado law, however, most judges set the "de facto" age as 10. People who leave their kids for 30 min to run an errand don't stop to think about what would happen in case of an accident with the car, or something else that might delay their return.
When my niece and nephew were about 7 and 9, their parents left them alone all day b/c of an unexpected (to them) day off school. A thunderstorm came up and their mom found them hiding in a closet when she got home. Sometimes the most "mature" seeming kids can't handle the situation as well as their parents think they can.
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) until about 6:00 when my parents would get home from work. There's NO way I'd do that with my kids now. Not that I don't trust my kids (they're not old enough anyway, only 4 and 7) but there's too many weirdos now. Even in the "high-end" neighborhood I'm in, I still wouldn't do it. I think trust in a lot of places have died out. Children aren't safe from anything these days. 
