How young is too young?

[clueless_in_usa 8]

Greetings!

My fiancee and I had a conversation about an important topic and I could not give her a correct answer.

In Russia you can leave children home alone since they show enough signs of maturity, regardless of the actual age (probably as young as six to eight years old), but I am sure that if anybody attempts something like that in the USA, the government will take the children away and the parents will be in a lot of trouble (after an a$$ calls protection services).

So we have this serious question: how young is too young for a child to be alone at home in the USA? How old does the child have to be for it not to be illegal to stay home alone? Until what age can the government intervene if children are left alone?

Thanks for the serious answers, not speculation, please!

[baron555 934]

Greetings!

My fiancee and I had a conversation about an important topic and I could not give her a correct answer.

In Russia you can leave children home alone since they show enough signs of maturity, regardless of the actual age (probably as young as six to eight years old), but I am sure that if anybody attempts something like that in the USA, the government will take the children away and the parents will be in a lot of trouble (after an a$$ calls protection services).

So we have this serious question: how young is too young for a child to be alone at home in the USA? How old does the child have to be for it not to be illegal to stay home alone? Until what age can the government intervene if children are left alone?

Thanks for the serious answers, not speculation, please!

We just talked about this during lunch at work. The consensus, not official, was 13.

[SuperDuper! 230]

Greetings!

My fiancee and I had a conversation about an important topic and I could not give her a correct answer.

In Russia you can leave children home alone since they show enough signs of maturity, regardless of the actual age (probably as young as six to eight years old), but I am sure that if anybody attempts something like that in the USA, the government will take the children away and the parents will be in a lot of trouble (after an a$$ calls protection services).

So we have this serious question: how young is too young for a child to be alone at home in the USA? How old does the child have to be for it not to be illegal to stay home alone? Until what age can the government intervene if children are left alone?

Thanks for the serious answers, not speculation, please!

You meant no sarcasm. Speculation = opinion with most folks. A mature 8 year old can be left alone. Snap.

[Oksana81 0]

I believe, it slightly varies by state. 12-13?

[sara..... 371]

state of Oregon 12 ........regardless of state law moms law 14 to age 18 depending on how responsible a child is

sara

[Ban Hammer 12,863]

Greetings!

My fiancee and I had a conversation about an important topic and I could not give her a correct answer.

In Russia you can leave children home alone since they show enough signs of maturity, regardless of the actual age (probably as young as six to eight years old), but I am sure that if anybody attempts something like that in the USA, the government will take the children away and the parents will be in a lot of trouble (after an a$$ calls protection services).

So we have this serious question: how young is too young for a child to be alone at home in the USA? How old does the child have to be for it not to be illegal to stay home alone? Until what age can the government intervene if children are left alone?

Thanks for the serious answers, not speculation, please!

You meant no sarcasm. Speculation = opinion with most folks. A mature 8 year old can be left alone. Snap.

i wouldn't bet on that in bold. the op should check with the local police department for the age minimum as it does vary state to state.

[Dave-n-Oksana 49]

In Nebraska the age is 12. After that is is based on the trust between child and parent. I will trust my 13 year old to stay at home alone, not my 17 year old.

[1HappyGuy 45]

I think most of us would ask, at what age would you have a child babysit for you. Isn't that kind of the same standard? We are asking when do we think a child is responsible enough to care for someone else. That of course really depends on the circumstances. In this country it seems that at least 10 or 11 seems to be the minimum age we are comfortable with leaving children alone for a few hours. More than a few hours is then a matter of parental responsibility.

[Y's_habibitk 2]

I think most of us would ask, at what age would you have a child babysit for you. Isn't that kind of the same standard? We are asking when do we think a child is responsible enough to care for someone else. That of course really depends on the circumstances. In this country it seems that at least 10 or 11 seems to be the minimum age we are comfortable with leaving children alone for a few hours. More than a few hours is then a matter of parental responsibility.

thats a good thing to judge by, really.. our babysitter is almost 12 and she stays with J(6 yo) for 2 hours tops.

as far as the appropriate age, well I think that all boils down to the actual case (legally). If you are leaving your (insert appropriate age by state law here) year old alone, but they cant care for themselves appropriately or are doing things to endanger themselves, I think you could still be in a world of hurt with CPS.

[*julez* 124]

Here in NY day care centers will not take on children over the age of 12. I think most place would legally be age 12, thought the American Red Cross allows 11 year olds to take their babysitting course.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Actually in most areas of the USA there is no rule. There is no federal law about this. This would be a state or local law if there is one. Most areas leave it up to the parents to decide (What a concept!) The few local and state laws I know of generally cut it off about age 13 or 14. Vermont has no state law on this, the city of Burlington has a weak law that says if anything bad happens to a child under age 14 that is unsupervised by an adult that the parents can be charged with a crime, but having a 12 or 13 year old "home alone" is not against the rule, in itself. These laws vary all over the map so there is really no good answer for you unless it is locality specific.

The problem with "no law" is that it leaves a lot to interpretation by local authorities. What would consititute neglect in most areas is not defined and up to some local beaurocrat, which can be worse. Buyer beware is the key word here.

In Nebraska the age is 12. After that is is based on the trust between child and parent. I will trust my 13 year old to stay at home alone, not my 17 year old.

How true this can BE!!