Question by Vanessa: What is the legal age to leave a child home alone at midnight?
I have searched the web and found plenty of sites stating that there is no legal age to leave a child home alone it depends on the child. But what about at night? My boyfriends ex-wife left their 13 yr. old son home alone from 1 in the afternoon until after midnight. Is this illegal? He called the police and they came out to talk with her and dfcs is looking into it. Any info or websites regarding this would be helpful. Thanks.
Best answer:
Answer by Iesha
yes they have to be at least 13 to be left alone but you also have to make sure they kno what to do if something happens and their well mature to handle themselves as well
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Tags: alone, boyfriends, Child, Home, leave, legal, mature, midnight, midnight question
Most states require 13 years of age, but if you ask me that is still too young to leave a child alone for an extended period of time, especially at night. Call your local state rep they can answer these questions for you.
Most states do not have regulations or laws about when a child is considered old enough to care for him/herself or to care for other children. Currently Illinois and Maryland have laws addressing this topic. States may have guidelines or recommendations. These guidelines are most often distributed through child protective services and are administered at the county level.
It depends a lot upon the child’s age, maturity and ability to self-care. With a child who is 13, DCF may require parenting classes. Bear in mind that other states have regulations regarding babysitter ages and that in some, a 15 year old can be left with younger children for 24 hours.
It varies from state to state,but 13 has always been the age for a child to legally be left alone. Then it becomes to parents call, on rather the trust the child and the child it comfortable being left alone. The child should know what to do in case of an emergency. However, if the dad who is not present is concerned – he has ever right to have DFACS look into it. Try asking the son how he felt being left alone, then go from there b/c it could cause feelings of hatred toward the dad from the son.
The older the more trouble theyll get into
thats the problem..my sister and i were left at age 15 and 14 but who knows what the locals would say…best to be cautious
It depends on the maturity level of the kid. The general age is 13 but you need to take into consideration these points:
*Are they often afraid to be home alone?
*Do they get into things that they aren’t supposed to?
*Are they irresponsible about not locking doors, answering the phone incorrectly (giving caller too much info)?
*Can they be counted on to feed pets and shut lights off?
*Will they be in charge of younger siblings? If so, can they efficiently take care of feeding them and getting them ready for bed?
These are some things to keep into consideration. Every family has different rules and different situations. Just be sure that they can handle things while you’re gone. Keep phone numbers where they are clearly visible and be sure that they know to call 9-1-1 in any EMERGENCY, and not to call you first.
I would say 18- but hey I am a good parent and wouldn’t leave my kids alone at all when they were young.
It really depends on the maturity of the kid and if they can handle emergencies or not.
I babysat for my sisters kids when I was only 11, so she could go out with her hubby, and her kids were BABIES!
BUT I was really mature for my age and very independent, so I could handle being left alone for all hours of the night with babies.
I think there isn’t really a “defined age” but a loose assumption that after a kid is in middle school, because there are no day cares for kids after age 12 nor after school latchkeys in middle school, Social services know this and wont kick about kids being left alone after school till mom or dad get home.
I don’t think any child should under 16 should be left alone, but opinions will differ, and yes, it does depend on the child as well. HOWEVER, if something goes wrong and a child was left alone at home, you can be sure that the authorities will get involved. Make sure that if you left an older child alone that you have plenty of “safety nets” , i.e. neighbor keep an eye, having a cell with you to be reached in emergencies. I also believe it depends on WHY you need to leave the child alone, whether it is an emergency or something you could have planned for. Rather let him/her stay over with a friend where you know there will be adult supervision.