What age is it okay to leave kids home alone?

MiddleOne

Hi, looking for answers from experienced parents here.I would like to know at what age it's ok to leave your child at home alone. My daughter is nearly 10 now and I definitely wouldn't leave her home alone at the moment - I can barely let her out to play in our cul de sac 10 mins without checking on her. My question is, when is it ok to nip out for a pint of milk or even a walk without having to drag your child along, when they don't want to come.I'm not asking about leaving a child so I can go out on the tear or anything, just at what age did you feel your child was responsible enough to stay behind?

Dravokivich

My folks had no real issue with leaving me at home from around aged 10 or so.

Might get more advice on it in the parenting forum:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=251

iPearly

MiddleOne wrote: »

Hi, looking for answers from experienced parents here.I would like to know at what age it's ok to leave your child at home alone. My daughter is nearly 10 now and I definitely wouldn't leave her home alone at the moment - I can barely let her out to play in our cul de sac 10 mins without checking on her. My question is, when is it ok to nip out for a pint of milk or even a walk without having to drag your child along, when they don't want to come.I'm not asking about leaving a child so I can go out on the tear or anything, just at what age did you feel your child was responsible enough to stay behind?

Depends on the child and area you live.. unfortunately.

FatherLen

I don't have any kids.





thank fuck!

princess-lala

Play Harry Potter with them and leave them in the cupboard under the stairs!

You can go get your pint of milk in peace

MiddleOne

iPearly wrote: »

Depends on the child and area you live.. unfortunately.

We live what i'd consider a very safe estate in Co Clare. It's a cul de sac and it's pretty much entirely owner occupied with families etc. I suppose if she objects to being left then she's too young.

kneemos

Give them an x box they'll never notice you're gone.

JOSman

It's generally up to the child. I've an eleven year old and when he doesn't want to come to the shop with me, I lock the doors, set the alarm and tell him not to answer the door.

Good luck

desbrook

In the UK it's ILLEGAL to leave kids under 12 home alone . A good guideline I reckon.

Mr Benevolent

Should be fine from 2 weeks after their 12th birthday.

MiddleOne

princess-lala wrote: »

Play Harry Potter with them and leave them in the cupboard under the stairs!

You can go get your pint of milk in peace

Lol! She'd prob call the guards. I know it sounds trivial but I can't walk the dog without having to drag a child with me moaning and whinging. I work during the day so most of the time I can't get these things done until the evening. Can't wait for her to be old enough to say "i'm heading out"!!

cabledude

I would have thought 12/13.


My mum never left us home alone until we were in our 20's. Then again we did burn the house down on her......

mattjack

desbrook wrote: »

In the UK it's ILLEGAL to leave kids under 12 home alone . A good guideline I reckon.

I'm hardly going to leave them here and go to the UK , am I ?
Anyway there's four of them and they know how to use the shotgun and the car is an automatic , so if they're cool with it , its fine.

MiddleOne

desbrook wrote: »

In the UK it's ILLEGAL to leave kids under 12 home alone . A good guideline I reckon.

Sounds about right although I remember my mother heading to town and leaving me at home a lot younger than that....and i'd be thrilled. Times have changed.

whiskeyman

As long as they're old enough to outwit 2 clumsy burglers with slap stick comedy outcomes...

MiddleOne

Dravokivich wrote: »

My folks had no real issue with leaving me at home from around aged 10 or so.

Might get more advice on it in the parenting forum:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=251

Thanks, was looking for the parents' forum but couldn't find it.

MiddleOne

whiskeyman wrote: »

As long as they're old enough to outwit 2 clumsy burglers with slap stick comedy outcomes...

Yeah she is.

Dolbert

Depends on the child really, I was left at home for brief periods from around 10 but I was quite sensible. Conversely I know plenty of kids that age who couldn't be left alone for five minutes let alone a few hours.

MiddleOne

kneemos wrote: »

Give them an x box they'll never notice you're gone.

She has one, never uses the bleedin' thing.

JOSman

JOSman wrote: »

It's generally up to the child. I've an eleven year old and when he doesn't want to come to the shop with me, I lock the doors, set the alarm and tell him not to answer the door.

Good luck

Can he get out if there's an Emergency?

emmabrighton

God! I am feeling positively neglected 12 in the UK you say?

I remember popping over to my friends house at age 6 for a few minutes and coming back to found the house locked and my mothers car gone. Silly bint would go shopping for a couple of hours and leave me wait it out on the doorstep. Once she locked me in and i managed to close the front door behind me before I realised the sliding door was locked. Sat there on my tod for nearly 3 hrs.

MiddleOne

Dolbert wrote: »

Depends on the child really, I was left at home for brief periods from around 10 but I was quite sensible. Conversely I know plenty of kids that age who couldn't be left alone for five minutes let alone a few hours.

She's very responsible in many ways. I know she won't burn the house down or cut her hand open with scissors, but I think she would be nervous being alone. I guess i've at least another year if not two of "Noooooooooo, do we have to..."

Thanks posters!

biko

MiddleOne wrote: »

Hi, looking for answers from experienced parents here.

Welcome to AH, the best parenting forum on the web


It's ok from any age, just make sure they're well chained to the radiator.

MiddleOne

emmabrighton wrote: »

God! I am feeling positively neglected 12 in the UK you say?

I remember popping over to my friends house at age 6 for a few minutes and coming back to found the house locked and my mothers car gone. Silly bint would go shopping for a couple of hours and leave me wait it out on the doorstep. Once she locked me in and i managed to close the front door behind me before I realised the sliding door was locked. Sat there on my tod for nearly 3 hrs.

Oh please! We'd leave the house after breakfast in the summer and wouldn't appear home til gone 10 or 11 without a word said.You wouldn't be missed.

Vinz Mesrine

I remember when i was a kid we'd be out from early morning and wouldnt be seen until about 9/10 that night. All we needed was a bike and a football, oh and to check in very briefly every few hours to show you hadnt been stolen or anything mad.

No mobile phones, paedophiles or anything like that and we are all still alive to this day. Parenting is gone mad and i say that as a parent myself.

MiddleOne

biko wrote: »

Welcome to AH, the best parenting forum on the web


It's ok from any age, just make sure they're well chained to the radiator.

Actually, I'm glad I posted here. In the parent's forum i'd probably just get people alerting social services on me.

Vito Corleone

Vito Corleone wrote: »

He's an eleven year old. He knows what to do.

It's just you said you lock the doors. Sounded like you locked them from the outside so he was locked in. Maybe I read it wrong?

Gmol

If they are older than 3 it is ok to go to Ibiza for 2 weeks and leave them with a pint of milk and the Disney channel

The Backwards Man

I'm 35 and it's debatable whether I should be left anywhere alone.

ash23

I've a ten year old and would leave her at home when I go somewhere. Max would be an hour but it's usually only 10 or 15 minutes. She locks the door behind me and knows to ignore the doorbell. We have caller ID on the house phone so she knows if I'm the one ringing. If not she ignores it.

Hugely depends on the child. I've a 16 year old niece I'd hardly leave upstairs on her own, never mind alone in the house.

emmabrighton

MiddleOne wrote: »

Oh please! We'd leave the house after breakfast in the summer and wouldn't appear home til gone 10 or 11 without a word said.You wouldn't be missed.

Well that too... Its all fine and dandy for YOU being out all day every day getting up to mischief but when you want to pop home for a couple of biscuits at an arbitrary time during the day and yer ma's gone god knows where its very annoying...

MiddleOne

emmabrighton wrote: »

Well that too... Its all fine and dandy for YOU being out all day every day getting up to mischief but when you want to pop home for a couple of biscuits at an arbitrary time during the day and yer ma's gone god knows where its very annoying...

My mother used to head up town "for messages" for hours every day. God knows what she was up to. Often times we'd land home from school to a locked door and had to wait it out on the doorstep. I don't remember it happening as young as 6 but then again, at 6 I would have been left to the mercy of my older sisters. I'd have been better off being left with the dog.

Peregrine

I've been left alone at times from I was 7 or together with my brother who would have been 11 at the time but mind you the house was locked up pretty tight and they made sure I knew how to get out.

After about 9, my parents were perfectly fine with me being home alone but I've always been responsible and such so it really depends on your child.

emmabrighton

MiddleOne wrote: »

My mother used to head up town "for messages" for hours every day. God knows what she was up to. Often times we'd land home from school to a locked door and had to wait it out on the doorstep. I don't remember it happening as young as 6 but then again, at 6 I would have been left to the mercy of my older sisters. I'd have been better off being left with the dog.

haha... I remember one time my brothers were babysitting me and i must have been annoying them no end... they ended up putting me in a suitcase and putting the suitcase on top of the garden shed.

My youngest brother convinced the other two to take me down...

Good times... :pac:

4zn76tysfajdxp

MiddleOne wrote: »

our cul de sac

Alright, there's no chance you own your own cul de sac. Either you're squatting on a public cul de sac like a load of lousy hippies or you've got really high walls in your garden.

Blisterman

iPearly wrote: »

Depends on the child and area you live.. unfortunately.

I don't think where you live makes much if any difference. The chances of anyone abducting a child anywhere in Ireland is essentially zero.

You're much more likely to kill a child taking them in the car with you, than leaving them at home.

Zen65

bur wrote: »

This is what basements are for.

(( G R O A N ))

anncoates

Depends on the kid and for how long you'll be away and where you're going. Would be OK leaving a 10 or 11 year old in the house if you were going out for hour or two in the day.

At 11, I was left in the house and also allowed go into town (Dublin) with my friends.

biko

Last time I left a child alone in the house






they escaped

candy-gal1

I would say about 12/13, thats the age I was when either of my parents let me be by myself at home, I think its a good age as your old enough to know what not to do etc but not too much of a teenager to end up wrecking the house with your mates etc, maybe thats just me though.

Again though, it does depend on the child and area your in though.

Hobbes

No legal limit in Ireland (nor the UK). It is based on how safe the child is and if something happened would they be able to react to it. If not then you can be charged with child endangerment (even if nothing happened).

Pretty Polly

I think when they reach 1st year in secondary school they are old enough to be left on their own. Usually when they reach 2nd/3rd year they are old enough to start babysitting. It all depends on the individual child though.

Surprised how old people are suggesting children should be before being on their own.

I used to cycle or walk to school some of the time from about age 10 onwards (was cycling for at least the last two years of primary school), about a mile and a half on country roads and would obviously make my way home as well and would often be at home on my own before my parents would get home, was very normal at that age then anyway (about 18 years ago), my younger sister would be with me too sometimes. Sure I was driving the tractor on my own around that age too in the fields and the yard.

Aineoil

As others have said it really depends on the child and how long you'll be away etc.

Pumpkinseeds

When I was 11 and my brother was 10 our mum worked til 4.30pm and didn't get home til almost 5. We finished school at 3.30, so she had worked out a list of household chores for us to do each day to keep us busy and safe until she got home. It worked fine for us.