Wow, you must have some badly behaved kids. I trust my kids to be home alone with or without friends.

Are both your kids going to one house, OP? Or separate? I’d be fine with a 13 year old being with another 13 year old without parents, at least for a few hours. A 10 year old with another 10 year old, not so much.

If it were a slightly larger group, with the 13 year olds the older ones, that would probably be okay, if I trusted the kids in question.

Our kids have done it for a long time. Lots of two working parent households in our neighborhood. But these kids are not the type to cause trouble.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. FWIW I allow my kids to go to public places by themselves, with or without friends, and they are generally careful and rule-abiding. But somehow being in another person's house with friends and without parents seems riskier. As I wrong about that?

Not at all. But it depends on the kid and age (and the friend), for us.

No

We allow it for our 12yo on a case by case basis but appreciate a heads up from the parents (and we do the same). Usually only happens with closer friends/families we know. Likely would not allow with a new friend.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. FWIW I allow my kids to go to public places by themselves, with or without friends, and they are generally careful and rule-abiding. But somehow being in another person's house with friends and without parents seems riskier. As I wrong about that?

Absolutely not wrong. I am fine with my teens taking the bus & metro here in DC. AND I’m not okay with them being alone in a house without adults. It’s just inviting trouble.

OP here. FWIW I allow my kids to go to public places by themselves, with or without friends, and they are generally careful and rule-abiding. But somehow being in another person's house with friends and without parents seems riskier. As I wrong about that?

DS is 17y now. At 13y he was absolutely home alone with friends or at friends' homes alone for kids/families we knew.

Totally fine for my 13yo. For my 11yo it would depend on whose home, how far away etc but yes it would be fine sometimes. My 9yo wouldn’t want to be somewhere without an adult.

One of my kids I would have allowed this with, one I absolutely would not have. Ever.

My kid is 11. I would allow it with kids/families I know.

Nope. I also don't want young kids in my home when no adult is around.

My DD is 13. I feel an obligation to the parents of my child guest, and to the child themselves, to not leave them by themselves, but my husband would totally leave kids that age by themselves. He was raised by parents who often left him to roam and fend for himself. I wasn't.

Do you allow this? Kids are 10 and 13. Friends are inviting them over when parents aren’t home. (Parents are ok with it.) We know the kids and parents fairly well, and we trust our kids to be home alone at our house without friends, but I worry that being with friends increases risk of bad behavior (unauthorized internet access, etc.). We don’t allow friends over at our house when we’re not home, but I’m not sure what to do when the invitation is extended. What’s your policy?