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re: OT Parents: At what age did you start letting your kid stay home by themselves?
Posted on 8/13/23 at 10:13 am to BluegrassBelle
Posted on 8/13/23 at 10:13 am to BluegrassBelle
Nowadays with alarms, cameras, smartphones will they really be alone? Mine was thirteen with alarm on
0
Posted on 8/13/23 at 10:50 am to BluegrassBelle
Best recollection - around 12. We had several large dogs and knew the neighbors well.
Posted on 8/13/23 at 11:12 am to BluegrassBelle
When covid lockdowns started my daughter was 11. I don’t think she went anywhere with us in public for over 8 weeks. We do live in Youngsville where crime is very low (thanks to the chief of police, of course :)We have cameras and don’t live in a cheesy neighborhood. Any criminal would be extremely stupid to approach our street that dead ends into some real and very armed country folk’s yard. There are several people including her grandparents that can be in our driveway in about 60 seconds. We have an alarm with cameras. Also the police LOVE patrolling our 35 mph area. It’s a money maker and the rich folks around appreciate the presence. There is one small trailer park about a 1/2 mile away that another neighbor purchased just to run the riff raff out and to not have to drive by trailers. The kids in that park ran around a little bit and pissed ppl off, but that has all but ceased. So to answer it depends on the area and who is around.
Posted on 8/13/23 at 11:53 am to SuwMwf
I was in kindergarten. I just got off the bus with a key around my neck and stayed there until my parents got home from work. Only time the dog was allowed inside was when I was home alone.
Currently, tigerdeacon Jr is 13, 6’2” 214 lbs black bet in taekwondo and plays offensive and defensive line on the school football team. I’m afraid to leave him alone long enough to go get gas because HE might burn the house down.
Currently, tigerdeacon Jr is 13, 6’2” 214 lbs black bet in taekwondo and plays offensive and defensive line on the school football team. I’m afraid to leave him alone long enough to go get gas because HE might burn the house down.
Posted on 8/13/23 at 12:52 pm to BluegrassBelle
Was a latch-key kid by 5th grade. By 15, my parents were leaving me home alone for a weekend.
This was in a fairly small, safe town, with neighbors we knew.
This was in a fairly small, safe town, with neighbors we knew.
Posted on 8/13/23 at 1:48 pm to BluegrassBelle
My dad let me and my sister by ourselves when I was 12 and my sister was 9.
Posted on 8/13/23 at 1:49 pm to BluegrassBelle
16. If something would happen to them while they were home by themselves I couldn’t forgive my sefl
Posted on 8/13/23 at 2:39 pm to BluegrassBelle
My brother and I were left at home by ourselves at 9 and 10 for a few hours. As older teenagers we stayed home alone for days at a time while our parents traveled. We lived way out in the country and had adult responsibility from a fairly young age. Grandparents were horrified but Dad said that if we could be trusted to run the farm we were ok to stay alone in the house.
Posted on 8/13/23 at 2:46 pm to BluegrassBelle
My kids stayed home all day by themselves at 9 & 7
Posted on 8/13/23 at 2:50 pm to yellowfin
I think our youngest stopped going to summer camp after the 6th grade or so and stayed home by herself most of the summer.
This post was edited on 8/13/23 at 2:51 pm
Posted on 8/13/23 at 3:15 pm to BluegrassBelle
You’re the step mom. By definition, anything you do will be wrong. Also, many kids are being paid to babysit at 12 or 13.
Posted on 8/13/23 at 3:23 pm to BluegrassBelle
By 12 I was babysitting other people’s kids. I was left home alone earlier than that. At 7, I got on my bike and left the house in the morning and returned for dinner that night.
How is it that kids these days get no responsibility at all?
How is it that kids these days get no responsibility at all?
Posted on 8/13/23 at 3:26 pm to Rick9Plus
Also, some divorced parents will infantilize their kids so they can’t become independent, because they use their kids as emotional companions. The bio mom also may be afraid to let you teach the daughter anything because she fears you will be a better or more preferred parent than she is. There is a lot of insecurity and competition when dealing with step situations.
Posted on 8/13/23 at 3:54 pm to BluegrassBelle
It’s can be a weird thing. Our 12 year old son is at home alone all the time, usually like when we’re running errands during the day. He’s not getting into anything, zero issues, but a few weeks ago wife and daughter were out for the evening and I thought about going to see some live music at a bar. I ended up not going because it just seemed like it would be too questionable in that case. I’m sure I could have gone and no problems but just felt off. 
Posted on 8/13/23 at 5:02 pm to BluegrassBelle
I don’t know what the right age is, but I know it’s less than 15. That kid has a driver’s permit but can’t stay home alone? That’s some top-shelf helicopter parenting.
Posted on 8/13/23 at 5:05 pm to Dixie Normus
quote:
That kid has a driver’s permit but can’t stay home alone? That’s some top-shelf helicopter parenting.
Agreed. I had a driver's license and my own truck at 15. Stuff like this is how society is creating these "failure to launch" kids.
Posted on 8/13/23 at 6:04 pm to BluegrassBelle
We started doing it this past year, they are 10 and 7, started out just going for hour walks in neighborhood and running errands.
Graduated to all day this past month after camps were over and before school started and wife would come home for lunch. It helps that we have a huge protective dog that nobody would dare coming near.
Graduated to all day this past month after camps were over and before school started and wife would come home for lunch. It helps that we have a huge protective dog that nobody would dare coming near.
Posted on 8/13/23 at 6:56 pm to BluegrassBelle
My son is nealry 9, and I'll run an errand within reason with him staying home. By 5th grade (11 y/o), we'll have some serious thoughts of letting him go straight home after school with his own key. It's across the street and typically only an hour before mom and dad get home.
Posted on 8/13/23 at 8:23 pm to BluegrassBelle
quote:
It’s probably worth disclosing her Mom got upset two weekends ago when I started showing the kid how to cook with the stove (supervised). She claimed I’ve now shown her “how she can burn the house down”.
This kid is behind I hate to say it.
We let our 10 year old stay at home for brief things less than 2 hours. If we had a house phone I would feel better. She has her iPad she can FaceTime a bunch of people on. She knows the neighbors. We give her restrictions on what she can do and it’s basically read a book or watch her tablet/ tv.
What I came to post though, is my wife took one kid to an appt the other day and came home and my 10 year old cooked velveeta Mac n cheese for her and our other kid. Stove top style, they were done eating when my wife got home. She got in pretty serious trouble for it as we have a gas stove but we also have told them no eating when we are gone do to choking. But she took some cooking classes in summer school and my wife and I cook a lot, so she knows plenty.
But really it depends on your kid, both the ability to take care of themselves and the chance of them doing something stupid when left alone.
Posted on 8/13/23 at 9:05 pm to BluegrassBelle
11 - 5th grade - for a couple hours after school before we got home for work.
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