ChatterBank1 min ago
Home Alone
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At what age can a child be left home alone for a few hours or a whole day?
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.At 11/121 I could have been left alone for a whole day as I would have actually quite liked it but middle sister and baby sister at the same age couldn't have been... Middle would get anxious and stressed and baby would probably throw some sort of wild 11 year old grafetti party. As stated, it does depend on the child but I think 14 is acceptable to be left alone for a few hours.
Children being left alone at home at those young ages is just asking for trouble.
What would happen if a fire broke out ?
Would they be able to get out of the house? But it out?
If a stranger knocked at the door and persuaded them to open it?
Hope you could live with yourselves then.
You have friends and neighbours - ask them and keep the litle ones safe always.
What would happen if a fire broke out ?
Would they be able to get out of the house? But it out?
If a stranger knocked at the door and persuaded them to open it?
Hope you could live with yourselves then.
You have friends and neighbours - ask them and keep the litle ones safe always.
Quentin, I can see where your coming from but it is a big bad world out there. The earlier your kids learn skills such as danegr awareness, independance and self-reliabiity, the better for them.
You can't wrap them in cotton wool, and even if you could, should you?
As to the OP, i would say it depends on the kids maturity. If your daughter has a good head on her shoulders at 14, and your comfortable with that then do (as a parent) what you think is right.
Hope this helps :)
You can't wrap them in cotton wool, and even if you could, should you?
As to the OP, i would say it depends on the kids maturity. If your daughter has a good head on her shoulders at 14, and your comfortable with that then do (as a parent) what you think is right.
Hope this helps :)
Thats half the trouble Quentin ,alot of people dont have a strong enough relationship with friends and neighbours to ask them to look after the kids. I dont even know the name of our next door neighbours! I make the effort to say good morning, if I didnt they'd sooner put their head down and pretend not to have seen me! Its not like we've ever fallen out over anything - its jsut todays insular society.
I can completely understand what you are saying also, Booldawg
Some neighbours are just not nice and will not do this for you, so where does this leave you and the children? If child is responsible and knows of the dangers, a SHORT time could be acceptable, but 6-10 hours is completely unacceptable, in my opinion.
Some neighbours are just not nice and will not do this for you, so where does this leave you and the children? If child is responsible and knows of the dangers, a SHORT time could be acceptable, but 6-10 hours is completely unacceptable, in my opinion.
I think the trade off between mitigating risk and letting your children live is a hard one. For me the best way i've found is education.
My 8 year old knows how to operate a fire extinguisher, dial 999, and how to react to strangers. She also knows where to kick a man if she is in danger. At the same time, she is a very mature child (having a brother with special needs will do that to you) and even at 8 I would be comfortable with her having space and growing up like we did. Believe it or not, the world is a safer place for kids now than it was back then.
My 8 year old knows how to operate a fire extinguisher, dial 999, and how to react to strangers. She also knows where to kick a man if she is in danger. At the same time, she is a very mature child (having a brother with special needs will do that to you) and even at 8 I would be comfortable with her having space and growing up like we did. Believe it or not, the world is a safer place for kids now than it was back then.
My child at 12/13 could have coped as well as any adult in a dangerous situation, and probably better than me. Having said that he always knew how to contact the neighbours, and would never have entertained opening doors to strangers. It depends so much on the child. I think that children are too wrapped in cotton wool these days. By the time they are 16 they should be able to cope with independence if necessary, and this has to be be learned. There is no magic age where a child suddenly can cope.
It's horses for courses, and I will not stand in judgement on any other parents decision, just for me letting kids be kids is important.
Broken teeth, broken bones, ripped clothes, fights, mud, tummy bugs, falling out of trees. It's all part of a rich tapestry that shapes us into the adults we are today. Life is a gamble, and if you raise someone who is risk averse then they will not be able to enjoy the benefits that the gamble offer.
Broken teeth, broken bones, ripped clothes, fights, mud, tummy bugs, falling out of trees. It's all part of a rich tapestry that shapes us into the adults we are today. Life is a gamble, and if you raise someone who is risk averse then they will not be able to enjoy the benefits that the gamble offer.