kids watching other kids

[Stephanie]

At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the store?
More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be conceivable?


Thanks

Stephanie

[[email protected]]

Stephanie wrote:
> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the store?
> More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be conceivable?

Two?

Just kidding. :) I'm inclined to say 11 (which is when I took the Red
Cross babysitting course), depending on the individual child. But
since mine is so young and I don't have any direct experience with
this, maybe I'm underestimating.

Em
mama to Micah, 11/14/04

[Beth Kevles]

About 8-9 years old to be left alone in daylight. About 11 for after
dark. Practice by leaving them inside, alone, while you're outside
(gardening or whatever), then while you walk down the block, and
gradually increase the length of time and distance.

Where I live the state law says a child must be 8 to be left alone, and
12 to take care of a child under 6.

Do teach your kids about what to do in various situations, including
people knocking at the door, calling on the phone, and how to deal with
the commonest emergencies.

--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

[enigma]

"Stephanie" > wrote in
news:lN47h.3413$%U.993@trndny07:

> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a
> trip to the store? More to the point, what is the youngest
> age that this would be conceivable?

if you live in the US, you might want to check with your state
Division of Family Services to see what they say.
my mom left us briefly (no more than half an hour) when we
were 8 or so, but by then we'd been walking to the store &
back alone for at least 4 years...
it depends a lot on the child & how responsible they are & if
you expect them to be responsible for a younger sibling.
in my state the Red Cross offers babysitting courses for 12
year olds, but the DYFS frowns severely on leaving a kid less
than 14 alone, never mind watching other little kids.

lee
--
Question with boldness even the existence of god; because if
there be
one, he must more approve the homage of reason than that of
blindfolded
fear. - Thomas Jefferson

[Marie]

"Stephanie" > wrote in message
news:lN47h.3413$%U.993@trndny07...
> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the
> store? More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be
> conceivable?

I have been leaving my 11 year old and 9 year old alone for up to an hour
for a couple of months now. I also have a 4 year old, but I take her with me
and do not have the older ones babysit.
I know someone whose 11 year old daughter babysits her 6 and 5 year old
siblings AND another 4 and 5 year old all at once. I would NEVER approve of
something like that. That is for hours at a time.
Marie

[Clisby]

Stephanie wrote:
> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the store?
> More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be conceivable?
>
>

I started letting my daughter stay home alone for, say, an hour, when
she was 8. She's now 10, and I leave her for longer, but not much more
than a couple of hours. I would not leave her to look after her
4-year-old brother yet; I'm guessing she'll be 12 before I allow that.

Clisby


> Thanks
>
> Stephanie
>
>

[Rosalie B.]

"Stephanie" > wrote:

>At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the store?
>More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be conceivable?
>
I haven't ever really been where a trip to the store would be as short
a trip as a half an hour. Also shopping at the commissary (which I
did) in the old days meant the children could not come in with you,
but there was a nursery available on a walk-in basis.

Most of the time when I was ferrying the older kids around, I carted
the little one(s) with me. This was extremely inconvenient in some
cases - like when dd#3 went to pre-school at age 4 and ds was a baby.
I had to drive half an hour in each direction in the morning to be
there at 8:30 and again to get her at 11:30.

I left dd#1 with her two siblings (3 and 1 year) when she was 10+ for
the half hour between the time I left to take dd#2 to swim team and
the time dh got home from work. She also had the directions for
starting dinner so that when I got back with dd#2 we could all have
dinner. (This was mostly putting a casserole in the oven and turning
it on, and cooking frozen vegetables, although dh did teach her to fry
chicken.) She also babysat with a neighbor's infant at about 11 years
old - at night. But I was home and was only 4 houses away.

[Chookie]

In article >,
(Beth Kevles) wrote:

> Practice by leaving them inside, alone, while you're outside
> (gardening or whatever),

Do people really take their 7yos with them while they are outside gardening
.... Not to help, but because they can't be trusted indoors on their own?

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue

[Welches]

"Stephanie" > wrote in message
news:lN47h.3413$%U.993@trndny07...
> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the
> store? More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be
> conceivable?
>
>
> Thanks
>
If I really was going out to the store for one thing I might leave my 6 year
old. BUT it would have to be light, she happy to do it, and going for one
thing only. The shops are just over the road, and if there was a queue I
would come straight back without geting it.
I wouldn't go any further, or get anything that would take more than 5
minutes in total. For example I've done this to post a letter (the post box
being just opposite our house,) but I wouldn't let her stay when I was going
to collect a prescription because sometimes you have to wait while they make
it up, although I can see our house from the chemists the whole time.
I wouldn't have done this 6 months ago.
Debbie

[user]

On Thu, 16 Nov 2006 21:32:01 GMT, Stephanie > wrote:
> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the store?

Well, that's a pretty open ended question, since a trip to the store
could be 10 minutes or 2 hours.

For a relatively quick trip of a half hour or less, 6 years old is fine,
as long as the child is reasonably responsible and has access to external
help; i.e., they know how to call 911, have neighbors around, etc.

For a longer trip outside the house - say, two hours - nine or ten
would be perfectly fine, under the same conditions as above.

> More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be conceivable?

Again, that's open ended. There are a lot of totally whacked-out parents
who refuse to give their children any age-appropriate responsibility or
the opportunity to grow outside the ever-present gaze of Mom and Dad. Other
whacked-out parents leave their three year olds alone at home while they're at
work. Hopefully most people fall somewhere in the middle. ;-)

- Rich

--
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.

[Marie]

"Chookie" > wrote in message
...
> Do people really take their 7yos with them while they are outside
> gardening
> ... Not to help, but because they can't be trusted indoors on their own?

Not that I know of! I wondered about that, too.
Marie

[bizby40]

"Marie" > wrote in message
...
> "Chookie" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Do people really take their 7yos with them while they are outside
>> gardening
>> ... Not to help, but because they can't be trusted indoors on their
>> own?
>
> Not that I know of! I wondered about that, too.
> Marie

Not here -- we definitely consider being in the yard as "at home".

I'm surprised at how many people would leave their 8yo for an hour or
more though. My son is 8, and I just can't imagine leaving him here
by himself. My daughter was much more mature at 8, but I still didn't
leave her alone until she was 10, and that was only for 1/2 hour or
less. Now that she's 11, she's allowed to stay at home for a couple
of hours, but not all day. Her brother is allowed to stay with her
for those short 20 minute trips to the corner store, but has to go
with me if it's for longer. My mom said she didn't leave me alone
until I was 12.

What I don't get really is the whole daylight/nighttime thing. We
haven't had occasion to leave her later than 8:00, but I don't feel
any less comfortable when it's dark outside than when it's light.

Bizby

[Grahame]

wow, reading these replies scares me...
I have a 13 yr old Ive only JUST in the last 2 weeks been leting stay home
for an hour or so while I duck to the shops.
and I thought she was too young and I was a bad mum letting her.!
Guess I need to rethink
She is a mature 13 yr old too, but I have other children, maybe thats the
differnce. I waited till she was 13 and could look after her 11 yr old
brother and 8 yr old sister.
They have strict rules when I leave them for that time. NO answereing the
phone, we havwe a machine and if its me they can hear.....NO answering the
door. TO ANYONE even people they know. To do homework, or be quiet in that
time. NO COOKING, NO HEATER....Im scared stiff of fires.
I dont know, I still think an 8 yr old doesnt have the thinking ability to
handle a problem and should be left alone at all. But so many here seem to
think its ok. Maybe Im wrong, but I think if my daughter was alone, I still
would have waited till teenage before letting her stay alone for and hour or
so.
I guess its an individual thing. And only you know your child and your
circumstances.
All the best
Fiona
"Stephanie" > wrote in message
news:lN47h.3413$%U.993@trndny07...
> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the
> store? More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be
> conceivable?
>
>
> Thanks
>
> Stephanie
>

[Nikki]

"Stephanie" > wrote in message
news:lN47h.3413$%U.993@trndny07...
> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the
> store? More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be
> conceivable?
>

Hunter is 7yo and I haven't left him yet. I imagine that I might leave him
for up to 30 minutes next summer. It feels weird to think about it but I
think he'd be fine. I would not leave him home with Luke as he is more
impulsive and they would be much more likely to break rules together. Luke
might have to be more like 9yo before I'd leave him.


--
Nikki, mama to
Hunter 4/99
Luke 4/01
Brock 4/06
Ben 4/06

[Chris]

Stephanie wrote:
> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the store?
> More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be conceivable?

This is one of those things that seem to just gradually happen. We
would leave our 6 year old alone for the 10 minutes or so it would take
to run up to the post office. Gradually we would work up to 30 minutes
(a run to the school to pick up his brother for instance). He is now
11 and can stay home for a couple of hours alone. When his older
brother was 12 and the younger was 8 we would leave them for the
evening (like to a movie or something). Now at 15 and 11 we are
considering let them stay home alone overnight while we go away.

Chris

[deja.blues]

"bizby40" > wrote in message
...
>
> I'm surprised at how many people would leave their 8yo for an hour or
> more though. My son is 8, and I just can't imagine leaving him here
> by himself.

It depends on the child. My youngest is 8 (will be 9 in a few weeks) and
he's perfectly capable of staying home alone for half a day , four hours or
so. He can use the phone , IM me , make himself a snack, amuse himself, etc.
I work 5 minutes away.
He's rather a mature and self-sufficient kid, however, being the youngest of
three boys (the older ones are 17 and 13). The older two have occasions to
not be home (active school and social lives) so sometimes the youngest is
here alone, and he's fine.

>My daughter was much more mature at 8, but I still didn't > leave her alone
until she was 10, and that was only for 1/2 hour or
> less. Now that she's 11, she's allowed to stay at home for a couple
> of hours, but not all day. Her brother is allowed to stay with her
> for those short 20 minute trips to the corner store, but has to go
> with me if it's for longer. My mom said she didn't leave me alone
> until I was 12.

When I was 12, I was left in charge of my three younger brothers ( 11, 9, 9)
for several hours after school until my mother got home, and all day in the
summer when school was out. We did some bad stuff, but we're still alive and
have fun stories to tell.
My mom was a lot more hovering and distrustful at Little League, riding
lessons, art school, etc. She trusted us alone a lot more than she did
leaving us in the care of other adults.

[Tori M]

"Jen" > wrote in message
...
>
> "deja.blues" > wrote in message
> news:p%x7h.753$gJ1.142@trndny09...
>>
>> "bizby40" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>
>>> I'm surprised at how many people would leave their 8yo for an hour or
>>> more though. My son is 8, and I just can't imagine leaving him here
>>> by himself.
>>
>> It depends on the child. My youngest is 8 (will be 9 in a few weeks) and
>> he's perfectly capable of staying home alone for half a day , four hours
>> or
>> so. He can use the phone , IM me , make himself a snack, amuse himself,
>> etc.
>> I work 5 minutes away.
>> He's rather a mature and self-sufficient kid, however, being the youngest
>> of
>> three boys (the older ones are 17 and 13). The older two have occasions
>> to
>> not be home (active school and social lives) so sometimes the youngest
>> is
>> here alone, and he's fine.
>>
>>>My daughter was much more mature at 8, but I still didn't > leave her
>>>alone
>> until she was 10, and that was only for 1/2 hour or
>>> less. Now that she's 11, she's allowed to stay at home for a couple
>>> of hours, but not all day. Her brother is allowed to stay with her
>>> for those short 20 minute trips to the corner store, but has to go
>>> with me if it's for longer. My mom said she didn't leave me alone
>>> until I was 12.
>>
>> When I was 12, I was left in charge of my three younger brothers ( 11, 9,
>> 9)
>> for several hours after school until my mother got home, and all day in
>> the
>> summer when school was out. We did some bad stuff, but we're still alive
>> and
>> have fun stories to tell.
>> My mom was a lot more hovering and distrustful at Little League, riding
>> lessons, art school, etc. She trusted us alone a lot more than she did
>> leaving us in the care of other adults.
>
> I'm confused! A while ago people were shocked that I didn't let my 10
> year old hang around with friends, or alone or whatever, when she's *not*
> home. But some people won't even leave them at home at that age. I would
> of have thought it would be a lot safer behind closed doors, and in
> familiar surroundings.

I know! My neice had a babysitter up til this last summer.. she just turned
13.. I was babysitting a baby at 12.. I think my mom left us alone for an
hour or so starting at maybe 8-9.. the rules where no cooking with the
stove, no opening the door to strangers and if the phone wrang (no answering
machine, precaller id) we COULD answer it but if I didnt know them then I
was to tell them that my mom was busy and could not come to the phone. We
also had code words for safety. If someone didnt know the code word we
wouldnt go with them.

Tori

[Jen]

"deja.blues" > wrote in message
news:p%x7h.753$gJ1.142@trndny09...
>
> "bizby40" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> I'm surprised at how many people would leave their 8yo for an hour or
>> more though. My son is 8, and I just can't imagine leaving him here
>> by himself.
>
> It depends on the child. My youngest is 8 (will be 9 in a few weeks) and
> he's perfectly capable of staying home alone for half a day , four hours
> or
> so. He can use the phone , IM me , make himself a snack, amuse himself,
> etc.
> I work 5 minutes away.
> He's rather a mature and self-sufficient kid, however, being the youngest
> of
> three boys (the older ones are 17 and 13). The older two have occasions
> to
> not be home (active school and social lives) so sometimes the youngest is
> here alone, and he's fine.
>
>>My daughter was much more mature at 8, but I still didn't > leave her
>>alone
> until she was 10, and that was only for 1/2 hour or
>> less. Now that she's 11, she's allowed to stay at home for a couple
>> of hours, but not all day. Her brother is allowed to stay with her
>> for those short 20 minute trips to the corner store, but has to go
>> with me if it's for longer. My mom said she didn't leave me alone
>> until I was 12.
>
> When I was 12, I was left in charge of my three younger brothers ( 11, 9,
> 9)
> for several hours after school until my mother got home, and all day in
> the
> summer when school was out. We did some bad stuff, but we're still alive
> and
> have fun stories to tell.
> My mom was a lot more hovering and distrustful at Little League, riding
> lessons, art school, etc. She trusted us alone a lot more than she did
> leaving us in the care of other adults.

I'm confused! A while ago people were shocked that I didn't let my 10 year
old hang around with friends, or alone or whatever, when she's *not* home.
But some people won't even leave them at home at that age. I would of have
thought it would be a lot safer behind closed doors, and in familiar
surroundings.

Personally I've let both gradually happen around the same time, she now
hangs out a little bit, and occasionally, if she doesn't want to go for a
walk to the shop, I'll leave her at home, while I go.

Just wondering

Jen

[bizby40]

"Jen" > wrote in message
...
> I'm confused! A while ago people were shocked that I didn't let my
> 10 year old hang around with friends, or alone or whatever, when
> she's *not* home. But some people won't even leave them at home at
> that age. I would of have thought it would be a lot safer behind
> closed doors, and in familiar surroundings.

The problem is that there is no real consensus, and in many places no
real laws that give people a guideline. There are also very wide
discrepancies in kids' maturity levels, and in their circumstances.
So there is no real guidance in this area for people. When I told a
friend that I'd decided my 10 year old could stay by herself for short
periods, she actually told me that I'd better not tell anyone because
if Social Services found out I'd be in trouble! It set me on a frenzy
of research before I was sure she was wrong.

The other problem is that there is a period of time when they'd be
just fine at home as long as everything goes okay, but you don't know
for sure how they'd react in a real emergency situation. You hope
they never happen, but...

As for my 11YO, I'd let her watch her brother for longer periods
except that the two of them don't get along. I trust her to keep him
and herself alive, but I don't trust them not to spend the whole time
bickering. I'm not going to leave him alone with her for long in
those circumstances.

Bizby

[Jeff]

"enigma" > wrote in message
. ..
> "Stephanie" > wrote in
> news:lN47h.3413$%U.993@trndny07:
>
>> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a
>> trip to the store? More to the point, what is the youngest
>> age that this would be conceivable?
>
> if you live in the US, you might want to check with your state
> Division of Family Services to see what they say.
> my mom left us briefly (no more than half an hour) when we
> were 8 or so, but by then we'd been walking to the store &
> back alone for at least 4 years...

So it's not ok to stay home alone, but it is ok to walk out where there are
strangers. Gee, that's logical.

It depends on the kid and where you are.

So kids are ready to be left alone for various times when they are 5 or 6.
Some not unitl they are teens.

In some areas, even if there are not adults in the house, the kids aren't
alone. The kids can go to the neighbors.

It also depends on when and why you are leaving the kids alone. And with
cell phones, are they really alone? And don't forget web cam for when they
are older.

Jeff

> it depends a lot on the child & how responsible they are & if
> you expect them to be responsible for a younger sibling.
> in my state the Red Cross offers babysitting courses for 12
> year olds, but the DYFS frowns severely on leaving a kid less
> than 14 alone, never mind watching other little kids.
>
> lee
> --
> Question with boldness even the existence of god; because if
> there be
> one, he must more approve the homage of reason than that of
> blindfolded
> fear. - Thomas Jefferson

[[email protected]]

bizby40 wrote:
>
>
> The problem is that there is no real consensus, and in many places no
> real laws that give people a guideline. There are also very wide
> discrepancies in kids' maturity levels, and in their circumstances.
> So there is no real guidance in this area for people. When I told a
> friend that I'd decided my 10 year old could stay by herself for short
> periods, she actually told me that I'd better not tell anyone because
> if Social Services found out I'd be in trouble! It set me on a frenzy
> of research before I was sure she was wrong.

I think in my state it's 12 before you can leave kids on their own.
>
> The other problem is that there is a period of time when they'd be
> just fine at home as long as everything goes okay, but you don't know
> for sure how they'd react in a real emergency situation. You hope
> they never happen, but...

It's not even emergencies that I worry about. It's all the little
things that go wrong or pile up in a mess because the kids just don't
pay any attention. Dumb stuff like water left running, lights left on,
glasses set down wet on hardwood tables or floors -- whatever it is
that that particular kid just can't seem to remember and I'm always
hounding them about. (It's hard to think of ones that truly matter, but
that aren't actually dangerous -- my point is that there are *so many*
things like this, not that any one particular thing would be so
terrible for them to do.) I'm sure the details are different in every
family. I'm also sure that there are people who think my kids act like
this because I haven't given them *enough* responsibilities and
independence, and probably in some respects that's true.

--Helen

[enigma]

"Jeff" > wrote in
k.net:

>
> "enigma" > wrote in message
> . ..
>> "Stephanie" > wrote in
>> news:lN47h.3413$%U.993@trndny07:
>>
>>> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a
>>> trip to the store? More to the point, what is the
>>> youngest age that this would be conceivable?
>>
>> if you live in the US, you might want to check with your
>> state Division of Family Services to see what they say.
>> my mom left us briefly (no more than half an hour) when we
>> were 8 or so, but by then we'd been walking to the store &
>> back alone for at least 4 years...
>
> So it's not ok to stay home alone, but it is ok to walk out
> where there are strangers. Gee, that's logical.
>
> It depends on the kid and where you are.

exactly. when i was 8 we lived in suburbia. i don't remember
being left alone before age 8, but it's actually highly likely
we were, since running across the street or next door for a
few minutes or something probably happened frequently. plus it
was the 50s and people weren't so terrified of evil child
nappers or whatever.
walking 3 blocks to the store at age 4 was in a smaller town,
but we did walk a mile to school alone at 5 in Rochester NY.
<shrug>

> So kids are ready to be left alone for various times when
> they are 5 or 6. Some not unitl they are teens.

yup, but DFS gets antsy if they find 5-6 year olds alone.

> In some areas, even if there are not adults in the house,
> the kids aren't alone. The kids can go to the neighbors.

yup.

lee
--
Question with boldness even the existence of god; because if
there be
one, he must more approve the homage of reason than that of
blindfolded
fear. - Thomas Jefferson

[Jen]

" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> bizby40 wrote:
>>
>>
>> The problem is that there is no real consensus, and in many places no
>> real laws that give people a guideline. There are also very wide
>> discrepancies in kids' maturity levels, and in their circumstances.
>> So there is no real guidance in this area for people. When I told a
>> friend that I'd decided my 10 year old could stay by herself for short
>> periods, she actually told me that I'd better not tell anyone because
>> if Social Services found out I'd be in trouble! It set me on a frenzy
>> of research before I was sure she was wrong.
>
> I think in my state it's 12 before you can leave kids on their own.
>>
>> The other problem is that there is a period of time when they'd be
>> just fine at home as long as everything goes okay, but you don't know
>> for sure how they'd react in a real emergency situation. You hope
>> they never happen, but...
>
> It's not even emergencies that I worry about. It's all the little
> things that go wrong or pile up in a mess because the kids just don't
> pay any attention. Dumb stuff like water left running, lights left on,
> glasses set down wet on hardwood tables or floors -- whatever it is
> that that particular kid just can't seem to remember and I'm always
> hounding them about. (It's hard to think of ones that truly matter, but
> that aren't actually dangerous -- my point is that there are *so many*
> things like this, not that any one particular thing would be so
> terrible for them to do.) I'm sure the details are different in every
> family. I'm also sure that there are people who think my kids act like
> this because I haven't given them *enough* responsibilities and
> independence, and probably in some respects that's true.

Yeah, but my point is, people let quite young kids hang around the parks or
streets or whatever. It seems to me a lot more dangerous things can happen
out in the open away from home, you don't even have to open the door for
strangers to be around. And they can still panic outside as well.

Jen

[bizby40]

"Jen" > wrote in message
...
> Yeah, but my point is, people let quite young kids hang around the
> parks or streets or whatever. It seems to me a lot more dangerous
> things can happen out in the open away from home, you don't even
> have to open the door for strangers to be around. And they can
> still panic outside as well.

I think the key difference there is that while the parents may not be
right with their children, they are available to them. The child may
play outside in their yard, or down the street with their friends, but
at any point when they want/need their parent, all they have to do is
run home. When I was talking about leaving my kids at home alone, I
meant that I would not be there at all. I was not counting the times
I might be outside while they were inside but knew where I was. That
occurred much earlier.

And much like the original question, I'm sure the question of when to
allow the kids out of your sight outdoors varies widely based on all
the same things -- perceived safety of the neighborhood, the maturity
of the children, and the parents' tendency to worry.

Bizby

[enigma]

"bizby40" > wrote in
:

> And much like the original question, I'm sure the question
> of when to allow the kids out of your sight outdoors varies
> widely based on all the same things -- perceived safety of
> the neighborhood, the maturity of the children, and the
> parents' tendency to worry.

oh, i hope so... Boo's been playing out of my sight out in
the yard since he was 2. at 2 he didn't go very far away from
the house, and he was pretty clear on his boundries where he
could go... plus the goat wouldn't let him into the pasture so
i didn't have to worry about the pond.
of course, regulars know i'm not a worrier & i live in a
rural location. i'm more the type to encourage independance &
developing rational thought :)
lee


--
Question with boldness even the existence of god; because if
there be
one, he must more approve the homage of reason than that of
blindfolded
fear. - Thomas Jefferson

[[email protected]]

enigma wrote:
>
> exactly. when i was 8 we lived in suburbia. i don't remember
> being left alone before age 8, but it's actually highly likely
> we were, since running across the street or next door for a
> few minutes or something probably happened frequently. plus it
> was the 50s and people weren't so terrified of evil child
> nappers or whatever.
> walking 3 blocks to the store at age 4 was in a smaller town,
> but we did walk a mile to school alone at 5 in Rochester NY.
> <shrug>

I also grew up in Rochester! My mom told us a while back that when I
was a baby and my eldest sister was in kindergarten, my sister would
leave school at noon, walk about 1/2 a mile in the other direction,
pick up my 3 year old sister from nursery school, and then the two of
them would walk home. (About 3/4 mile from the nursery school.) No
choice really -- Mom didn't have a car and the route to school involved
a pedestrian bridge accessed by a long flight of stairs -- not
practical with a babycarriage. But, as you said, in the early 1960's,
nobody thought much of it.

Naomi

[[email protected]]

bizby40 wrote:

> The problem is that there is no real consensus, and in many places no
> real laws that give people a guideline. There are also very wide
> discrepancies in kids' maturity levels, and in their circumstances.
> So there is no real guidance in this area for people. When I told a
> friend that I'd decided my 10 year old could stay by herself for short
> periods, she actually told me that I'd better not tell anyone because
> if Social Services found out I'd be in trouble! It set me on a frenzy
> of research before I was sure she was wrong.

I'm pretty sure that the laws tend to be quite vague, more or less on
purpose. I think in my state (North Carolina) it's considered
inappropriate to leave a child under eight home alone for any reason,
but older than that it's all considered a judgement call. It's not
inconceivable that a parent might be prosecuted for leaving a
ten-year-old home alone if for whatever reason Social Services thought
the situation warranted it, although it's probably quite unlikely. I
realize that they leave the rules vague so that someone can't point to
a rule saying 'ten is okay' if they leave a developmentally delayed
10-year-old home alone overnight, but the total lack of official rules
makes me a little nervous.

Beth

[[email protected]]

Stephanie wrote:
> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the store?
> More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be conceivable?

I have a follow-up. My son (who's four) and I tend to wake up much
earlier than my husband does. There are times it'd be nice to be able
to run out quickly in the morning without taking him. How old would a
child have to be for the rest of you to be willing to leave a child
home with a sleeping parent?

Beth

[Jen]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Stephanie wrote:
>> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the
>> store?
>> More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be
>> conceivable?
>
> I have a follow-up. My son (who's four) and I tend to wake up much
> earlier than my husband does. There are times it'd be nice to be able
> to run out quickly in the morning without taking him. How old would a
> child have to be for the rest of you to be willing to leave a child
> home with a sleeping parent?


I can dose and be fully aware of everything going on. If the parent is a
light sleeper, and everything dangerous is out of reach, and they can't
unlock the doors to get out. It should be fine.

Jen

[Banty]

In article om>,
says...
>
>
>bizby40 wrote:
>
>> The problem is that there is no real consensus, and in many places no
>> real laws that give people a guideline. There are also very wide
>> discrepancies in kids' maturity levels, and in their circumstances.
>> So there is no real guidance in this area for people. When I told a
>> friend that I'd decided my 10 year old could stay by herself for short
>> periods, she actually told me that I'd better not tell anyone because
>> if Social Services found out I'd be in trouble! It set me on a frenzy
>> of research before I was sure she was wrong.
>
>I'm pretty sure that the laws tend to be quite vague, more or less on
>purpose. I think in my state (North Carolina) it's considered
>inappropriate to leave a child under eight home alone for any reason,
>but older than that it's all considered a judgement call. It's not
>inconceivable that a parent might be prosecuted for leaving a
>ten-year-old home alone if for whatever reason Social Services thought
>the situation warranted it, although it's probably quite unlikely. I
>realize that they leave the rules vague so that someone can't point to
>a rule saying 'ten is okay' if they leave a developmentally delayed
>10-year-old home alone overnight, but the total lack of official rules
>makes me a little nervous.
>

I discussed the NY state laws with my childcare provider (who really keeps up on
those things), and they're similar. Legally, the proof is in the pudding.
Between about 8 and 14, if there's a problem or accident that attracts
authorities' attention, then that's taken as an example of leaving a child too
young. If nothing along that line happens, then it's OK.

It's like those "..if can proceed safely.." traffic laws. No accident - safe
(or at least, unenforceable). If there's a crash, then, one didn't proceed
safely.

Banty

[Banty]

In article . com>,
says...
>
>
>Stephanie wrote:
>> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the store?
>> More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be conceivable?
>
>I have a follow-up. My son (who's four) and I tend to wake up much
>earlier than my husband does. There are times it'd be nice to be able
>to run out quickly in the morning without taking him. How old would a
>child have to be for the rest of you to be willing to leave a child
>home with a sleeping parent?

From birth, I'd hope, or I would have gotten no sleep at all as a single parent.

Banty

[bizby40]

"Banty" > wrote in message
...
> In article . com>,
> says...
>>
>>
>>Stephanie wrote:
>>> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to
>>> the store?
>>> More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be
>>> conceivable?
>>
>>I have a follow-up. My son (who's four) and I tend to wake up much
>>earlier than my husband does. There are times it'd be nice to be
>>able
>>to run out quickly in the morning without taking him. How old would
>>a
>>child have to be for the rest of you to be willing to leave a child
>>home with a sleeping parent?
>
> From birth, I'd hope, or I would have gotten no sleep at all as a
> single parent.

I don't think she was counting confined to a crib. And if I had a 2
year old who had a habit of wandering the house while I was sleeping,
I'd probably have baby-gated the room. My kids would always come in
and wake me up as soon as they got up. DD is a night-owl and sleeps
late, but DS is always the first one up in the morning. By age 4 we
were training him to go to the playroom and let us sleep a bit more,
but as we woke up when he went through the room anyway, we weren't
really *sleeping*, just sort of dozing and listening.

To answer the question, I was okay leaving them with a sleeping spouse
as soon as I was okay with staying in bed when they got up. I'd say
something like, "Daddy's asleep. Don't wake him up unless you really
need to." Unfortunately for him, they usually "needed to" very
quickly.

Bizby

[bizby40]

> wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> bizby40 wrote:
>
>> The problem is that there is no real consensus, and in many places
>> no
>> real laws that give people a guideline. There are also very wide
>> discrepancies in kids' maturity levels, and in their circumstances.
>> So there is no real guidance in this area for people. When I told
>> a
>> friend that I'd decided my 10 year old could stay by herself for
>> short
>> periods, she actually told me that I'd better not tell anyone
>> because
>> if Social Services found out I'd be in trouble! It set me on a
>> frenzy
>> of research before I was sure she was wrong.
>
> I'm pretty sure that the laws tend to be quite vague, more or less
> on
> purpose. I think in my state (North Carolina) it's considered
> inappropriate to leave a child under eight home alone for any
> reason,
> but older than that it's all considered a judgement call. It's not
> inconceivable that a parent might be prosecuted for leaving a
> ten-year-old home alone if for whatever reason Social Services
> thought
> the situation warranted it, although it's probably quite unlikely.
> I
> realize that they leave the rules vague so that someone can't point
> to
> a rule saying 'ten is okay' if they leave a developmentally delayed
> 10-year-old home alone overnight, but the total lack of official
> rules
> makes me a little nervous.

Yeah, it would make me feel better if there were more clear-cut
guidelines too. To be honest, I think this friend might have had a
few run ins with social services over the years. Not that they were
unfit parents, but at one point they were very poor and almost unable
to feed their family. I know of one time that someone actually
reported them to social services, though that was for an unfounded
reason. I have a feeling that there might have been more, but she was
too embarrassed to offer more than broad hints.

Bizby

[Sarah Lister]

Banty wrote:
> In article . com>,
> says...
> >
> >
> >Stephanie wrote:
> >> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the store?
> >> More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be conceivable?
> >
> >I have a follow-up. My son (who's four) and I tend to wake up much
> >earlier than my husband does. There are times it'd be nice to be able
> >to run out quickly in the morning without taking him. How old would a
> >child have to be for the rest of you to be willing to leave a child
> >home with a sleeping parent?
>
> From birth, I'd hope, or I would have gotten no sleep at all as a single parent.

Um, of course. I would think it'd be obvious from context that I meant
'a child old enough to get out of his room by himself, left while
awake'.

Beth

[Banty]

In article >, bizby40 says...
>
>
>"Banty" > wrote in message
...
>> In article . com>,
>> says...
>>>
>>>
>>>Stephanie wrote:
>>>> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to
>>>> the store?
>>>> More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be
>>>> conceivable?
>>>
>>>I have a follow-up. My son (who's four) and I tend to wake up much
>>>earlier than my husband does. There are times it'd be nice to be
>>>able
>>>to run out quickly in the morning without taking him. How old would
>>>a
>>>child have to be for the rest of you to be willing to leave a child
>>>home with a sleeping parent?
>>
>> From birth, I'd hope, or I would have gotten no sleep at all as a
>> single parent.
>
>I don't think she was counting confined to a crib. And if I had a 2
>year old who had a habit of wandering the house while I was sleeping,
>I'd probably have baby-gated the room. My kids would always come in
>and wake me up as soon as they got up. DD is a night-owl and sleeps
>late, but DS is always the first one up in the morning. By age 4 we
>were training him to go to the playroom and let us sleep a bit more,
>but as we woke up when he went through the room anyway, we weren't
>really *sleeping*, just sort of dozing and listening.

Well, I'm counting birth all the way up to 14 years old.

So far..


>
>To answer the question, I was okay leaving them with a sleeping spouse
>as soon as I was okay with staying in bed when they got up. I'd say
>something like, "Daddy's asleep. Don't wake him up unless you really
>need to." Unfortunately for him, they usually "needed to" very
>quickly.

The thing that strikes me odd about this is - don't Dads go on business trips
before they're old enough to get up without a parent getting up, too?

Seems to me this is something about parental roles more than when a child can be
left alone with a sleeping parent per se.

Banty

[user]

On 19 Nov 2006 14:31:33 -0800, > wrote:
>
> bizby40 wrote:
>
>> The problem is that there is no real consensus, and in many places no
>> real laws that give people a guideline. There are also very wide
>> discrepancies in kids' maturity levels, and in their circumstances.
>> So there is no real guidance in this area for people. When I told a
>> friend that I'd decided my 10 year old could stay by herself for short
>> periods, she actually told me that I'd better not tell anyone because
>> if Social Services found out I'd be in trouble! It set me on a frenzy
>> of research before I was sure she was wrong.
>
> I'm pretty sure that the laws tend to be quite vague, more or less on
> purpose. I think in my state (North Carolina) it's considered
> inappropriate to leave a child under eight home alone for any reason,
> but older than that it's all considered a judgement call. It's not
> inconceivable that a parent might be prosecuted for leaving a
> ten-year-old home alone if for whatever reason Social Services thought
> the situation warranted it, although it's probably quite unlikely. I
> realize that they leave the rules vague so that someone can't point to
> a rule saying 'ten is okay' if they leave a developmentally delayed
> 10-year-old home alone overnight, but the total lack of official rules
> makes me a little nervous.

I honestly don't see where the rules of any given state regarding the
age of the child should should be of any concern, to anyone.

It really doesn't matter what the state says. If the child is
responsible enough and has access to outside help, to be left alone for
20 minutes when they're six - then let them stay home alone for 20 minutes,
and to heck with what the law says. If the kid is 14 and an incurable
pyromanic, then you take that into account and operate accordingly. The
state is just about the *least* relevent party when it comes to understanding
what any particular child is capable of doing or not doing.

- Rich

--
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.

[[email protected]]

user wrote:

> It really doesn't matter what the state says. If the child is
> responsible enough and has access to outside help, to be left alone for
> 20 minutes when they're six - then let them stay home alone for 20 minutes,
> and to heck with what the law says. If the kid is 14 and an incurable
> pyromanic, then you take that into account and operate accordingly. The
> state is just about the *least* relevent party when it comes to understanding
> what any particular child is capable of doing or not doing.

Well, I agree that the state is irrelevant to understanding what any
particular child is capable of. However, *my* state, the state of
North Carolina, has the power to make my life extremely miserable up to
and including the removal of my child from my home should it determine
that my own understanding is incorrect. I don't think this is
necessarily reasonable, but it's true, and therefore I'm unlikely to
leave him home alone at six no matter how responsible he is because if
a freak accident should occur and the wrong someone should find out
that he was home alone, the consequenes would be dire.

Beth

[[email protected]]

Banty wrote:

> The thing that strikes me odd about this is - don't Dads go on business trips
> before they're old enough to get up without a parent getting up, too?
>
> Seems to me this is something about parental roles more than when a child can be
> left alone with a sleeping parent per se.

I don't get the part about the Dads and the business trips, but if
you're asking why am I the one to get up, it's because I'm the early
riser and always have been.

Do you really not get my question, or do you think that it's okay for a
child to be awake with no waking adult supervision from birth onward,
or what? I understand the question displeases you but I'm not sure
what the specific issue is.

Beth

[Banty]

In article om>,
says...
>
>
>Banty wrote:
>
>> The thing that strikes me odd about this is - don't Dads go on business trips
>> before they're old enough to get up without a parent getting up, too?
>>
>>Seems to me this is something about parental roles more than when a child can be
>> left alone with a sleeping parent per se.
>
>I don't get the part about the Dads and the business trips, but if
>you're asking why am I the one to get up, it's because I'm the early
>riser and always have been.
>
>Do you really not get my question, or do you think that it's okay for a
>child to be awake with no waking adult supervision from birth onward,
>or what? I understand the question displeases you but I'm not sure
>what the specific issue is.

No, the question doesn't "displease" me; I didn't get that you're talking about
a child already awake and running around.

I'd say five or six.

Banty

[Rosalie B.]

Banty > wrote:

>In article >, bizby40 says...
>>
>>
>>"Banty" > wrote in message
...
>>> In article . com>,
>>> says...
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Stephanie wrote:
>>>>> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to
>>>>> the store?
>>>>> More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be
>>>>> conceivable?
>>>>
>>>>I have a follow-up. My son (who's four) and I tend to wake up much
>>>>earlier than my husband does. There are times it'd be nice to be
>>>>able
>>>>to run out quickly in the morning without taking him. How old would
>>>>a
>>>>child have to be for the rest of you to be willing to leave a child
>>>>home with a sleeping parent?
>>>
>>> From birth, I'd hope, or I would have gotten no sleep at all as a
>>> single parent.
>>
>>I don't think she was counting confined to a crib. And if I had a 2
>>year old who had a habit of wandering the house while I was sleeping,
>>I'd probably have baby-gated the room. My kids would always come in
>>and wake me up as soon as they got up. DD is a night-owl and sleeps
>>late, but DS is always the first one up in the morning. By age 4 we
>>were training him to go to the playroom and let us sleep a bit more,
>>but as we woke up when he went through the room anyway, we weren't
>>really *sleeping*, just sort of dozing and listening.
>
>Well, I'm counting birth all the way up to 14 years old.
>
>So far..
>
>
>>
>>To answer the question, I was okay leaving them with a sleeping spouse
>>as soon as I was okay with staying in bed when they got up. I'd say
>>something like, "Daddy's asleep. Don't wake him up unless you really
>>need to." Unfortunately for him, they usually "needed to" very
>>quickly.
>
>The thing that strikes me odd about this is - don't Dads go on business trips
>before they're old enough to get up without a parent getting up, too?
>
>Seems to me this is something about parental roles more than when a child can be
>left alone with a sleeping parent per se.
>
Maybe and maybe not. I had a friend who had an extremely active child
who needed almost no sleep. The kind of kid who if he got up before
the household was up (which he would do) would remove his clothing and
climb out the window (as the door was locked with a slide bolt at the
top) naked. His dad stayed up at night with him until 2 am (since
his dad was a night owl, and his lark mom got up in the morning with
him. Whichever one was in charge, would ensure that he didn't wake
the other one.

I was often in effect a single parent when dh was deployed, and I
needed my sleep so my kids would often be awake before I woke up.
Sometimes dd#2 would wake up from her nap before dd#1 and I were ready
to get up, and she (at about age 3) would just play quietly while we
slept.

When dh was home, he would often get up with them - he was a lark
type. So he would get up at 6 am and have breakfast, and dd#1 would
get up and have breakfast with him before she went to school. There
was an interval of about 2 hours after he left before she needed to
leave for school. Her siblings and I didn't get up.

[Note: DH hated soft boiled eggs, and didn't really want a cooked
breakfast so I fixed his breakfast and packed his lunch before I went
to bed. He had a hard boiled egg and juice and cold cereal for
breakfast (and so did dd#1)]

[bizby40]

"Banty" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, bizby40
> says...
>>To answer the question, I was okay leaving them with a sleeping
>>spouse
>>as soon as I was okay with staying in bed when they got up. I'd say
>>something like, "Daddy's asleep. Don't wake him up unless you
>>really
>>need to." Unfortunately for him, they usually "needed to" very
>>quickly.
>
> The thing that strikes me odd about this is - don't Dads go on
> business trips
> before they're old enough to get up without a parent getting up,
> too?
>
> Seems to me this is something about parental roles more than when a
> child can be
> left alone with a sleeping parent per se.

I'm not sure what one parent versus two parents has to do with it,
except that she phrased the question such that she was wanting to
leave while her husband was home but asleep. Whether it's one
sleeping parent or two is really immaterial.

But it does *feel* different to actually be fully alert and then walk
out and leave the child with no other adults in the house awake than
it does to linger in bed for a bit after you've heard them stirring,
even though the end result is really no different.

Bizby

[[email protected]]

wrote:
> enigma wrote:
> > walking 3 blocks to the store at age 4 was in a smaller town,
> > but we did walk a mile to school alone at 5 in Rochester NY.
> > <shrug>
>
> I also grew up in Rochester! My mom told us a while back that when I
> was a baby and my eldest sister was in kindergarten, my sister would
> leave school at noon, walk about 1/2 a mile in the other direction,
> pick up my 3 year old sister from nursery school, and then the two of
> them would walk home.

I grew up in Ra-cha-cha too. ;) In the city (19th ward), and I'd walk
to kindergarten with some neighbor kids who were probably in 2nd or 3rd
grade. I just googled it and it's about 1/2 mile. I actually was
talking to my mom about this a few days ago; the neighborhood's
definitely gotten worse and I don't think I'd let my kids walk there
alone. But maybe I've gotten too used to white, rich BMW-ville where I
live now. :P

Em
mama to Micah, 11/14/04

[user]

On 19 Nov 2006 19:54:53 -0800, > wrote:
>
> wrote:
>> enigma wrote:
>> > walking 3 blocks to the store at age 4 was in a smaller town,
>> > but we did walk a mile to school alone at 5 in Rochester NY.
>> > <shrug>
>>
>> I also grew up in Rochester! My mom told us a while back that when I
>> was a baby and my eldest sister was in kindergarten, my sister would
>> leave school at noon, walk about 1/2 a mile in the other direction,
>> pick up my 3 year old sister from nursery school, and then the two of
>> them would walk home.
>
> I grew up in Ra-cha-cha too. ;) In the city (19th ward), and I'd walk
> to kindergarten with some neighbor kids who were probably in 2nd or 3rd
> grade. I just googled it and it's about 1/2 mile. I actually was
> talking to my mom about this a few days ago; the neighborhood's
> definitely gotten worse and I don't think I'd let my kids walk there
> alone. But maybe I've gotten too used to white, rich BMW-ville where I
> live now. :P
>

And here I am, having grown up, and stayed, in Penfield. ;-)

- Rich

--
Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.

[Nikki]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Stephanie wrote:
>> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the
>> store?
>> More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be
>> conceivable?
>
> I have a follow-up. My son (who's four) and I tend to wake up much
> earlier than my husband does. There are times it'd be nice to be able
> to run out quickly in the morning without taking him. How old would a
> child have to be for the rest of you to be willing to leave a child
> home with a sleeping parent?

I'd say 4 or 5yo. It sort of depends on the kid and what trouble they might
get into. My kids were not the type to go outside when told not to etc.
They didn't try to use the toaster when I wasn't looking. I felt pretty
sure that at 4yo all they would do is sit there and play or watch TV. Luke
is 5yo now and whether or not I'd leave him while his dad was asleep would
probably depend on the day we were all having. I actually trust him less as
he gets older.


--
Nikki, mama to
Hunter 4/99
Luke 4/01
Brock 4/06
Ben 4/06

[Stephanie]

"user" > wrote in message
...
> On 19 Nov 2006 14:31:33 -0800, >
> wrote:
>>
>> bizby40 wrote:
>>
>>> The problem is that there is no real consensus, and in many places no
>>> real laws that give people a guideline. There are also very wide
>>> discrepancies in kids' maturity levels, and in their circumstances.
>>> So there is no real guidance in this area for people. When I told a
>>> friend that I'd decided my 10 year old could stay by herself for short
>>> periods, she actually told me that I'd better not tell anyone because
>>> if Social Services found out I'd be in trouble! It set me on a frenzy
>>> of research before I was sure she was wrong.
>>
>> I'm pretty sure that the laws tend to be quite vague, more or less on
>> purpose. I think in my state (North Carolina) it's considered
>> inappropriate to leave a child under eight home alone for any reason,
>> but older than that it's all considered a judgement call. It's not
>> inconceivable that a parent might be prosecuted for leaving a
>> ten-year-old home alone if for whatever reason Social Services thought
>> the situation warranted it, although it's probably quite unlikely. I
>> realize that they leave the rules vague so that someone can't point to
>> a rule saying 'ten is okay' if they leave a developmentally delayed
>> 10-year-old home alone overnight, but the total lack of official rules
>> makes me a little nervous.
>
> I honestly don't see where the rules of any given state regarding the
> age of the child should should be of any concern, to anyone.
>
> It really doesn't matter what the state says. If the child is
> responsible enough and has access to outside help, to be left alone for
> 20 minutes when they're six - then let them stay home alone for 20
> minutes,
> and to heck with what the law says. If the kid is 14 and an incurable
> pyromanic, then you take that into account and operate accordingly. The
> state is just about the *least* relevent party when it comes to
> understanding
> what any particular child is capable of doing or not doing.
>


While I et your point, there is definitely an age at which a child cannot be
responsible enough to handle an emergency of the type that can happen in 20
minutes. And in my opinion 6 is still at that age.

> - Rich
>
> --
> Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum
> immane mittam.

[Anne Rogers]

> I'd say 4 or 5yo. It sort of depends on the kid and what trouble they
> might get into. My kids were not the type to go outside when told not to
> etc. They didn't try to use the toaster when I wasn't looking. I felt
> pretty sure that at 4yo all they would do is sit there and play or watch
> TV. Luke is 5yo now and whether or not I'd leave him while his dad was
> asleep would probably depend on the day we were all having. I actually
> trust him less as he gets older.

If this kind of situation ever arose, with our 3.5yr old as he is right now,
I'd leave him, but that's very much his personality, if he does get up
early, all he does is sit in front of the TV as he's not naturally an early
riser. He's too small to reach anything that could harm him, like the cooker
or toaster. It's plausible he would go to the fridge and leave it open, or
something annoying, but not harmful. I imagine that as he gets older, like
you with Luke this will reverse.

Cheers

Anne

[Tori M]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Stephanie wrote:
>> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the
>> store?
>> More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be
>> conceivable?
>
> I have a follow-up. My son (who's four) and I tend to wake up much
> earlier than my husband does. There are times it'd be nice to be able
> to run out quickly in the morning without taking him. How old would a
> child have to be for the rest of you to be willing to leave a child
> home with a sleeping parent?
>
Depends on what I left out the night before :P Sometimes if I am tired in
the morning I will either lock awake kid in my room with me and try to sleep
more or I will go out to the living room and dose off on the couch. As soon
as I get the kids room orginised better I will probably shut off their room
at night and then get them when either Bonnie lets them out (4) or I get
up.. we have tall door knobs here and Xavier cant reach them anymore.

Tori

[[email protected]]

user wrote:
> On 19 Nov 2006 19:54:53 -0800, > wrote:
> >
> > wrote:

> >
> > I grew up in Ra-cha-cha too. ;) In the city (19th ward), and I'd walk
> > to kindergarten with some neighbor kids who were probably in 2nd or 3rd
> > grade. I just googled it and it's about 1/2 mile. I actually was
> > talking to my mom about this a few days ago; the neighborhood's
> > definitely gotten worse and I don't think I'd let my kids walk there
> > alone. But maybe I've gotten too used to white, rich BMW-ville where I
> > live now. :P
> >
>
> And here I am, having grown up, and stayed, in Penfield. ;-)


Penfield isn't Rochester. It's the suburbs. (I grew up in the city. My
parents still live there. One of my sisters is in Brighton.)

Naomi
>
> - Rich
>
> --
> Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabis, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.

[toypup]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Stephanie wrote:
>> At what age would you leave kids alone in the house for a trip to the
>> store?
>> More to the point, what is the youngest age that this would be
>> conceivable?
>
> I have a follow-up. My son (who's four) and I tend to wake up much
> earlier than my husband does. There are times it'd be nice to be able
> to run out quickly in the morning without taking him. How old would a
> child have to be for the rest of you to be willing to leave a child
> home with a sleeping parent?

DS is 5yo and DH does leave him home with me still asleep on weekends on
rare occasions. He just watches tv and doesn't get into any trouble. I
think I'm more comfortable doing it if the sleeping parent is aware of the
possibility that the child might be awake and the other parent may be out.
That way, if there is any screaming, it won't be ignored in the hopes that
the other parent will take care of it.