What age alone overnight?

[GothTink]

I think persoanlity/maturity is the biggest indicator a parent needs to look at--not age.

Couldn't agree more!

DH and I have already decided that we'll leave son alone overnight at 16. He's just about there...

 

[kristilew]

My poor kids.

My mom let a friend and I stay home alone at the friend's house while her parents were out of town when we were 15. BAD idea. We didn't stay there and we did a lot to make it look like we did. Luckily we survived the night.

Soooo based on my own bad judgement, my kids will have to be OLD to stay home alone.

Katy

Same here! My parents left db and I alone all the time once we were in high school. Oh the parties! Oh the bad choices! Oh the snooping through their stuff!

Once I was in college, I remember having a phone call with my mom where she'd tell me how responsible db was and how well he was doing when she had to leave him alone overnight. Five minutes later, I'd talk to db and he'd tell me which girl he'd had stay with him to "play house" while the parents were gone. Total disconnect!

It's amazing I'm still here with some of the stuff I did, and there's no way I'm going to put dd in the situation to someday have the kind of regrets I do.

But, some kids are much better behaved than we were! (And maybe had more input all along from their parents?)

 

[browneyes106]

I think 16 is a good age. Just call a few times and tell him to keep everything locked. Is the home of people who want him to housesit set up with an alarm?

 

[LuvOrlando]

-

 

[jsmith]

both my sons were in college before 18-one of them 2000 miles from home. We left them home together (hence not alone) with a neighbor checking in when the oldest was 17.-Understand that my oldest son is kind of an Alex P Keaton who thinks his parents are weed smoking hippies . They did fine. The younger one got left on his own at about 15-not because i wanted to do it-it just worked out that way-and they were fine. When they were 15 and 19 DH and i went on a two week vacation and left them home-they went to work, did the chores and the neighbors were even surprised to know we were gone. But it depends on the kids-most of my sons friends iwouldnt leave alone in the house now-and they are 19 and 23.

 

[disykat]

I think 16 is a good age. Just call a few times and tell him to keep everything locked. Is the home of people who want him to housesit set up with an alarm?

I doubt it. I don't even know. I guess that's a big part of it. It's their home, not ours. At our house, he knows where everything is (gas and water shut off, etc.) - at thier house he doesn't know that stuff.

One of the homes is a neighbor so he'll probably go there first when I start letting him. However, his appointment for his driving test isn't until next week. Until he gets that license and I can make sure he has access to a vehicle, it won't be happening.

To me as a parent, Ill be stretching myself enough just letting him drive himself off for the evening. It just surprised me that he keeps being asked to housesit like it's no big deal.