Just wondering what age is ok to start leaving my kid at home alone?
Mobile phone…check
Ipad with facetime…check
And for how long too?
TIA
What Age Is Ok to Start Leaving Kids at Home?
grabngo on 04/07/2017 - 19:25
Last edited 07/07/2017 - 12:27 by 1 other user
Last edited 07/07/2017 - 12:27 by 1 other user
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12 in QLD.
Everywhere else it's complicated.
http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/australian_laws_about…Thank you Syousef.
Depends on the kid, I'd say 6-8. But it entirely depends on the kid.
Whose age?
My mom left me at home when I was just 5 lol,
the trick isn't teaching your child how to take care of the whole house lol, its teaching them a limited skillset.She left me at home with 3 tricks:
1. How to boil water for instant noodles.
2. Fire is bad
3. When unsure, call mama on the phone.3
give them some candles and matches to play with
You missed the gas bottle and jerry can - must have items for a 3 year old.
I was left home alone at about 12-13 with the amount of time slowly increasing. I think during this period my Dad made a conscience decision to come home as early as possible to ensure I wasn't home alone for too long.
As other said I remember him giving me firm instructions to never answer the door and keep everything locked, call him if needed etc, same age I got a mobile phone so this worked well.
I think it is important to get to know your neighbors as well. This might seem like an irrelevant point but one time something had gone wrong with my phone and I had forgot my keys. As a 12yo this is a really scary experience to be honest, I can remember it very clearly and I am not sure what I would have done without knowing I could go the neighbors and chill. Given I had just moved in to the area too finding friends wasn't really an option as I wasn't sure where they lived exactly compared to me. We had only just moved in to the area and I wasn't sure where my friends lived relative to us nor where most of them lived so the neighbors were my only option bar just sitting in my front yard for hours.
Obviously it is all relevant to your neighborhood though and how confident you are in your childs decision making.
It depends on individuals.
I know a boy that is 8 and a half and he goes home all by himself after school. I have seen younger boys doing that too but the Police and school generally wouldn't allow it. They would probably warn the parents not to do it again if they ever find out.
Personally I would recommend age 8 and 9 for the more mature kids otherwise they need to be older. They need to know how to stay safe.
Depends on the child's maturity level and if they are with other siblings. Also depends on the time period.
I'd say if a child is 12-3ish it's fine to leave them home for a few hours. Then again there are other parents who would freak out if I told them that.
I was pretty mature for my age. I think my earliest memory was my parents leaving me home alone for a week when I was 15. It was during school holidays but I was capable of cooking food, doing the dishes, doing washing etc. My parents raised me to be self sufficient though.
On the other hand I've got friends who have younger siblings that are 20-25 and don't know how to do washing or cook.
my 8 and 10 year old walk home from school
they are home for about an hour and a half before we get home from work.
no problems they know what to doDo your own parenting.
I was left alone all day from about age 8. Sometimes parents need to go out at the same time. Are they going to call a babysitter every time they do that, with maybe 10 minutes notice? Unrealistic.
In some societies it's common to let children as young as six walk to school alone and even navigate the subway and bus system.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/japanese-young-children-solo-com…If the TV's turned up loud enough to make sure the neighbours can't hear them, and the doors are dead bolted from the outside (better yet, if they're locked in the cellar), you're good from the age of 6 upwards. If you're really concerned with them getting into trouble, a little gaffer tape will slow them right the (profanity) down.
It depends how good of a parent you are. If you taught them to think for themselves and look after each other, even at a young age say 9 or 10, if things go wrong, they should be able to hide it from you as if nothing happened, like real pros. 😎
I read the title as "What age is ok to start for kids to leave home?" and when I saw all the "12-16" comments i felt so crap about myself >.<
Keen on a little flutter at the casino are we?
was alone with my cousin(5) when i was 16, i tell him all the time never to open the door. (mostly because i was lazy in responding and not a real fan of people asking for charity stuff etc). I was asleep some guy from save the kids who knows knocks on the door and he opens the door, too early to deal with imo. so kids if you are reading this dont open the door, some guy/girl will be asking u for a donation for some special olympics and u telling them u are broke is the hardest thing.
Till this day when someone knocks on my door, i keep very quiet and pretend i am not home. even tho my front door is just 10m away
As long as an iPad battery lasts
The most logical answer. Tested and well proven
A lot of people do it when the kids are 10 that I see, but we didn't until about 14-15 but it really comes down to under what the circumstances are in each family.
Some people like to judge others….
at 14 i was heavily into girls. I know what i'd be planning if i had the house to myself at that age! haha
Seriously though - high school onwards should be ok - teach them some independance at the same time.
What are you into now???
Both my parents worked so I was walking myself to school and back home every afternoon, and then essentially home alone for at least 2 hours a day from age 7.
I did have a 4yr older sister, but she was pretty much always out with friends.
Depends on the child basically
I would say by age 60 you could start to leave your kids at home. I don't know about all these people talking about leaving kids at home when they are 8. Like what 8 year old has kids to leave at home alone?
When the kid is in Grade 9-10
Depends on a bunch of things.
How long are you planning on being away? (An hour or two is probably fine from ages 8-12ish. 14-16 can probably handle a day/few days)
Have they been left alone before? (Might freak out at any small noise if it's their first time)
Are they mature enough to handle it? (Will they try and use the oven/stove? Or will they just make a sandwich and watch TV?)
Do your kids get along well? (If they're prone to fighting, leaving them alone could be a recipe for disaster.)
Have they had responsibilities before this? (i.e. walking home from school/going to the shops/visiting nearby park, etc.)Ultimately no one in this thread can tell you the right age. It's going to be up to you to judge how your kids would do if left alone. This also means that it changes from family to family. You might have friends who let their kids stay at home alone from age 10, but want to wait til your own kids are 12)
Why leave them at home, when you can leave them in the car?
Practically with my experience living in a large family usually when then oldest person or the one remaining home is old enough to have independent thought (make their own decision and start asking questions about the world for themselves). This is because it shows forward thinkingness and without that you just can't be sure your kids are going to be aware of any possible dangers they HAVENT been trained for like if something else is thrown in the mix while you're away.
That personally I'd say just use your common sense. If you feel like they're old enough they probably are, age is a terrible marker because all people mature at different rates than others and some may not be mature in other areas but may be able to look after themselves/ consider safety on their own.
This is just my opinion, do your best and take an average of what everyone says that you feel comfortable with.
God bless, Sam.
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ok I have serious question, at what age are you legally required to leave kids at home? ok I am a little drunk.. what I mean is.. what is the minimum age at which you can leave kids at home, LEGALLY. Thanks OZB!