Home alone

MrsBini10

At what age did your parents start allowing you to stay home alone for, say, an hour or so at a time?

I remember being left for brief periods by myself when I was 7. I was a good kid and it was never a problem but now I think wow...that's SO young to be home by yourself! In MA parents can (now) get in trouble for leaving kids under 10 without an adult. Not sure what the rule was back in 1989 though.  

My mom tells me her dad used to leave her and her brother, at age 2 and 3, in the car for several hours alone while he went to business meetings. !!!!! 

pokepoke27

I think I was around 9 or 10 when I started being allowed to stay at home for long periods of time by myself. I was such a good kid that I was 15 when my parents left me home alone over the whole weekend once. My grandparents lived right across the street though so if I ever needed to go anywhere I could walk to their house, and they came and checked in on me. 

Publius

I have older siblings and my parents started leaving me alone with them when I was about nine or so. My brothers would have been about eleven and twelve at the time. Because there are four of us, I don't really remember a time when I was the only one in the house before high school. Someone was always around.

frlcb

I started babysitting other kids at like 11 but I don't think I stayed home alone until probably that age as well. It seems young to me now!

Avion22

I think I was about 9 or 10 as well, though most of the time I was at home with my older sister (who would have been 12 or 13).   I was baby-sitting other people's kids at at 14.

oneslybookworm

Since my parents were of the "overprotective" type...I'd say it was probably 13-14 before I was left home alone.  I was nearly graduating before I was left alone for the night.

BelgianBells

I think I was probably 7 or 8, and my sister was 9 or 10 when they left us alone for an hour or two. I remember jumping on the bed and eating junk food the first time.

Then, when my Mom started working too I was home alone with my older sister for a few hours after school - starting like age 9 or 10. But, my sister went through a stage when she was so mean to me and we fought all the time, so for about a year my Mom sent me over to my friends' house after school and my Dad would come pick me up after work - this was 5th and 6th grade. (My friend's Mom ran a daycare, but to me it just felt like I was over there to hang out and play with my friend). It was a good thing.

I don't think they ever left us alone for a weekend - teenager or otherwise. They did not travel for work, or really go anywhere - or at least I don't remember them ever being gone at the same time.

bluegirl2006

My siblings and I are stair-steps. All a year apart. I was third in line. I believe we started staying home alone for short periods - like lunch from school (we went home for it) and an hour or so after school when my oldest brother was 12 or 13. I started babysitting other people's kids at 12.

BlushingMama

I was 6/7 years old, my mom was a single mom with 2 young kids and had no alternative so I used to walk home from school and then let myself into the house and I would have been alone until my mom got home. We stayed in a complex and the neighbours were aware so if anything happened I could run to one of them. I was a freakishly good kid though, as in I only ever got detention once and that was because my mom forgot to sign my homework diary 3 times even though I had given it to her. My mom also looks back at it now and is very embarrassed when she thinks about it, but it is not something I will ever hold against her she did the best that she could at the time.

NLfoodie

I'm the oldest and I think I was about 9 or 10 when my mom left us home alone for a few hours (2 or 3) for the first time. We lived in a condo and our next door neighbor was a nice older couple that kinda kept an eye on us though.

The only incident I recall with that (and the neighbor came over and everyone blamed all on me and I don't see why) was when my little brother decided he was going to be a knife thrower in a circus when he grew up and he wanted to start practicing immediately and actually grabbed a bunch of sharp knives and started to try to throw them at me. I obviously beat him to make him stop throwing sharp knives at me - and then they all got mad at me for beating up my little brother.

I have no idea what I think a normal age would be nowadays. I don't think I'd allow my children to babysit at 12 (or have a 12yo babysitter) though, like I did/had. 

LadyMadrid08

I think I was 8 or 9 and I was babysitting for family friends by the time I was 10.  And they had a small baby!  Looking back now I'm surprised they left their three kids with a 10 year old.

dulcemariamar1

5th grade

Mrs.E.07

I don't remember exactly, I think when I was 9. I started babysitting for other people's kids when I was 11, and I started watching my little sister before that, when I was 10 or so, I think.

welshgirl

I was 9, home alone for a few hours when my parents went shopping and my sister was at a friends down the road.

ukyankee

I'd walk home with my little brother from the bus (1/4 mile, crossing a major road) at about age 10.  We were latch-key kids.  Not a problem at all!

sucredee

I don't really remember. I do remember watching the neighbor kids when I was about 10 or 11 but my parents were next door and i could call them if needed. My 12 y/o niece stays at home for a few hours at a time with strict instructions not to answer the phone unless she recognizes the caller ID, not to use the stove and not to answer the door (heck, I don't even answer the door unless I am expecting someone when i am home alone). I would not feel comfortable leaving her home to watch my 18 month old though. I know 12 y/o that would probably be responsible enough but she isn't one of them. She can watch her when DD is old enough to fend for herself. :-). We let our niece stay home alone for an hour or so when she was close to 11. I don't think my parents ever let me stay home alone overnight but I don't think there was ever a need for it anyway. My ni ece is 17 but i don't think we will let her stay home alone overnight anytime soon. She is actually very good but she is still a teenager and can be a flake at times....