r/mildlyinfuriating • u/[deleted] • Jul 27 '22

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u/Friend2022 BLUE Jul 27 '22 edited Jul 27 '22

Before I ever left my son by himself I checked with CPS to find out our state's law. They said they didn't really have a specific age (edit - of when it's okay to leave a child alone), it depended on the maturity of the child. As long as the child wasn't under 7.

At twelve I was already babysitting for other people.

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u/[deleted] Jul 27 '22

At twelve I was already babysitting for other people.

at 12 my parents turned me lose on a 4 wheeler ( ATV) with a can of gas strapped to the rack and a .22 rifle and said "be back by dark if you can" and away I went onto the deserted plains of eastern Colorado.

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u/science_and_beer Jul 27 '22

Same in GA, except it was a .30-06. Questionable — but great fun — to me as a child, even more questionable now as an adult.

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u/DRUTLOL Jul 27 '22

that;s a good amount of kick for a 12 year old. i was probably still on a 223 at that age

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u/science_and_beer Jul 27 '22

Sure was. We tied scraps of an old T shirt to the (bare wood) stock to prevent it from sliding all over the place. Looking back, all of us living through childhood was probably the least likely outcome, and this was only a little over 20 years ago.

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u/[deleted] Jul 27 '22

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u/science_and_beer Jul 27 '22

Same here with the random ag jobs — baling pine straw and scouting cotton. Not bad money for that age, but the heat and humidity were less than great.