#!Parentsroom Weekly Poll Results - At what age should children be allowed to stay at home alone?
Don't forget to answer this weeks Poll
At what age should children be allowed to stay at home alone?
This question, as I think many parents suspected, had no real answer. The vast majority of respondents said that it depends on the children themselves. Even those that gave an age, often stated that the age they gave was only a rough estimate, and it really depended on the child. There were also other factors like for how long they would be left alone, time of day, etc.
Here are the results in more detail:
- 44% said, It Depends (see comments for factors to consider)
- 4% said, Age 10 (only for short periods like 15 mins. during the day)
- 35% said, Age 12
- 4% said, Age 13
- 13% said, Over Age 13
The following are some comments we received:
- I think for very short periods of time, kids can stay home as early as the age of 8 (like if you are going to pick up another kid or something that's only 5 minutes away). As they get older, perhaps around age 10, they can stay for a half hour or so. But to stay for anything much longer than that, it should be more like age 11 or 12. Of course, it always depends on the child themselves.
- I think 12 is the right age...now this may differ with every child, but I know here in Indiana 12 is the legal age that a child can stay home by themselves. But it just depends on the child, some kids are mature enough at 12 and other aren't.
- I have felt comfortable leaving my
two oldest alone at home during the
day for up to 2 hours since June of
this year. At that point I've got my cell
phone. If I leave them alone (I never
leave them with the 3 year old), we
set our oven timer to go off every 50
minutes or so. When it goes off
they call me on the cell phone. And
of course they can call me in between
if they need to reach me. This has
worked really well for me. I am not
comfortable leaving them alone at night
yet. I want the oldest to be at least
12. And even at that age, I will make
sure there is a next door neighbor
home and aware of the situation
so they could call or go over at any
time if they need to.
- I think it depends on the child and the situation involved. I would think by age 10 a child could possibly be left at home alone for short periods of time, but not for longer than an hour or so. It's a tough question to generalize.
- Generally I feel the age of the children should be 11 or 12, but it depends on the individual child. If the child is staying home and looking after other siblings, then the parents really have to evaluate how responsible the eldest is. I know that babysitting courses offered here say that the child taking it MUST be 12 before the end of the course, so that should say something about the general age for children who can responsibly watch over younger children.
- [The Child] should know all safety rules and should show that they are able to react in correct manner when anything might happen.
- I really think that it is all whether you think that your child is ready. Some children can be 12, others are just not ready until they are older.
- As a parent you know if your child is able to handle the responsibility that goes along with being at home. I started leaving my nine year home alone but I knew he could handle the time until his father came home. I have friends that would not leave or trust their kids at that age. You need to know your kid!
- So many variables here! The child's maturity level, parent's confidence in the child and the job they've done, trust issues, security issues, etc., etc. This one's a toughie. Mine (ages 17, 14, 12 & 9) don't stay alone very often. Mainly because when we're gone we're all gone together. It does get easier when the kids get older - sometimes!
- I chose age 12 as kind of an average to go by. From that point, it depends on the maturity of each child, are they by themselves or with siblings, how long will they be alone, etc.
- I feel that even though kids are a lot "older" in their attitudes and knowledge than we were, the danger from outside forces (strangers etc.) and peer pressures from friends while home alone should be taken into major consideration.
- I was able to trust my own five children to stay home alone for short periods of time while I ran errands by the time they were twelve years old. However, I have had many foster children who could not be left alone at much older ages than twelve. I have learned in foster parent training meetings that we must look at the responsibility of each child individually and then form a judgement as to if they are ready to be left alone and for what period of time might be appropriate.
- Children are all different. Not all children are ready by a certain age. One child can be ready by 8 where as another won't be ready until it is much older. It is up to the parent AND the child to make this decision together. I think it also makes a difference where the adults are going, how long they will be gone, and what time of day. I don't think I would leave a child alone at night for any length of time. Just my opinion!
- At age 12 they are already babysitting for friend, neighbors etc. So they should be able to be home alone. As well, this helps your child become independent in which I believe is crucial to growing up.