At what age can kids stay in the car alone while running an errand?

[focusondisney]

You should have asked her if she was a member of the Dis police. Who knows, maybe there's a poster getting ready to start a new thread : "Child left alone at the Post Office..."


Or you could have thanked her for giving us all a good laugh & something to talk about!

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Reminds me of a story I heard about a neighbor years ago. The neighbor insisted that she needed a babysitter for her 14 year old son. She asked around, got the name of a sitter from someone, and called and hired her. The sitter turned out to be 13 years old.

Any non-special needs 14 year old is old enough to stay home by him/herself for an evening, and certainly old enough to stay in the car for several minutes while mom runs an errand. Depending on the maturity level of the child, 10 seems to be old enough to left alone for a very brief period.

Jim

Isn't there now a Disney show with a similar premise?

 

[heatherwillmom]

I was thinking that it was only under the age of 10 that wasn't allowed. I leave my 14 y/o in the car all the time when I go into the post office. He can start the car if he needs to or just come in where I am. Of course, I have a club in the car if he needs it too!

 

[TaraPA]

I wish I was quick witted & not caught off guard & would have come back with some of these replies!!!

 

[TaraPA]

Count me in too, neighbors!

I say as long as it wasn't the post office on Hamilton St, he was fine to be left in the car.

Not the post office but I did leave him alone in the car at Crocodile Rocks on Hamilton while I was at a concert there about 6 years ago.....

 

[LisaNJ25]

She would of hated me. I left my almost 12yo in the car with a 8yo, 7yo, 6yo and 2 5yo's while I ran into Walgreens today.

 

[Arm Flaps]

I'd feel fine leaving a 10 year old alone if the child was a responsible one without fear of having someone call the police on me. Under 10, you could get busy body's who have nothing better to do call on you for no legitimate reason. I don't know what Michigan's laws are about it though. In any state though, 14 seems plenty old enough to me.

 

[TaraPA]

She would of hated me. I left my almost 12yo in the car with a 8yo, 7yo, 6yo and 2 5yo's while I ran into Walgreens today.

As long as your windows were cracked you're fine...no sane person would want to steal THAT many kids!!!!

 

[LisaNJ25]

As long as your windows were cracked you're fine...no sane person would want to steal THAT many kids!!!!

 

[sparklynails23]

Isn't it like 90 degrees there? I think I would have left the car running.

 

[TaraPA]

Isn't it like 90 degrees there? I think I would have left the car running.

Oh heck no - I'd be more afraid of someone stealing my running car than my kid being uncomfortable! Yes it was 90 here today - all the windows were down - what do you think we did before we had AC? No need to have left the car running just to keep him cool, he spends all summer outdoors playing sports in 90+ degree heat, he's certainly used to being warm!

 

[chisnpeke]

I would have stopped, looked deeply into her eyes, cocked my head a little and said, "Are you okay?"

 

[GraysMom]

LOL it's the best - I don't think ANYONE knows it's there - it's always empty! It's right off of 378 at Preston Lane - where Copperhead Grill is. You'd pass it if you were headed to DeSales.

I've stopped in there several times to mail packages because there's never a line and the postal workers are nicer than the ones closer to me . Plus, it's on the way to the SL library, so it's easy to swing by. We actually got our passports processed there for the cruise because there is so little wait to be helped.

 

[Planogirl]

I bet that she doesn't think that a 14 year old should go to the bathroom alone either. Maybe we should start that argument again.

 

[Cinderella94]

I bet that she doesn't think that a 14 year old should go to the bathroom alone either. Maybe we should start that argument again.

Oooh I haven't seen one of those in a while!

 

[golfgal]

Oh heck no - I'd be more afraid of someone stealing my running car than my kid being uncomfortable! Yes it was 90 here today - all the windows were down - what do you think we did before we had AC? No need to have left the car running just to keep him cool, he spends all summer outdoors playing sports in 90+ degree heat, he's certainly used to being warm!

I would have left the car running and have the kid lock the doors while I was running into the store. If someone is going to steal your car, they can easily do that without the keys, especially since the windows are open. Even with the windows open, the car can heat up well past 90. That woman is over the top.

Personally, as long as a child is old enough to get out of the car and come into the store to find you if need be, they are old enough to stay in the car while you make a quick trip into the store.

 

[aprilgail2]

Isn't it like 90 degrees there? I think I would have left the car running.

I always leave the car runningand the A/C on when my daughter is in it. I have an automatic start so I turn it on that way-even if someone broke in the car they couldn't move it because as soon as you try to put it in gear or step on the brake to put it in gear the engine shuts down. Heck I leave it running that when I run into a store and no one is out in the car so it stays cool!

 

[luvmy3]

Isn't it like 90 degrees there? I think I would have left the car running.

The OP's ds is 14, if he got too hot, he could have gotten out of the car and walked into the air conditioned PO

 

[heatherwillmom]

Apparently, the lady who complained has never tried to get a teenager, especially a boy, out of the car to just run into the post office! It's like pulling teeth

 

[Jeniferdwn]

My 9 yo stays in the car with my almost 4 yo ds if I am going in somewhere like a convenience store with a glass front where I can see the car at all times. I won't leave them if I go into a store where I loose sight of them. It's not that I don't trust my kids, becuase my DD is very responsible for a 9 yo and is perfectly capapble of taking care of her and ds even at home for the day, but I don't trust other people. I would worry about someone taking them and hurting them. I will let dd run into a store if I can see all the doors , not somewhere like walmart with 3 or 4 different exits. Sadly, 14 is technically old enough to have a child of their own. A 14 yr old boy is perfectly fine!!