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Post by grumpycakes on Aug 15, 2017 15:45:11 GMT -6
At what age do you think it's appropriate to leave the average child home alone for 15 minutes? What about a couple hours?
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Post by grumpycakes on Aug 15, 2017 15:47:21 GMT -6
I'm sure I will wait much longer because I'm a worry wart, but I think E would be totally fine home alone for 15 min. I've been thinking lately about when it will be appropriate because it would be so easy to run an errand down the street without him.
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Post by grumpycakes on Aug 15, 2017 15:49:07 GMT -6
I used to be left alone for a few hours in the afternoon when I was 9. I could also cook simple dinners and follow recipes at that age. I feel like we give young kids less autonomy now.
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rugger
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Post by rugger on Aug 15, 2017 16:25:43 GMT -6
R is 5 and is very capable of helping herself to food/water/bathroom. She could totally be left alone for 15 minutes, but I don't know that I'd actually do it. But there's also no errand I could really run that would be under 20 min. But I leave them inside with a show while I mow the lawn and they're totally fine. So there's that.
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Post by critter015 on Aug 15, 2017 16:43:26 GMT -6
C is 5.5 and I've left her in charge of keeping the other kids inside with a show while I drove around the corner to Grandpa's to put the garbage can out - maybe 2 minutes. They are used to staying inside and keeping themselves busy while I mow the lawn or do chores outside anyway.
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Post by grumpycakes on Aug 15, 2017 16:54:44 GMT -6
It's probably time for me to teach E some other aspects of cooking besides stirring things and watching me, huh? Lol.
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Post by pbandj714 on Aug 15, 2017 17:04:21 GMT -6
I first remember being left alone while my mom ran a quick errand when I was 9 or 10. I could make myself a sandwich, grab a snack, pour some milk or water, so it wasn't a big deal.
Same with rugger though, I'd never be able to run an errand around here without it taking at least 20-30 min because of traffic...so I'll likely be lugging my circus with me for all of time or just waiting until they're in bed when DH is home.
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mapleme
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Post by mapleme on Aug 15, 2017 17:14:56 GMT -6
I used to leave the house on my own to go to friends' houses or to the nearby shops (crossing a busy street) when I was 5. My parents taught me to take public transportation on my own when I was 9. I started babysitting other people's kids for a few hours when I was 10.
That clearly is not happening for my girls. But I'll play it by ear for maturity. 15 minutes alone? Maybe 5 or 6? My sister's kids are crazy, but they would likely be fine alone for the amount of time that it would take me to go to the bakery and back.
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sarenu
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Post by sarenu on Aug 15, 2017 17:59:30 GMT -6
It's probably time for me to teach E some other aspects of cooking besides stirring things and watching me, huh? Lol. I have E work on the stove now. I had her pour in noodles, then melt the butter and stir in the cheese. Basically, she made her own macaroni and cheese. She's really good around hot pans. She's also helped with rice crispy treats.
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Post by charlotte on Aug 15, 2017 18:24:23 GMT -6
I think beginning at age 6 my mom would leave to run around the corner and such (but I'm sure my 8 y/o brother was probably there too). By 8, I was home alone quite often. By 10, my mom was a single mom and I was home alone for long periods of time all the time.
I think it all depends on the maturity of the kid. If you have neighbors they could run to in an emergency then that's a big bonus.
You could always get some nest cameras so you could keep an eye on them while you're out lol.
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Post by grumpycakes on Aug 15, 2017 18:43:38 GMT -6
It's probably time for me to teach E some other aspects of cooking besides stirring things and watching me, huh? Lol. I have E work on the stove now. I had her pour in noodles, then melt the butter and stir in the cheese. Basically, she made her own macaroni and cheese. She's really good around hot pans. She's also helped with rice crispy treats. Cool. That's good to know. I think my E would be fine around hot pans now too. Definitely not so much a year ago, though.
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Post by grumpycakes on Aug 15, 2017 18:44:58 GMT -6
I think beginning at age 6 my mom would leave to run around the corner and such (but I'm sure my 8 y/o brother was probably there too). By 8, I was home alone quite often. By 10, my mom was a single mom and I was home alone for long periods of time all the time. I think it all depends on the maturity of the kid. If you have neighbors they could run to in an emergency then that's a big bonus. You could always get some nest cameras so you could keep an eye on them while you're out lol. You're totally right about neighbors. We have a wonderful retired lady across the street who is always home. He could go to her for help.
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Post by CurlieWhirlie on Aug 15, 2017 20:58:43 GMT -6
I started leaving my E home alone while I ran down the street for an errand when he was 6, I think. Elementary school. He has an iPad that he can call me from, or his dad or grandparents (across the street).
I feel like elementary school changed everything in terms of maturity and independence.
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Post by ovenrack on Aug 16, 2017 6:27:53 GMT -6
I don't worry about the kids as much as if I'm driving - what if I got in an accident in those 15 minutes?
Very unlikely. But I'd be sure to have a plan for if I wasn't back by the time the clock said "X:XX". And probably inform my spouse.
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Post by joyfultrex on Aug 16, 2017 6:44:58 GMT -6
P asks all the time if I can leave him home while I go to the grocery store. He just turned 4 so I don't, but I'm only gone for 45 minutes, and it'd be less if I didn't have to bring him and deal with car seats etc. I think he could handle it though. I probably won't actually leave him till closer to 8.
He does make things on the stove. He has made his own rice pudding, mac and cheese etc. He doesn't know numbers, so we do things that don't have exact measurement and he can do most of it on his own.
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milano
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Post by milano on Aug 16, 2017 7:04:54 GMT -6
I don't worry about the kids as much as if I'm driving - what if I got in an accident in those 15 minutes? Very unlikely. But I'd be sure to have a plan for if I wasn't back by the time the clock said "X:XX". And probably inform my spouse. Yes this is my thought too, I'd be more worried about something happening to me than my kids. I'm pretty confident that I could leave J home for a couple of hours in his room now as long as I give him a fully charged iPad and a few packs of fruit snacks. Lol. He'd be so happy he wouldn't even try to get over his gate. (I wouldn't do this, he's only 3). For me personally it will be awhile before my kids are home alone simply because we only have one set of close neighbors (and they both work full-time), and our cell service out here is extremely unreliable. So I wouldn't feel like they had a good backup system if they needed to call me for help or go to the neighbors. If we lived in a normal neighborhood, maybe around 8 or 9 years old?
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Post by ovenrack on Aug 16, 2017 7:07:38 GMT -6
I'm pretty psyched we live two blocks from a fire station. H loves it. He could walk there NOW, practically, except the crossing of streets.
My town desperately needs a new (bigger) fire station, though, and I know they'll probably move in the next few years. Sad.
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