When were your kids mature enough to stay home alone?

[mom2scouts]

My boys were all about 11 or 12. DD is almost 10 and she would probably be fine for short periods of time.

[Dmmetler]

DD would have been fine at 9-10, but with DH working from home, she's rarely truly alone-he's there if a crisis happens, but in theory she's on her own.

[poppy]

I wouldn't consider it for my 8 year old. I will walk the dog around the block - sure - but an hour? I can't see a kid that age being forced to be responsible if something goes wrong.

[Maus]

I think all of my kids were capable of being home alone for an hour by 9/10ish.  Being home alone TOGETHER is a whole other issue!  I still minimize the time my 13yo is home alone with the little boys.

:lol: Dang, that is so true!  I can leave my 13 year old and my 6 year year old home together, but not my 11 year old with either of the other two  :001_rolleyes:.  Well, she's getting better.  I can leave them to run the 13 year old to scouts -- gone 10 minutes, maybe.

 

Our state law has no minimum age, but the rather vague clause that it's up to the responding officer to determine, should someone call the police.  Same for babysitting, as long as it's siblings and not for pay.  (You must be twelve to set yourself up as a babysitter as a business.)

 

I think DS13 was 7 the first time I left him for about 10 minutes.  He has never been afraid, and is generally a rule keeper and is overly cautious by nature.  He is also a very responsible babysitter, and stepped up to help with his sisters when I needed it when DH first began behaving erratically with his mental health issues.  DS was 10 at the time.  Because he has proven himself, I'm pretty comfortable leaving him in charge for several hours at a time, in the daytime.

 

DD11, on the other hand, tends to pick fights, especially when bored, and is simultaneously very adventurous and very shy.  She wouldn't let me leave her alone until she was 9, I think.

 

I haven't left DD6 home alone yet, and probably won't anytime soon.  She's a thrill seeker, the only one of my kids I've ever caught swinging from the drapes or climbing the bookcases!  Funny thing, though.  I'm more relaxed leaving her with DS than DH, because DH can get intensely immersed in his own computer and fail to notice what she's up to, even though the computer is in the living room.