Mine are 6 and 8, and honestly the 6 year-old is the more level-headed. But... I've left them in the house alone to walk the dog, and have considered going for a 20 or 30 minute when my spouse is away on a trip. We have a fake land-line (highly suggested!) Ooma - so there's a phone on every level of our house. I wanted this for myself honestly - if there's a crazy emergency and I'm in the basement but my mobile phone is on the second floor, or more frequently - I just can't remember where I left it but [insert awful emergency]. But the kids have enjoyed practicing using the phone, and get reminded of how to use it in an emergency, and to not open the door for ANYONE, etc. We do have a dog, which makes me feel better, but not sure he'd actually offer any protection against an intruder or other evil-doer.

Just recently, she’s 8.5 and a rising 3rd grader. We have a spare old iPhone that she can call us with.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:11. We live in an area with earthquakes though and that plays in to it.

Yep. Having lived through a big earthquake a couple of years ago, we now only use older teen babysitters. I used to have no problem leaving my kids with a 14 year old, especially after the kids were asleep, but the idea of that 14 year old trying to deal with two preschoolers in a major emergency like that is terrifying.

ETA, I grew up in NYC in an apartment building where we knew a lot of neighbors and had a doorman. My brother and I stayed home alone and came home to an empty house at a very young age, but no earthquakes and lots of close by responsible adults to help.

Anonymous wrote:11. We live in an area with earthquakes though and that plays in to it.

Yep. Having lived through a big earthquake a couple of years ago, we now only use older teen babysitters. I used to have no problem leaving my kids with a 14 year old, especially after the kids were asleep, but the idea of that 14 year old trying to deal with two preschoolers in a major emergency like that is terrifying.

6

11. We live in an area with earthquakes though and that plays in to it.

Anonymous wrote:First kid or second kid?

First kid the answer is around 14, by the second+ you start thinking a 7 year old would be fine...

When they’re together (3rd & 6th graders) we’ll leave them for a couple hours. When it’s just the younger one i worry as much about my distance as time alone. I’d rather leave him for two hours while i run errands nearby than for 45 mins to drop the other one off somewhere 10+ miles from home.

I feel this way about the distance too. Our grocery store is only three blocks away. I left my 11, 9, & 7 y/o for a little over an hour while I went grocery shopping yesterday. If there was a problem, I could just leave and be home in two minutes.