USNRET Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 At what age would you leave your well mannered child home alone without adult supervision for an hour or two? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunburnwilly Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 Voted for 12 but would have gone for 14 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted May 18, 2011 Author Share Posted May 18, 2011 Voted for 12 but would have gone for 14 .I put that one in for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 12-13, and only if my wife and I are in the local area, as within 30 minutes driving time. My son is "well trained", but we still consider being further than about 30 minutes away as risky. Not because he may do something, but it's managing some emergency that may arise at the house. I am a devout and radical fundamentalist in my belief of "Murphy's Law".... [H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted May 18, 2011 Moderators Share Posted May 18, 2011 I put 12 only because my real thought 25 was not a choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Amy Posted May 18, 2011 Moderators Share Posted May 18, 2011 Totally depends on the child and the environment. I was babysitting a 6 year old after school when I was 10. But I don't know many 10 year olds today who I would let do that...if any! [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamss Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 I voted 12, but I'm with Amy. It depends on the child and the environment. I've let my youngest stay home for a few hours when he was 10, but he was the most responsible kid and we lived on the family farm so I knew he would be able to get a hold of one of my in-laws really quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo33 Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 How come there is no choice for "17"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Smith Posted May 18, 2011 Share Posted May 18, 2011 my sister is 8 years younger and i remember babysitting her by the time i was around 10-11. i don't recall what our time periods and distances were, but by around age 13 i did a weekend stint while both parents were out of state. it all depends on the child, the environment, and the confidence of the parent. (this was in the 90's, btw) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted May 18, 2011 Author Share Posted May 18, 2011 My wife and I come from two totally different backgrounds. I was born and raised until the 6th grade on a ranch in the middle of nowhere then moved to a town of 3000 (in the middle of nowhere). My wife was born and raised in a very large city in S. Korea. We have 2 kids; boy 10 and girl 6. She contends that by this age they should be safe at home while she runs an errand. I adamantly oppose such 'irreponsibility'. Given our backgrounds I would have thought we would have opposite view points. The kids are well trained in things such as not answering the door to anyone, anytime unless they see it is one of their buddies or we are at the door with them. Also, no answering the telephone unless the caller ID lights ID's a family member, other wide mom or dad answers the phone. My 10 year old is a pretty responsible honors student (currently taking a two year talented student program with Duke University) but I still maintain that he is just too young to be alone. My wife disagrees with me, therefore she is wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groomlakearea51 Posted May 19, 2011 Share Posted May 19, 2011 "My 10 year old is a pretty responsible honors student (currently taking a two year talented student program with Duke University)" [Y][Y][Y] My 12 year old is also in the Duke program. Just took the SAT's and did better than a significant percentage of the seniors at the high school..... LOL!!! Back on Topic... But the rule will still apply until he's about 16; then we will consider driving to West Palm for some culture... It's a matter of maturity vs age or "smartness". Like I said.... Murphy's Law is like Heisenberg's Uncertainty Prinicple applied in the home environment..... [H] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 It depends, is this kid named Thebes, or worse, Fini? If so, you may have to revise the age selection on the poll. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 My wife disagrees with me, therefore she is wrong. My, you must live in a fantasy land. Have you told her yet?[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 Have you told her yet?What kinda ? is that, you don't like me much huh? You want that on your conscience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 At what age would you leave your well mannered child home alone without adult supervision for an hour or two? [Please visit the original post to access the poll] Although there may be a "LEGAL" age defined by local laws..... I personally think the correct response is dependent upon the maturity level of the young person, as this question has nothing to do with a specific magical age as listed. You should know your own kids, and you should also know whether or not you can leave them alone in the house, w/o worrying about coming home to a bunch of ashes and ruins. I voted for age 6, to teach you a lesson.... heheheheheh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigCliff Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 "My 10 year old is a pretty responsible honors student (currently taking a two year talented student program with Duke University)" My 12 year old is also in the Duke program. Just took the SAT's and did better than a significant percentage of the seniors at the high school..... LOL!!! Back on Topic... But the rule will still apply until he's about 16; then we will consider driving to West Palm for some culture... It's a matter of maturity vs age or "smartness". Like I said.... Murphy's Law is like Heisenberg's Uncertainty Prinicple applied in the home environment..... That is ironic, when my son was 12 he too scored better then half the seniors in High School. I was astonished not at how well he did but about how many stupid seniors there. My son was a latch key did for Jr high and High School. He always had good judgement and was never in any trouble at school but that did not mean we didn't worry a little. I am proud to say he just graduated from law school this past Sunday and has a full time job at law firm that will double his salary as soon as he passes the Bar exam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JL Sargent Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 12 seems to be the popular answer. It's certainly a case by case decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 As a bachelor I don't have much experience in this. The focus of the thread is on whether the kid will do something dangerous. But should we not worry about predators out there? Young females of the tween or teen years could very well become a target. The prep might even watch for mom's car to leave. I'd feel better if the house had a big, mean dog. WMcD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueshwk Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 As soon as they can wipe their butt, wash their hands and go make a sandwich!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean5340 Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I voted for fourteen because thirteen wasn't a choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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