12

Thank you for your question! This is definitely a tough judgment call, and one I too will struggle with as a parent.

Before deciding to leave our daughter home alone, I will research state and county law to see if there is a regulated/legal minimum age for leaving one's minor child home alone. Some states have minimum age law and/or guidelines in this regard; some don't.

Here's another resource to check out:

Latchkey-Kids.com's "Age Restrictions for Latchkey Kids"
http://www.latchkey-kids.com/latchkey-kids-age-limits.htm

They note, "The National SAFEKIDS Campaign recommends that no child under the age of 12 be left at home alone."

I hope this helps. All the best to you in your decision-making.

i think that if they are responsible kids then it is ok to go to the grocery store or pick up something . only don`t let them stay alone at night until the reach around 11 or 12

Times are different now so I would not suggest you leave them alone at that age. Maybe when they are 15 and 13 and only if they are mature enough to be left alone.  At 7 and 5 they can get into a lot.

Wow! This is basically the same question I�d asked myself. We have 3 kids and their ages range from 13, 9 and 5. My husband and I always prioritize their safety. We cannot be with our children all the time because we are both working, so to ensure their safety we registered them to �SafeKidZone�. It�s a panic button alert installed on their cell phones that in just a press of it, their trusted friends, family members and the nearest 911 will be notified that they are in danger. It has also some features that are very useful not just for our children but for us their parents. It really helped mitigate our worries so if you want to check out, this is their site http://safekidzone.com/

to be honest i really dont know.......................

For myself, I didn't leave my kids alone until they were 10 and 12 and only for an hour or two at the most. I just don't think 5 and 7 is old enough for any amount of time. What if your 10-15 minute trip turns into hours because of an accident. At that age they don't understand and would feel abandoned.

7 & 5 alone?!  This is not responsible parenting.

You may want to contact social services and find out the laws regarding this, I'm 99% sure that it is illegal and I'm 100% sure that it should be.

Best wishes to you and your young children!

Hi,

I just had to come back and respond to this question again.  Last night on the news channel- a woman was arrested and charged with 3 counts of felony child neglect because she left her 7, 5 and 3 year old home alone.

I immediately thought of this question and thought you should be aware of the charges in a felony prison you could be facing for this type of behavior.

It may seem to you that it is an unjust charge, but had she not been caught the three children would now be dead.  A neighbor happened to notice the beeping sound of a carbon dioxide detector coming from the house, it was at night, he went over to the house and busted a window to rescue the three semi-conscious children.  The children were taken to the hospital and will be okay, however, they would not have lived through the night.  The mother was contacted at work and arrested.  The children will be placed in another home once they have been released from the hospital, meanwhile the mother will not have to concern herself with work or parenting.

Thought you may find this interesting.  I was going to leave a link for you, but when I searched for the topic there were many, many listed for felony child neglect (same reason) do a search for yourself and see how you would like to be listed among these folks.

Best wishes & hope you make wise choices for yourself & children!

Hi,

I think that the child must be at an age (possibly 13 or older) and maturity level where he/she can take care of him/herself before they are left home alone. Sometimes the unexpected can happen and you need to be certain that your child is capable of handling the situation appropriately.

I've experience some weird things while I was at home with my sister. For example, my parents were out of town and my sister and I heard knocking on the front door the first night that we were home alone. I told her to hide as I peeked through one of the windows where I could not be seen. Since no one answered, the stranger began pounding on the door and aggressively ringing the doorbell. I made note of what he looked like and called the police as I watched him leaving and angry outside our doorstep.

The experience was pretty frightening even for a 24 year old and I'm not sure what my sister would have done if she was by herself. What if she thought it was someone she knew and she opened the door? Who knows what would have happened. We live in a safe neighborhood where people won't usually do those sort of things, and it's always hard to imagine something bad happening in that type of setting. I've learned that it's better to be safe than sorry; better to be cautious than too trusting.

Times have changed and I believe that it's good to teach children how to make good decisions and take responsibility for themselves, but parents must also gauge if their children are ready to learn. Be sure that your child is at an age and maturity level where he/she is ready to be given the responsibilities that you've set out.

Lessons in safety and responsibility can also be carried out while they are under your supervision. While your sons are accompanying you at the grocery store, for example, have them help you find the items on your list and teach them to pay attention to their surroundings while in the store, crossing the street, getting into the car, etc. Teaching them to become more aware of the world around them is a great lesson that they will keep with them through out their lives.

Good luck!