Reply to How old to leave a child home alone for 10-30 minutes

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[quote=Anonymous][quote]Kudos to you for having such a mature and responsible child. I know some 8-year-olds who could do this, and plenty of 12-year-olds (mine included) who couldn't. Only a few decades ago, children this age were routinely left in charge of younger siblings and I think that for the most part that was a good thing, and produced 12-year-olds (and 15,20,25-year-olds, etc.) who were more self-reliant and mature than today's children. However, it is also against the law in most jurisdictions and could get you in serious trouble. So I hope that you have a neighbor who is always home when you do this, and who would be prepared to say that they were the adult in charge in the (unlikely) case that something bad happens and the authorities become involved.[/quote]

It's not against the law in most jurisdictions.  Most states don't have a minimum age for leaving a child home alone.  Virginia has no minimum and even the Fairfax County guidelines (which are guidelines, not legally binding) state that a child age 8-10 can be left home alone for up to 1.5 hours during the day.  [/quote]

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