Leaving Children Home Alone
According to the National Child Care Information Center, only Maryland and Illinois have specific laws stipulating the age at which a child can be left home alone.
However, the National SAFEKIDS Campaign recommends that no child under the age of 12 be left home alone.
I don’t know about you, but 12 seems terribly young to me. It wasn’t until this year, that my husband and I began leaving the kids at home for a couple hours at a time.
We tell the kids we’re going for therapy. And since they hate going to a counselor, they don’t push to go with us. Of course our ‘therapy’ consists of a trip to get ice cream or a stroll through our favorite store, Menards.
Once we arrive home, no questions are asked, even when we come walking in with shopping bags. Of course I’ll never tell that we didn’t just stop off on our way home.
Regardless, I just don’t think that 12 is a good age for kids to be left at home.
Am I being over protective?
Perhaps!
But my like my favorite television dad, Gene Simmons, I actually like being around my kids. Well, most times!
At what age did you or will you begin leaving your kid(s) at home alone?
Tags: parenting, teens, home alone, child care
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POSTED IN: Parenting
1 opinion for Leaving Children Home Alone
Char
Jul 23, 2007 at 11:27 am
My oldest is 11 and very responsible. We live in a very quiet neighborhood and I feel safe leaving him alone for up to an hour at a time if I am going to be within a 15 minute drive. A lot of times he would rather stay home than run quick errands with me. I won’t leave his younger sisters with him though.
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