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I agree with the 10-12 year old range. The Red Cross offers a baby-sitting class for kids 12 and over. If you can baby-sit at 12, I think you could probably stay home alone a little before that.
Again, JMO, but anyone who would leave their children w/ a 12 yr old should have their head examined.
I was thinking when would my kids be able to go to the beach by themselves? The walk is about 1 mile, a few hundred yards of which you have to walk alongside a rural highway. Probably at 7 or 8. That would be the age I would leave them for a short time home. Short time meaning half an hour. We have babysitting courses for kids 11 and up - so that's the age when I could leave them alone for longer time.
The car - at this point never. It just wouldn't happen as my kids are too energetic to not being able to stretch their legs and not see new places/things/faces. We'll see what happens when they are teenagers.
Again, JMO, but anyone who would leave their children w/ a 12 yr old should have their head examined.
LOL! I agree! I don't even use babysitters, PERIOD, but I was speaking from a "legal" standpoint. If it is recognized as acceptable for a 12 year old to baby sit, it should be okay for them to stay home alone. Depending on maturity, obviously.
In reading the thread on Brenda Slaby and her toddler - I was wondering - at what age do you personally consider it safe to leave a child in an unattended car? Or unattended at home, for that matter.
Keep these things in mind - length of time in the store for the parent, weather conditions, location, etc.
Just curious to see what everyone thinks.
KimmieyKy
Car...honestly, these days...never. How old should a dog be when left alone in a car? It should never be. I would never feel comfortable leaving my child in a car. Sometimes, the safest areas is where the worst crimes happen. When a parent gets to overconfident it can be dangerous.
As for unattended at home, 12-13 depending on maturity level & purpose.
I disagree. There are areas of the country where carjacking is never even heard of. Regardless of who is in the car. Car break ins are also quite rare in my area. A 10-12 year old is perfectly safe in a car where I live. My kids know how to keep the doors locked too. Often times they would rather stay in the vehicle than get out just to wait in a line for 10-15 minutes.
there is a town near where we live that has been listed as "safest place" "best place"--guess what? murder, home break ins and a rape in the past 6 months. and no, the purpetrators were not known by the victims.
your kids know how to lock the car door? so what! people can see them through the window, how much do you think it takes to break in to a window? no where to hide--and if you are not quick enough, no way to get out of the car.
just because it has never happened before, doesnt mean it may never happen
I leave my children with TRUSTED family only. And trust me, most of the family is not trusted! LOL!
Seriously, I read a book (HIGHLY recommended - Gavin DeBecker's Protecting the Gift) and he said how leaving your child home with a female teenage babysitter is not bright at all. Teenage girls are themselves one of the most targeted groups for sexual deviants and they are young and may not always make the best judgments. Then you leave YOUR child with them. Uhm. No.
My Mom was trying to convince me to leave my kids w/ a friends daughter who was 12. I asked her to please stop smoking the funny stuff... (rolls eyes...)
I leave my children with TRUSTED family only. And trust me, most of the family is not trusted! LOL!
Seriously, I read a book (HIGHLY recommended - Gavin DeBecker's Protecting the Gift) and he said how leaving your child home with a female teenage babysitter is not bright at all. Teenage girls are themselves one of the most targeted groups for sexual deviants and they are young and may not always make the best judgments. Then you leave YOUR child with them. Uhm. No.
My Mom was trying to convince me to leave my kids w/ a friends daughter who was 12. I asked her to please stop smoking the funny stuff... (rolls eyes...)
I have heard of that book before, but I have never read it. Our church offers a great program called Child Lures that goes into the 17 lures typically used on children. It is quite interesting and very scary!
I agree with you about family not always being trustworthy. Hubby and I don;t go out together very often as a result. Just one of the many sacrifices we make in the name of our kids' safety...
Again, JMO, but anyone who would leave their children w/ a 12 yr old should have their head examined.
I hear what you're saying. There are some nutty kids out there that age.
But it really depends on the kid you're leaving them with and the 12 yr old in question. I would never leave our 2 yr old destructo-matic boy with someone that age. Something bad WILL happen. There is no 'if'.
OTH our 4 1/2 yr old daughter would probably be ok with a level headed responsible 12 yr old...as she is pretty laid back and will likely just sit and watch her favorite shows for a short time. Notice I say 'short time' because there ain't no way we're going to go out for an all-day outing and leave any 12 yr old in charge that long.
On cars... take this in to consideration.... a friend (my age) was left alone in the car at 7 w/ her 8 yr old brother. They were playing, because that is what kids do. Well, he was pretending to drive and released the emergency break. The car was on a hill and rolled backward into traffic on a cross street. The car was hit and both children suffered serious injuries, as did the driver of the car that hit them.
So, do you think leaving kids in a car is a good idea?
I also could not agree w/ the poster who said bad things happen in good towns. Always do. You have to be vigilant in protecting your children, no one else will.
there is a town near where we live that has been listed as "safest place" "best place"--guess what? murder, home break ins and a rape in the past 6 months. and no, the purpetrators were not known by the victims.
your kids know how to lock the car door? so what! people can see them through the window, how much do you think it takes to break in to a window? no where to hide--and if you are not quick enough, no way to get out of the car.
just because it has never happened before, doesnt mean it may never happen
And I bet that in this same town there are many kids who walk back and forth to school everyday. At some point you have to determine what is a reasonable level of safety and what is being paranoid. And when I say a small town, I mean small. We live in the country, but the closest town is only 3500 people.
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Hubby and I don;t go out together very often as a result. Just one of the many sacrifices we make in the name of our kids' safety...