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Leaving the kids at home
Filed under: Toddlers Preschoolers, Preschoolers, Big Kids, Health & Safety: Babies, Childcare
I was on my way home from work Monday night when I suddenly lost control of the car. The steering became sluggish and unresponsive and it was all I could do to wrestle the vehicle off the freeway and into a nearby shopping mall parking lot. I'm no mechanic, but it seemed to me that the power steering failed for some reason. The tow truck driver suggested it might have been the serpentine belt that failed; it connects the power steering pump to the engine, among other things.Whatever the diagnosis, it left us with only one working car. Rachel and I both needed to be able to get to work and Jared needed to be able to get to school. We decided that I would take Rachel to her school then keep the Land Rover to get Jared to school. I would work from home so that I could have the other car towed to the repair shop.
So, in the middle of the night (it seemed), I had to get up to drive Rachel to work. We had to take the kids with us, of course, since there was no one around that early to watch them. As I lay in bed getting ready to drag my lifeless carcass back into the world of the living, I pondered having to get the kids up and into the car. Did I really have to get them up? Couldn't they just stay in bed while I ran Rachel to school?
It only takes Rachel about 5-7 minutes to get there, so it would be less than 15 minutes that we would be gone, and they would be asleep the whole time, so why couldn't we just leave them home? Of course, at five and three years old, they're too young to be left home alone, no matter what the circumstances. But it did get me wondering.
How old do kids need to be to be left home alone? Does it matter if it's just for a few minutes while they're asleep or if it's for an entire afternoon once school's out? Would you have been tempted to leave the kids home?
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ReaderComments (Page 2 of 2)
3-06-2008 @ 8:57AM
julie said...I think it really depends on the maturity of the child. My son, soon to be 10, seems so much younger than a lot of other boys his age. I think some of it stems from being an only child and from there are not any children his age in our neighborhood. His friends seem more "worldly" and more knowledgable about issues he doesn't even realize exist. While I love him being so innocent, I also realize maybe it is not so good for him to be soo in the closet. I really do not want to let go.
If I think I may miss getting home before he gets off the bus by even seconds I make sure the teenage girl across the street is able to get him off the bus for me. If anything would ever happen to him I would never be able to forgive myself.
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3-06-2008 @ 9:41AM
ninainindia said...Do you always use the car for such short distances? I understand your wife is pregnant now but it sounds like she normally also uses a car to go to work. There are a lot of other ways to travel short distances without causing pollution.
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3-08-2008 @ 4:25PM
toni said...i realy think that the appropriate age is dependent upon the maturity level of the child. i was babysitting at 11 and a latch key kid at 7. my little brother wasnt left alone until he was probably 15 because it just wasnt an option for my parents.
my best girlfriend has a 12 year old and he babysits her 18 month old for 30 minutes to an hour if she needs to run to the store or something. she has no fear in that and is an amazing mother.
my 11 year old son has been left alone many times and has been on and off since he was about 7 or 8. if have to run to the store, i give him the option to stay home or go with me. he knows he's not allowed to go outside, answer the phone or the door or to use any kitchen appliances or the computer. (now he has a cell phone so he knows to answer if his dad, stepdad, grandma or i call.) often-times he would just rather stay home. i trust him. last summer, he and friend stayed home alone for about 5 hours a day a few days a week while i was at work and i talked to him on the phone regularly. (as did my mom and his stepdad). i left prepared food and a list of chores that were always taken care of. granted, at the time, my husband worked about 4 minutes away...walking distance...and if he ran could be home in 1 minute.
will i leave my new baby alone at this age or younger...no idea. it really depends on his maturity level.
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3-10-2008 @ 1:01AM
rebecca Biernesser said...at home alone sleeping?? no... at home awake?? no...
I have left my oldest with my sister in law, and had a 13 year old sitter for the baby boy(19months) who went to sleep for the night and for the baby girl (4 months). The sitter was the daughter of a close friend, who had baby-sitting classes, and had everyone's number. Not a problem. My 13 year old niece? I only leave them with her, if we are only gone less then an hour and all kids have fresh diapers, and are fed or the bottle is ready to go. Depends on the child...
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5-24-2008 @ 8:02AM
jenesis227 said...Just don't leave your children alone for any reason whatsoever. It may be inconvenient for you to have to get them all up, but in the event that something goes wrong and you just can't get home, there's no changing the situation. And imagine the guilt if anything happened to them. Better safe than sorry. You are your child's keeper and they depend on you for their safety and security. Children are more important than convenience.
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