I was allowed to stay at home from the age of 10 when I got home from school and held the fort until my parents came home at 5am. I was a responsible child and my parents trusted me. Every child is different. Some 12-year-olds are still far from mature enough to be left alone, and others are ready by the age of 10. It really depends on the child. Leaving a child alone at home can make a parent`s heart beat. Family law regulations in Connecticut and other states make it clear that there is an appropriate age to leave children alone at home for a short period of time. Authorities in all areas agree that children aged 7 or under should never be left alone and always need supervision. In many other ways, much depends on the level of maturity of the child or children. An anonymous caller alerted the boy`s police, who were left alone, and when the officers responded, the boy reportedly did not let them into the house. How does your child feel when left alone? Some may not wait for the opportunity to drive you to the door and feel the first sense of independence. If so, do you think they will manage it responsibly? Others are more concerned about being left alone, and you should respect those feelings.

On Tuesday, a woman was charged with child endangerment for leaving her 7-year-old son home alone for an hour while she was going to the gym. It is generally accepted that 6-year-olds are not able to do this on their own, but that most 16-year-olds would do well. But what about the children in the middle? It can be hard to know when your children are ready to stay home alone, but the law may not help in some cases. Your choice depends on your judgment and what is in your child`s best interests. Children with special needs may require additional considerations because they may not be able to care for themselves or others safely and effectively. For example, a 15-year-old with developmental delays may not be considered safe to stay home alone or supervise a younger sibling. KidsHealth: kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/home/home_alone.html Spend enough time online and you`ll likely see lively discussions about the most appropriate age to leave kids alone at home. It would be easier if there was legislation to deal with the issue.

Unfortunately, there are no such laws in Connecticut. A parent who does a quick run is very different from leaving a child at home all day to understand homeschooling alone or at night for some reason. How long will you be away and what are the circumstances? I am not one to think that the government should tell me how to raise my children, but perhaps in this case; For the safety of children and to clarify parents, a certain age should be set in a written law setting a minimum age to leave the house in peace. Mique`s printable diagram also breaks down the laws by state. Illinois, for example, does not allow children to be left home alone until the age of 14. While she hopes her chart will be helpful, she encourages parents to also contact their local authorities for age restrictions more specific to the city. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: www.hhs.gov/answers/programs-for-families-and-children/at-what-age-can-a-child-be-home-alone/index.html The idea of leaving a child alone at home can destabilize any parent. As mature as your son or daughter may be, a lot of things could go wrong.

But does that mean you shouldn`t leave your kids home alone until they`re teenagers? Blogger Mique from Thirty Handmade Days thinks differently and offers a handy table with guidelines on when to leave your child alone at home. Recommendations are given that a child should be at least 12 years old to be left alone, and 14 to look after siblings, but I have to repeat that. There is no law for this, which means that it is up to the parents to decide if their child is responsible enough and how long they should be left alone. With all this talk about Home Alone, I don`t know about you, but I`d like to see some of the best moments from the first two Home Alone movies. For more information, see: portal.ct.gov/DCF/Families/Leaving-your-child-alone However, due to child safety laws, it is at the discretion of the police when it comes to deciding whether a parent should be charged if children are reported alone, regardless of their age. I don`t know about you, but it looks a bit like bait and a switch. However, there are a few guidelines. For example, children between the ages of 8 and 10 should not be left for more than an hour and a half and never later in the evening. Children between the ages of 11 and 12 can usually be left alone for about three hours, but again, not late at night. Children between the ages of 13 and 15 can be left unattended, but not overnight, while children between the ages of 16 and 17 can usually be left unattended for two consecutive nights.

In the ongoing struggle to be a successful parent and be able to support your family, many parents face the daunting task of making the decision to leave their child home alone or get some sort of child custody. Most experts believe that children should be at least 12 years old before being left alone, and at least 15 years old before they are trusted to care for a younger sibling. These are minimum guidelines, but some children may not be ready at this age. When she received her certificate, I made sure to take the teacher aside and ask her, “Are you sure she can stay home alone?” I was reassured that yes, she really was. If you`re not sure if your child can stay home alone, here are some guidelines that can help you make an informed decision: Finally, think about how your child reacts under pressure. Do they calmly deal with emergencies? Can they understand and track security measures? It might be a good idea to do short exercise runs while building on longer stays alone at home. She stressed that each state had different laws on the subject, but hoped that its compiled guidelines could help to start a dialogue and provide important information to parents. After looking at the safety of your neighborhood, how comfortable your child feels alone, and how well your child behaves, she suggests that children as young as 8 years old can be left alone. Until they are 10 years old, they should “not be left alone for more than 1 hour and a half and only in daylight and in the early evening,” she suggests. This time doubles once the child is 11, and at 13, children can be left alone even longer, but not overnight. Once the child is 16 years old, he can be left alone for up to two nights in a row.

Given that parents are dragged in all sorts of directions, and in many cases both parents have full-time jobs, this is a question that often arises. What is the legal age at which you can leave a child alone at home in Connecticut? I have a daughter who is 10 and a half years old and I enrolled her in an American Red Cross certification course called “When I`m in Charge.” The instructor gave us a lot of information to know if she was ready to be left alone. And since my daughter is 10 and 35, I don`t worry much about leaving her alone. It doesn`t happen often and when it happens it`s only for a few minutes at a time and I would never blame her for her siblings, but to us it seems like a natural thing. But a parent who makes the wrong decision to leave the children alone at home could end up on the wrong side of the law and the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs (DCF). Specifically, Connecticut law requires that parents always protect and care for their children and make decisions in the best interests of the child. So what is the right or wrong age to leave a child alone at home? As with many things, the answer to this question depends on a number of factors. In the case of New Canaan, a neighbor reported the children to the police. Many readers (myself included) were outraged that a neighbor`s first reaction was not to bring the child home, but to report it to the authorities.