|
Post by doxiesx3 on Sept 1, 2017 11:04:41 GMT
Depending on the children, yes. I homeschool my kids but work full time. My dd was 11 and my ds was 13 years old when I went full time at work. They were home from 8:10-4:45 daily but I did come home for an hour lunch everyday. They are now 14 and 17. We live in a very small community, have great neighbors and friends that would jump if the kids ever needed anything. The kids are very responsible, always did their schoolwork, etc.
It really comes down to the kids, their maturity level and what the parent is comfortable with. I was a latchkey kid starting at 3rd grade. I would be alone from 3:30-5:15 every day. I was to get myself a snack, do my schoolwork and start dinner. My dad always left we great directions and had me doing simple things like put the water on to boil for pasta or brown the meat for sauce. Looking back, i should never have been doing those things unsupervised.
|
|
oh yvonne
Prolific Pea
Posts: 8,003
Jun 26, 2014 0:45:23 GMT
|
Post by oh yvonne on Sept 1, 2017 14:38:56 GMT
My own kids? Yes if it was the middle of the day and they didn't want to run an errand with me, sure I'd leave them home. We had rules that they followed, a home phone to use in case of emergency (there were no cell phones at this point in time) and neighbors we trusted. They weren't allowed to answer the door, answer the phone (unless it was my dh or I talking into the answering machine telling them to pick up), they had to stay in the house and no oven. It was never more than an hour or two and I think it helped them learn responsibility. Different strokes for different folks and all that. @oh yvonne that's too funny about the earthquake. Not that you were little and home alone with your little brother, but that I too, was home alone during an earthquake at about age 9. I had just gotten home from school and had to use the bathroom. I sat down and the world started shaking At 9 I was old enough to know what it was, but it still scared me a little bit because it was over before I could "duck and cover". My Mom called right away from work and asked if I was ok and said she'd be home at 5:00. LOL Ahhh the good ol' days. Oh yeah, we California kids start learning in Kindergarten to "duck and cover". I remember thinking we should duck and cover but my dad found us still clinging to each other on the couch with the blankets . Thankfully we didn't have a lot of damage, but I remember lots of dishes on the kitchen floor, and I remember the earthquake as being really noisy in general. The electrical wires scared me more than anything. In those days, we were latchkey kids. My parents were poor working class people and didn't own a car at the time the quake hit. It took my mom most of the day to get home, and about a year after that we got a big ol' Oldsmobile. I've drilled my girl so she knows and she is of course older. And I have let her alone before while I run to the store, but that memory prevents me from leaving her longer than an hour, I'm always anxious to get home. And it's not like I live in fear of earthquakes or anything like that. I just know to be prepared, and I am. Interesting thread.
|
|
The Great Carpezio
Pearl Clutcher
Something profound goes here.
Posts: 2,930
Jun 25, 2014 21:50:33 GMT
|
Post by The Great Carpezio on Sept 1, 2017 16:12:08 GMT
Way too many variables to make that call but my biggest concern is the amount of time. "Several hours" sounds a little ominous.
I think with most kids, 10.5 year olds should be able to handle an hour or two on their own (I'm more comfortable with them together) as long as they feel confident and comfortable.
I wouldn't consider my boys particularly mature, but this summer, at 9.5 I started leaving them at home together. They sit in their room together playing Minecraft. I'm usually gone less than 30 minutes. I did go for one hour long grocery trip.
We have neighbors that I trust that are home. I wouldn't leave them in inclement weather and we don't have earthquakes. They know not to cook or answer the door. We don't have unlocked guns in the house, etc...
Someone I know checked in with our county. I believe at age 8 or 9 they can be home alone for up to four hours here. They can't be home alone for meals is the guideline.
I'm guessing next summer I'll let them be home for a couple hours.
Gradual release, a safe environment and a want/confidence on their end is what is needed. Still, I wouldn't do more than maybe three hours at 10.5 and i am not sure how I would feel if the other child wasn't my own. I've got twins, so it's a different dynamic than throwing in a kid that isn't my own.
|
|