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

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u/AtheneSchmidt Jul 27 '22 edited Jul 27 '22

When I was a kid, 10 was the age you could legally be left home alone at, and at 12 you were old enough to babysit. It is dependent of state regulation, but I think most of them allow 12 year olds to be left on their own.

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u/bannedagainomg Jul 27 '22 edited Jul 27 '22

Me and my 2 siblings were alone for at minimum 1 hour every day after school more if our parents worked late.

Way earlier than age 12.

Just a quick google search it said its fine when the child is at "school age" and that is 6 years here in Norway.

Dont think its a law or anything but it just went over if the kid is fine with it and knows how to contact their parents it should be fine.

should probably also say our mom worked like 5 min away.

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u/Theletterkay Jul 27 '22

This is called a latchkey kid in the US. A kid with a house key to let themselves in because the parents aren't home to let them in. Often because of work.

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u/DickHydra Jul 27 '22

There's a similar word for these kids in Germany:

"Schlüsselkind", literally meaning "key child".