At what age are children old enouph to stay home alone.?
487022
when you stop referring to them as children!!!
624152
Yes, I think you should.  \n\nYou can all have fun until they have to go home.  Sometimes people have appointments and games early in the morning or their parents don't like them to sleep over somewhere.\n\nThe more the merrier, you know!
988929
I think it depends more on the maturity level of the child rather than the age, though, you might want to check the laws regarding what age a child can be left home alone and for how long.  If this child behaves responibly, has another adult in the area they can call or get to in a hurry if there is an emergency, understands and can perform basic first aid and is trustworthy, it may be okay.  I would ease her into it, like aloow her to be in charge of the child while I did yard work, painting, etc.  Something where I was still in the house to observe how she handled things.  if this goes well, try no more than 15 -20 min while you go to a neighbors house to chat or run to the local grocery.  When you are fully comfortable I would not leave her for more than an hour or two to be responsible for another child and I would only do it if there were another adult close by that you knew she could call on.  My 13 yo babysits for a friend but only if I am home- I am right down the street so she can call me if there is a problem.  Babysitting is a big responsibility and both her and the person she is babysitting for need to understand that.  I would not have let my girls babysit at 11 and I don't think I would have ever asked an 11 yo to babysit for me- but this has to be your decision based on the girls capabilities, maturity and situation.
909706
I think it all depends on where you live, big city, in the country, small town, ect........\n\nIt also depends on the childs maturity and level of responsibility.  Some teenagers are not responsible enough to be left alone at the age of 16; however there are some children who are responsible enough to stay home alone at age 10.\n\nYou have to use your best judgement depending on the child.
1101643
What do you mean by "stay home at the age of 13?"\n\nAll depends on what you mean by staying up LATE?
323995
I'll opt for 1960. I'm basing this on the number of my friends who cannot get their adult children to obtain or keep jobs or move out of home. And I'm not just talking about older teenagers, but 20 to 30 year olds! They just seem to take for granted that they can lay around and mooch. \nI think the 60's generation was much more motivated to get out on their own. Well, I know so--the whole "generation gap" issue that was constantly talked about, "don't trust anyone over 30", ect. The kids just wanted out and away from supervision.
38792
There are times were parents cant understand there kids. Kids like to talk and have a good realishionship and that is perfectly normal but at the same time they want to do stuff on their own and they want you to trust them. Im a 16 year old femail and there are times when i just want my space and be left alone and thats normal but i always hang out with my family so let you kid or kids have some alone time for thereselves once in a while and let them have fun!
674060
leave them alone till they are old enough to decide wat they want to believe they are kids let them be kids and feel no guilt your only young once
270958
Pyrate has the right attitude. The others who spoke about kids under 18 needing to constantly be in the care of a parent are wrong. I know lots of 13 year olds who babysit babies and toddlers.\n\nIn this situation, you are speaking of a 13 year old and a 16 year old....both old enough to stay home alone while you go on a date with your spouse, why would they then not be able to stay at home alone while you go to work? \n\nIt can be done. There will always be those who think anything other than the norm is "illegal." These are not experts, and many experts are wrong anyway.\n\nWhat state are you in? The amount and type of work/hours put into a school day vary from state to state and whether or not testing is required also varies from state to state.\n\nThis can be done legally.\n\nAnd TINATURNER was wrong. Even Public Schools are only in session about 6 hours...why then would homeschools be required to be in session for 8 hours? Stop talking about subjects you know nothing about!
174776
Saw my mom get left alone with six kids to raise on her own, while dad had 17 kids total.  She was a housewife and totally depended on her husband.  Needless to say we struggled growing up. So, I have always been independent (since I turned 18) and always will stay that way!  Of course, if I get independently wealthy, I might choose to stay home and raise some kids or just go travel!
1049822
Depends on the child, the living situation, and if there are friends or relatives nearby.\n\nIf a child is reliably responsible, and you live in a safe area, and there is a neighbor, friend or relative to look in on him frequently, then maybe 14, with understanding of NO friends, etc.\n\nIf you have had any trouble in the past with not listening to your rules, or there is no one to physically come check up on him, then I would say closer to 17.\n\nWhat do I base this on?  Raising 6 kids, plus "extra's", even though they were all good kids.  It's a lot easier to prevent problems than to have to do damage control later.
618847
When they're old enough to hunt. If they can't understand them  and the laws and the rules of hunter's saftey they are not ready to hunt. And don't let them go hunting by themselves until you know for a fact that they can follow all the rules and saftey laws of hunting.It would probably depend on the child. They are all different.
901988
staying for the sake of the kids will not give them any benefit, as time goes on and your kids grow they will notice things arent how they should be and will in time feel awkward, and often end up rebelling against both parents, some even leave home asap, i know quite a few old school mates who had done this, growing up in the kind of environment that you have at home now.......
952368
as soon as he is mature enough to handle it & can support himself\nall my kids moved out at about 18/19 - 2 boys 2 girls\nbut I feel that unless there are extenuating circumstances then most definitely by 25 - prior to that if you are employed  then you should still be contributing to your keep at home;\n even if you are a student & on a limited income there are ways in which you can help out ; take responsibility for your own laundry; cook some meals; clean up after meals; mow the lawn;help with the housework - after all you contribute to the  "mess"  so you should be partly responsible for cleaning up.\ndo make sure that you ALWAYS tidy up after yourself.\nyour parents have done their job - it is now time for them to live their own lives again
311810
Hi, I'm from Carolina, and I'm not sure if there is a law for that what you asked. I think common sense plays more a part than anything. I think it is safe when a child reaches 10-12 years old. Of course there are 10-12 year olds who are dependable, and some that are not, I think it depends on your kids. I know of a 12 year old who was in daycare because his mom couldn't trust him enough to stay at home and not burn down the house, or let strangers in while she worked. Generally around that age, they should be able to stay home by themselves until a first shift working parent(s) come home for the evening. Most of the time the child is only there for 2-3 hours alone before an adult get s there, which is not bad. As a child with both parents working, I remember staying there for an hour and a half until my mother got off work. We walked home from school, me,my brother and my little sister. My bro was the oldest at  10, I was 8 and lil' sis was 5 or 6. We were good kids and me and lil' sis listened to our bro. We would not answer the phone, go outside, cook anything, or watch t.v (until homework was done) no tv until homework was done. He would threaten to tell if we didn't listen to him, and we did since he was the oldest and in charge. I am 28 now, and I'm still alive and well. That is my point. It depends on your kids! My bro was responsible at 10 years old, so my folks knew they could trust him to watch over his baby sisters!
593012
Probably 18 without parent and 16 with. Also if you are going to do this make sure you do some research on costs because some can be pretty expensive.
1149884
It depends on how mature are your children. Can you trust them with your house. Could you trust that the kids won't have a party, invite people over that shouldn't be there. Talk to strangers or burn down the house because of matches, or bad cooking.