How long do you allow your 9.5 year old to stay home on their own?
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Anonymous
| DS is 11 and other than taking the dog for a walk, so maybe 20 minutes, we haven’t left him alone yet. Maybe will soon for short time periods, but haven’t had a reason to and I’d rather not chance it. Perhaps being too cautious, but we have our reasons. |
Anonymous
| At 9? Not at all. In an emergency once I FaceTimed them on the iPad for a 10 minute period when I got stuck in traffic while DH had to leave for work. They are close in age and fight too much to leave for longer periods |
Anonymous
| 8.5 year old about 30 or 45 minutes. |
Anonymous
Never Too young Why do you people have kids 10 is min age and no 9 isn’t ten |
Anonymous
| An hour or so but depends how far away I am. At the neighborhood grocery store or taking sibling to a class a few blocks away, taking sibling to dentist appt a mile away etc is fine. If going to be further away I would usually not leave home alone. |
Anonymous
|
8 is the minimum legal age where I live.
My 9 yo stays home from school for half a day or so by herself if she's mildly ill and I have meetings and things I can't miss at work. She has TV, I leave soup and other food prepared for her, and we are surrounded by homes where people either dont work or work at home. We have a landline and she has an apple watch she can use to call for help. She's also a rule follower, so I can trust her not to misbehave. My worst fear is that she would fall or choke on something when she is by herself, but realistically that could happen to anyone at any age. I'm less likely to leave my 12 yo and 9 yo home together because they would likely murder each other. |
Anonymous
Same here, but we seem to be in the minority. |
Anonymous
| It depends on the kid. I'd say 1-2 hours. My neighbor started leaving her ADHD kid alone at age 8 and he ran all over the neighborhood knocking on doors to proudly tell his stunned neighbors he was without supervision. |
Anonymous
| Never. It’s too young. |
Anonymous
OP here and my oldest asks to stay home instead of having to take her brother places. I feel mean saying no because I’m cautious. Where we live the age is 8 so I’m not worried about the legal requirements. |
Anonymous
| What is the concern, for those who say too young? My kid knows not to open the door for strangers, play with matches or knives, or attempt to scale the curtains. The greatest risk is boredom. |
Anonymous
|
When did we all become so overprotective. I say we because I really haven’t left my 8.5 year old alone save a 10 minute quick walk around the block to get the dog out while DH was traveling.
I remember vividly staying home alone when I was 7… |
Anonymous
Plus 1 |
Anonymous
| Your County will have recommendations. At least Fairfax County does. I found the chart/info helpful. |
Anonymous
Despite what you may think, many 9 year olds cannot handle an emergency at all. |