At What age would you leave your kids alone

[MartaMi]

7-years-old girl comes home from school 12am and is alone until 5pm or 6pm. I don't worry at all about leaving her home alone. Her brother is 4-years-old and also stays home alone or with sister when needed.
I really can't imagine that I should babysit a 7-year-old or worse a 10-year-old or older.

Are you kidding?!

No, why should I?
Emergency number is written next to the phone. 7yo knows how to take food from refrigerator, how to use microwave oven and so on. Comes home frm school on her own, eats, studies and plays. Ofcourse we don't let 4yo be on his own for that long but when neccesery, he's home alone also. Knows how to call to emergency and daddy. They both know what they can do and what they can't do. They also go outside alone. At the moment their also playing outside on city playground.

 

[leeanne]

 

[Zarababy1]

It really all depends on the child, My sister is 13 and my mum has no problem leaving her on her own, even when she was 12, also id have no problem with letting her baby sit charlie shes more than capable! but maybe 11 is a bit young!

 

[anothersquish]

7-years-old girl comes home from school 12am and is alone until 5pm or 6pm. I don't worry at all about leaving her home alone. Her brother is 4-years-old and also stays home alone or with sister when needed.
I really can't imagine that I should babysit a 7-year-old or worse a 10-year-old or older.

Are you kidding?!

No, why should I?
Emergency number is written next to the phone. 7yo knows how to take food from refrigerator, how to use microwave oven and so on. Comes home frm school on her own, eats, studies and plays. Ofcourse we don't let 4yo be on his own for that long but when neccesery, he's home alone also. Knows how to call to emergency and daddy. They both know what they can do and what they can't do. They also go outside alone. At the moment their also playing outside on city playground.

And this is why some people shouldnt have children. Leaving a 4yr old and a 7yr old alone and allowing them to play out completely unsupervised.
I hope for your childrens sake nothing ever goes wrong, feel quite sick knowing some people can be so irresponsible and actually seem to be proud about it.

 

[Jo]

7-years-old girl comes home from school 12am and is alone until 5pm or 6pm. I don't worry at all about leaving her home alone. Her brother is 4-years-old and also stays home alone or with sister when needed.
I really can't imagine that I should babysit a 7-year-old or worse a 10-year-old or older.

Are you kidding?!

No, why should I?
Emergency number is written next to the phone. 7yo knows how to take food from refrigerator, how to use microwave oven and so on. Comes home frm school on her own, eats, studies and plays. Ofcourse we don't let 4yo be on his own for that long but when neccesery, he's home alone also. Knows how to call to emergency and daddy. They both know what they can do and what they can't do. They also go outside alone. At the moment their also playing outside on city playground.

And this is why some people shouldnt have children. Leaving a 4yr old and a 7yr old alone and allowing them to play out completely unsupervised.
I hope for your childrens sake nothing ever goes wrong, feel quite sick knowing some people can be so irresponsible and actually seem to be proud about it.

I'm sorry but I think saying something like that anothersquish is out of order.
I feel that 4 & 7 is young to be alone but we do not know anything about this lady or her family

 

[MartaMi]

Thank you anothersquish.
For you to know we don't have age limit how old kids can be left alone. That means kids in here are left alone more than you do. Despite your opinion that it makes us bad parents it makes kids more independent and leaving a 13yo home alone isn't a problem for anyone. At the moment it is school holiday but parents have to work. I'm a teacher so I can be home with kids but if I'd had to work during this holiday 4yo would be in kindergarten and 7yo would be home alone for whole week like a lot of kids have to be.
I'm a teacher and I know how many 7-8yo children go home on their own - almost everybody. Their school day ends 12am and they have to be alone until their parents come home from work
Also we wouldn't let them be alone outside if it wasn't safe. They know how they have go over the roads. Use zebra crossing, holding hands and 7yo looking for cars.
I really don't know about your kids anothersquish but these kids are taught how to take care of themselves.

 

[mommyof3co]

Wow I have kids of that age and I just can't imagine. And even though my oldest is VERY responsible and is capable of taking care of himself and his brothers to an extent I would never leave him alone. I'm glad it's illegal here so it's not common. Even if kids are responsible accidents happen, people can break in, people can watch and see that young kids are home alone everyday between certain hours and it makes them more vulnerable. Yeah, don't agree with that at all, my opinion of course, and I don't care how responsible the child is. And it isn't "babysitting" when it's your children, it's your job as a parent. Working or not...that's what real babysitters are for, or daycares. Anyways just my opinion....I personally won't be leaving my kids alone by themselves until around 12-13 just depending on their maturity at that time. I'm pretty sure under 12 is illegal here

 

[taperjeangirl]

7-years-old girl comes home from school 12am and is alone until 5pm or 6pm. I don't worry at all about leaving her home alone. Her brother is 4-years-old and also stays home alone or with sister when needed.
I really can't imagine that I should babysit a 7-year-old or worse a 10-year-old or older.

Are you kidding?!

No, why should I?
Emergency number is written next to the phone. 7yo knows how to take food from refrigerator, how to use microwave oven and so on. Comes home frm school on her own, eats, studies and plays. Ofcourse we don't let 4yo be on his own for that long but when neccesery, he's home alone also. Knows how to call to emergency and daddy. They both know what they can do and what they can't do. They also go outside alone. At the moment their also playing outside on city playground.

It is illegal to leave such young kids alone here, and I am glad it is.

What if one of your kids were to choke? Would the other one know what to do?
And in regard to your comment about "babysitting" your own children, why have them if you feel that you will be babysitting them?!

It is your parental responsibility to care for your children and keep them from danger.
I know we live in completely different places but it just seems so wrong that children so young be left to fend for themselves, and even if everyone else was doing it I wouldnt be.

 

[pinkmummy]

7-years-old girl comes home from school 12am and is alone until 5pm or 6pm. I don't worry at all about leaving her home alone. Her brother is 4-years-old and also stays home alone or with sister when needed.
I really can't imagine that I should babysit a 7-year-old or worse a 10-year-old or older.

Are you kidding?!

No, why should I?
Emergency number is written next to the phone. 7yo knows how to take food from refrigerator, how to use microwave oven and so on. Comes home frm school on her own, eats, studies and plays. Ofcourse we don't let 4yo be on his own for that long but when neccesery, he's home alone also. Knows how to call to emergency and daddy. They both know what they can do and what they can't do. They also go outside alone. At the moment their also playing outside on city playground.

It is illegal to leave such young kids alone here, and I am glad it is.

What if one of your kids were to choke? Would the other one know what to do?
And in regard to your comment about "babysitting" your own children, why have them if you feel that you will be babysitting them?!

It is your parental responsibility to care for your children and keep them from danger.
I know we live in completely different places but it just seems so wrong that children so young be left to fend for themselves, and even if everyone else was doing it I wouldnt be.

I totally agree. There are just too many bad people in this world nowadays

 

[coccyx]

Think it is awful to leave children alone so young. They may know how to use aphone but could they cope if they were scared, fire, strangers in house, fitting child etc. Yes it is aparents job to teach their children responsibility, but a lot to expect at that age. If you do not want to babysit your YOUNG children then maybe you should have thought twice about being a parent!!!!

 

[MartaMi]

First of all, they aren't my kids. They are my OH kids and their parents have raised them like that. Babysitter or daycare. 7yo starts school in here, she doesn't have a daycare to go to and babysitter. Why on earth should I pay nanny for sitting in my home and watching tv? I know that there isn't anything else for her to do because Janely does everything by herself. She is big enough for that.
When leaving them alone together or 4yo alone at home I don't mean whole day. Longest time 4yo has been home without parents is 2 hours.
I know you think of that as a real problem but that is called cultural differences. Just imagine, 10yo kid is left alone for night in here and 12yo kid has been home alone fo 3 days. What you think is irresponsible we think is normal, what you think is normal we think is ridicculus. Imagine 8-9yo kids hanging around with friends on a big city for whole day. I hesitated about writing my opinion here but doesn't matter anymore.

 

[morri]

Can't really say much to having been alone from certain age on, because my grandpa lived with us , but from school age on we went to our friends or activities(gym, friends, library) within the village limits alone, so don;t see anything bad about that part.

 

[mommyof3co]

Just out of curiousity, where do you live that it's so common to leave kids that young alone?

 

[taperjeangirl]

i think it is Estonia she is from

 

[MartaMi]

Estonia yes.

 

[Jkelmum]

7-years-old girl comes home from school 12am and is alone until 5pm or 6pm. I don't worry at all about leaving her home alone. Her brother is 4-years-old and also stays home alone or with sister when needed.
I really can't imagine that I should babysit a 7-year-old or worse a 10-year-old or older.

Are you kidding?!

No, why should I?
Emergency number is written next to the phone. 7yo knows how to take food from refrigerator, how to use microwave oven and so on. Comes home frm school on her own, eats, studies and plays. Ofcourse we don't let 4yo be on his own for that long but when neccesery, he's home alone also. Knows how to call to emergency and daddy. They both know what they can do and what they can't do. They also go outside alone. At the moment their also playing outside on city playground.

It is illegal to leave such young kids alone here, and I am glad it is.

What if one of your kids were to choke? Would the other one know what to do?
And in regard to your comment about "babysitting" your own children, why have them if you feel that you will be babysitting them?!

It is your parental responsibility to care for your children and keep them from danger.
I know we live in completely different places but it just seems so wrong that children so young be left to fend for themselves, and even if everyone else was doing it I wouldnt be.

I have recently done my cp and in england there are no laws in regards to leaving a child home alone as long as they are not at risk ...yet its illegal for a under 14 to babysit a child unless a sibling and yet again no law as long as there is no risk ...I was shocked to learn that but sayying that after the aged 8 you dont have to leave them with registered childcarers either which also i dont agree with ...

to OP I have left my eldest alone from 10 onwards ...to go shop ( 20 mins ) from 12 i left him to go into town (few hrs) and from 14 i leave him to babysit when i go shopping for my 2 yr old but wouldnt ever leave the baby with him

 

[taperjeangirl]

that is frightening eh?! The reason I thought it was illegal was when I was 14 my friedn of the same age... parents left her on her own in the house over night and ended up in court because of it, they werent charged but social services were involved and she ended up in a home for a few nights

So someone could legally leave their baby in the house on its own so long as it wasnt at direct risk?

 

[Jkelmum]

that is frightening eh?! The reason I thought it was illegal was when I was 14 my friedn of the same age... parents left her on her own in the house over night and ended up in court because of it, they werent charged but social services were involved and she ended up in a home for a few nights

So someone could legally leave their baby in the house on its own so long as it wasnt at direct risk?

Thats right but its a mine field depenant on the childs age ect they can try prove the child is was at risk ...we did lots of senarios and was asked which was worst i stated the 8 yr old who often was left home alone with 4 yr old and was completley off the mark it was a family who argue all time because of what that family is learning the kids will stay with the child forever and is a form of abuse while the 8yr and 4 yrold may never come to any harm ..its crazy there should be a law x

 

[Blah11]

@ leaving a 7 year old alone for 6 hours.



Anyway, I won't leave Amelie until atleast 11 or 12 and depending on how mature she is mybe later. I let myself in from school when I was at highschool so I was 11 and by the time I was 13 or 14 I was coming home from school and making my dinner as my mum was a single parent and worked long days. It wasn't everyday though, get 3 days a week max.

 

[krissie1234uk]

I had a key and came home from school alone from age 10. I walked home with 2 other kids and I only had one proper road to cross. I was fine, I was alone for about 2 hours Mon-Fri. From this age I was allowed to go to the shop alone, and my parent's would leave me when they went shopping. I don't have younger siblings though, so can't comment on that.
I think 13/14 is a good age to babysit younger siblings, but I wouldn't trust a baby with anyone under 16.