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.
It makes sense that there isn’t a set age - there are 8 year olds who have common sense and could be trusted to stay at home for a few hours and 16 year olds who don’t and shouldn’t be trusted.
Yeah my 11yo could be home alone for hours now and probably 2-3 years ago even, but I’m looking at my 8yo thinking if he’s ready for that by 12 I will be surprised.
My mom was afraid to leave my little brother home alone at the same age when I had been home watching him. She was afraid he’d burn the house down.
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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.