Home alone?

[Crankyshank]

Wow...my mum and grandparents started leaving me alone for an hour or two when I was 6! Starting when I was 8, if the sitter couldn't make it, I got to stay home alone after school. Then I started staying home alone after school for good when I was 10.

Me too. I started babysitting my brother at 10 and the my brother and baby sister at 11, and the neighbor kids at 11

 

[Bob Slydell]

2

 

[lyzziesmom]

I'm home Fridays so, it's really only Wednesday and Thursday that he's surfing porn sites and cooking while we're not home.

Really, not so bad.

Well as long as it's only the two days....

 

[starwishing]

When my DD was 9 we let her come home from school alone occasionally for about 30 minutes. or If I needed to go somewhere for the same amount of time.
She's 14 now. In sixth grade she could stay home herself and she was babysitting other kids. When she was 13 and my DH had to go to the ER at midnight I woke her up and told her we were leaving and she stayed at home with her 6 yr old bros. both slept right thru. Left her alone if needed at 12 for as long as needed.

My parents left me home alone on weekends after I believe 11th grade, I know I could drive, Believe me there was no way I was going to their Country Music Concert weekends and camp in a trailer to. Now Disney I went with them!

I have to agree with your kids you need to loosen up a bit ...kids can never learn independence if they are never given any.

Just wanted to say that I do let my kids have some independence, my DD goes to the lake with another friend who is the same age, and they also ride their bikes around the neighborhood. (As long as they take a 2-way radio ) My DS other than me leaving him home alone, has his own car & pretty much goes where he wants and has spent countless nights at his bandmates house and also has spent the night at a college that his band was playing at. But I do agree that I should loosen up more! Boy.....this parenting thing is hard!!!!!!!!!

 

[Amlee]

My younger brother and I were latch key kids from the get go. At 6 and 5 we would get off the bus at home after school and be that way until our mother got home from work. By 11 and 10 we were walking the 14 blocks home from school. But that's been 20 years ago. I'm not going to say it was bad. I learned to be very independant.

My niece started saying at home with her younger sister when she was 11. She is now 15 and is very independant kid. She has supper fix by the time her parents get home. Will clean the house and do the laundry.

I think it's good to let them stay home for a time until they get use to things.

 

[monarchsfan16]

I was probably 10 when I was allowed to stay home alone during the day (usually in the summer when all the neighbors were home) for half an hour or an hour, usually while mom was in the neighborhood. By 11 or 12 she would leave me in charge of my sister during the day while she went grocery shopping (my sister is about 4 years younger than me). That wasn't common though. We had babysitters at night until my mom remarried when I was 13. Then my stepdad told her enough was enough. She would not leave us home alone before school, in case we missed the bus or something, so we went to sitters in the morning through the same time frame, and if she was going to be home a lot later than us, we'd get off the bus at the sitter's in the afternoon.
I'll be 20 next month, have a year of college under my belt and still have not been allowed to stay home alone (with my sister) overnight. Either my grandparents stay with us, or we are sent to our dad's for the night. Stepdad is ok with us being home, but my mom isn't comfortable with it. That's ok though; I sleep too deep to notice intruders; at least in college I've got a roommate and there are tons of other people in the dorm at all times.

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

2

As long as he's responsible and can make his own bottle, what the heck?

 

[mickeyboat]

As long as he's responsible and can make his own bottle, what the heck?

Still drinking from a bottle at 2? Where's the flame-thrower?

Denae

 

[MOMTOMOOTOO]

Still drinking from a bottle at 2? Where's the flame-thrower?

Denae

If you only knew my youngest son was about 3 1/2 for real. Hey by that time I could give a fat rats **** what was going on. 3 kids in 4 years, he's lucky I gave him a bottle.

 

[mickeyboat]

If you only knew my youngest son was about 3 1/2 for real. Hey by that time I could give a fat rats **** what was going on. 3 kids in 4 years, he's lucky I gave him a bottle.

Does anyone have the number for social services? I think this needs to be reported.

It really is funny. When we are new mothers, we stressed ourselves out worrying that we were doing something wrong, like there was a book to follow, and that we would forever scar our children if we didn't do it right. Now I figure I am doing o.k. if my kids aren't sent to the principal's office on a regular basis, and they are still can walk and talk without too much trouble.


Denae

 

[starwishing]

My niece started saying at home with her younger sister when she was 11. She is now 15 and is very independant kid. She has supper fix by the time her parents get home. Will clean the house and do the laundry.

OH MAN!!! I AM MISSING OUT!!! I can barely get my kids to do any chores!!

 

[Amlee]

OH MAN!!! I AM MISSING OUT!!! I can barely get my kids to do any chores!!

Her younger sister would rather take a beating than do chores!! They are total opposites!

 

[SplshMtnLvr28]

I started staying home by myself when I was in 4th or 5th grade...

 

[juligrl]

I was 9 or 10 with strict instructions not to answer the phone or the door, maybe an hour or so max. Only during the daytime and not with my sister. At 11 I was okay with my sister, then 7, in the daytime. We were also okay to be dropped off at the pool for the day by that point since we both could swim and were responsible, well-behaved kids. At 12 I was babysitting the next door neighbor's 2 year old twins (late-nights too).

We had some friends who never got to stay home alone. Once the reins were cut lose when they went away to college, they experimented heavily with their new-found freedom. One partied his way to academic probation by his sophomore year. His sister was busted for underage drinking on several occassions.

Interestingly enough, neither my sister nor I partied our way through school or found it necessary to consume underage or otherwise experiment with things that we knew we should not do. Nature or nurture? All I know is that a little bit of freedom worked for me so I intend to give my kids the same chance to prove themselves responsible enough to handle themselves at some point.

Easier said than done. I'm still having a tough time grasping my 3 year old's new bathroom independence!

 

[starwishing]

I was 9 or 10 with strict instructions not to answer the phone or the door, maybe an hour or so max. Only during the daytime and not with my sister. At 11 I was okay with my sister, then 7, in the daytime. We were also okay to be dropped off at the pool for the day by that point since we both could swim and were responsible, well-behaved kids. At 12 I was babysitting the next door neighbor's 2 year old twins (late-nights too).

We had some friends who never got to stay home alone. Once the reins were cut lose when they went away to college, they experimented heavily with their new-found freedom. One partied his way to academic probation by his sophomore year. His sister was busted for underage drinking on several occassions.

Interestingly enough, neither my sister nor I partied our way through school or found it necessary to consume underage or otherwise experiment with things that we knew we should not do. Nature or nurture? All I know is that a little bit of freedom worked for me so I intend to give my kids the same chance to prove themselves responsible enough to handle themselves at some point.

Easier said than done. I'm still having a tough time grasping my 3 year old's new bathroom independence!

I honestly think it depends on the individual. I was given alot of freedom growing up & became extremely responsible because of it, my sister on the other hand had the exact opposite effect and had alot of trouble in her early adult life. We both grew up in the same house, same rules, same freedoms....and yet it impacted us both differently!! Also I have seen the exact opposite with my son's friends, some are given alot of freedom and seem to be running amuck with it!!! (Not all, but some! )

 

[lovesmurfs]

My DS was 10 when I left him home (1 hour max) by himself. When he was 11, I enrolled him in the Red Cross Babysitting Certification course -- it was 8 hours of training, and he learned more than I ever knew about sitting. They even give the kids a first aid kit and book to take with them when they go (so that they're not searching for bandaids in an unknown medicine cabinet).

He's been watching my DD(now 7) for 1 1/2 years -- maybe once a week here and there, and not longer than 6 hours -- days off from school. I've never had my daughter complain about something her brother did while watching her. (then again, I do pay him to watch her....) I think summer would be too long.

Legally, in IL we're responsible for whatever happens to them home alone until they're 18, and in the event of something awful happening, we have to show that we gave the kids tools (info, phone #, etc.) to call in the event of an emergency.

 

[juligrl]

I honestly think it depends on the individual. I was given alot of freedom growing up & became extremely responsible because of it, my sister on the other hand had the exact opposite effect and had alot of trouble in her early adult life. We both grew up in the same house, same rules, same freedoms....and yet it impacted us both differently!! Also I have seen the exact opposite with my son's friends, some are given alot of freedom and seem to be running amuck with it!!! (Not all, but some! )

Oh I agree very much. A lot of it is nature I think. But my point is if you don't give your kid a chance to prove they're responsible at some point then what happens when the have to be responsible for themselves?

This parenting thing is hard! It's all about finding the right balance of giving them enough freedom to learn but to not kill themselves in the process.

 

[my4kids]

I leave my 11 yr old to run errands for up to an hour. I don't leave him with any younger ones though. I don't leave him at sports by himself yet. I took him to soccer practice and noticed I was 1 of 2 moms who stayed, and I said to him "I guess I am over-protective" he said "no Mom, your not over-protective, all those other parents dropping off are under-protective" I took this to mean that he likes me there, so I'll keep it up for a while longer.

 

[cristit14]

DD is 10 and I have left her alone to run to the store or take her brother to cub scouts. I think the maximum has been 30-45 minutes. I have just recently left her an DS 8 alone together while I do a quick run to the store 15-20 minutes. She will be 11 next month and she is already counting down until she is 12 and can babysit.

 

[starwishing]

Oh I agree very much. A lot of it is nature I think. But my point is if you don't give your kid a chance to prove they're responsible at some point then what happens when the have to be responsible for themselves?

This parenting thing is hard! It's all about finding the right balance of giving them enough freedom to learn but to not kill themselves in the process.

YEAP....it's definitely a tightrope!! (And I hope when I get to the other side I have some sanity left! )