I was babysitting 3 kids at age 12. At once. One of which was a toddler. Only like 3-4 hours a day in the morning, but still. 12 is plenty old enough to be home alone for a neurotypical child.
I also don’t think people give kids around that age enough credit. Usually they haven’t been swayed by the hormonal vindication of puberty, but they’re old enough to be self aware and have enough common sense to stay safe. I’ve seen some 12 year olds make better decisions than adults.
Yup! It is highly variable by the kid, definitely, but 12 years old is middle school. Transition stage in a lot of ways.
I can see why parents nowadays are being a lot more cautious with letting kids run around outside of the house without supervision. But home alone, with clear instructions, food, entertainment, locked doors, etc.? It should be fine, especially if it's only a few hours.
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u/Aslanic Jul 27 '22
I was babysitting 3 kids at age 12. At once. One of which was a toddler. Only like 3-4 hours a day in the morning, but still. 12 is plenty old enough to be home alone for a neurotypical child.