How Old Is Old Enough to Leave at Home?

My oldest daughter is going to be 13 in 2 weeks and I started letting her stay home for short periods about that age(ll and in 5th grade). Usually it was for about 30-60 minutes and I would take my other 2 with me. Sometimes she wanted to stay by herself and other times didn't like it. It is also easier thanks to cell phones. Just in the last year has she started watching her 7yr old sister and 4yr old brother for 1-2 hours when needed. She is left home by herself for longer periods. I think 11 is a good age to start but take cues from your son because some kids are fine with being alone and others don't like being in an empty house by themselves.

I also wondered this as my now 10 year old wants to stay home alone at times. I consulted with a friend who is also a social worker and there are no set laws, but they recomend one hour for every grade. Therefore your child could be left alone for up to 5 hours. I recently started to leave my oldest home. It started out slow, like 10 min here and there and now she has stayed home for an hour alone. She loves, I hate it. I realize that at some point I have to start building that trust as I will not always be able to keep her with me. I would rather start that trust now and not when she is in her teens and hormones are going crazy. I hate every minute of it!! There comes a time when we all must let go. I don't know that there is a "right time" I think there is a right time for every family and you need to be comfortable with what you decide.

For me, I worked up from a few minutes to one hour. I have also let her go play at the park, which is 2 blocks away. She is with friends and the first 3-4 times I let her go down there and then 5-10 min later, I walked down. I hate that too. I do trust her, it is all the creeps out there that I don't trust.

Many people say to get her a cell phone so she will have a phone 24/7 if she would need to call me or 911. That I am still struggling with.

This is a tough decision. I see many parents whose kids roam free from an early age, I am not saying they are bad parents, but for me, and my family that is not the case. Good Luck

My first two boys are named Andrew and Matthew too. I started to have my Andrew babysit at about 11 out of shear necessity. He was very responsible and I never had any trouble when he was in charge. (I did have trouble with hired sitters.) I know the first time around it doesn't seem like they are old enough, but the average 11 year old is.

Does he want the experience, or is he nervous about it too? If you start out with short trips to the store during the day, you can get a sense of how he will manage himself.

Get used to changes, they will come very fast from here on out.

the right age is when you feel your son is responsible enough to know how to take care of himself while your out.

there isn't a right age, the age depends on the maturity of your child and your comfort level...

find things to prepare him to be by himself, phone numbers, making sure he knows who to answer to door to and who not to, can he cook for himself (safely) does he have an emergency place to go? the more prepared the better

I do not know what the laws are, but I think it depends on the maturity of the child and what you are comfortable with. Also, take into consideration the area you live--is there a high crime rate?/Are there neighbors close by that you trust if he needed help?
Being too cautious is definitely better than being too lenient.
Most 11 yr. olds I know would be fine alone at home for some time, but also need to be given rules and instructions for how to reach you and what to do just in case something would happen. Start asking him questions like "what would you do if you were home alone and someone rings the doorbell?" Would you want him to answer if he doesn't know who it is? Also, give directions on answering the phone (caller id is helpful--answer only if you know the caller, etc.)
His answers to lots of "what if" questions may set your mind at ease if he seems to know how to handle possible situations on his own. I would also make rules about inviting friends over, cooking, etc. If he knows what he is not allowed to do while alone you will prevent some surprises down the road.
The bottom line is, go with your gut feelings. If you don't think he is ready, then wait awhile.

I was babysitting other kids by the age of 12. However, that was almost 20 years ago, and I know times have changed. First I'd see if there's a legal age in your city or county...I guess some areas have that..I'm not sure about MN as a state. I'd say 13ish...maybe 14. But also, you should take into consideration how mature your son is...if he's more mature for his age, maybe on the earlier timeframe.

I've looked into the laws on this for MN because my neighbor was leaving her 6yr.old home alone while she went to work. (not cool)

From what I've gathered legally there isnt' really a age but this is how it went. I can't remember detail for detail so bare with me but it was something like this. I know the bare age was 7 and was for like 15 min. or something and each year the child could be home potentially longer and longer times. It also said based on maturity, and safety. Meaning a well behaved child who isn't using a stove.

Legal age to babysit in MN is age 11.

My daughter is about 7 and I have no idea if or when I'll ever be comfortable with her being alone mostly because as of right now she's a only child and a girl. I'd think sometime around 11-13 I'll leave her while I go run somewhere quick and see how she does and increase the time I'm gone slowly more and more each time.

Last night I went to the casino and had our 12 year old neighbor spend the night and watch my daughter we were gone 2-3 hours max. The 12 year is highly responsible and lives next door in our townhouses so it was nothing. I felt comfortable.

Check the laws of Nebraska, that will help you out some. In South Dakota, the parent is allowed to determine if the child is mature enough to stay home alone. I think the rule of thumb would be how much you trust your child to stay home alone and be able to handle any situation possible. Good Luck!

I consider myself pretty "conservative" when it comes to administering responsibility to kids, so you can take this as you will.

But I personally think kids shouldn't be left home alone until they are old enough and responsible enough to work an afterschool job..or graduating from Jr. High and entering High School ..about age 14-15. And even with this, only under certain limited circumstances. Kids need guidance and established rules and boundaries. Even the best kids will see how far you'll let them go. There are too many temptations and scenarios that didn't exist when we were kids.

There's also the fact that the world is a different place today, with many outside dangers that younger kids aren't ready to deal with alone. Don't apologize for being too cautious. You can always give more responsibility and space when needed.

If and when you finally do give your son more freedom, I'd be sure to have clear ground rules in place about guests in the house (especially if he tries to sneak girls in..even at age 11) internet use, leaving the house, answer the door, cooking etc.

Good luck and hope this gives some food for thought.

I agree with Nicloe S. !