Know Before You Go

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

01 Jun 2011 08:09 PM

With school out for the summer in most U.S. cities, parents may be tempted to leave their youngsters home alone.

Admit it; you've driven home after being out and about for a couple hours, but forgot to pick up the all-important toilet paper. You need to drive back to Target, but your 7-year-old refuses to return to the van from his perch on the couch, so you contemplate leaving him home alone while you make like a rocket ship and fly to the store.

You'll only be gone for 15 minutes tops. What could go wrong, right?

Well, aside from potentially coming home to an empty cookie jar and juice stains on the floor, you could be forced to spend time in the slammer.

Depending on where you live, you could be arrested for leaving your child home by himself. For example, in Georgia it is against the law to leave a kid home alone if he is under the age of 9. In Maryland, parents who leave children under the age of 8 without proper supervision can also be taken downtown in the back of a squad car. Meanwhile, parents living in Illinois can't leave kids 14 and younger home alone.

While the aforementioned states have official laws on the book, others simply have guidelines in place concerning the age that's appropriate to allow children to stay home alone, including:

*Wisconsin, Colorado and Kansas: 12 years old

*Nebraska: 11 years old

*Tennessee and Washington: 10 years old

*North Dakota: 9 years old

*South Carolina: 8 years old

If the state in which you reside is not listed above, then there are currently no laws or guidelines in place that dictate a particular age that it is appropriate to leave your child home alone.

Regardless of what the law states, parents should evaluate the maturity level of their child before taking off from home without him. After all, there are many 12 year olds who are far from ready to be left alone. Pay attention to the signs. If your child is prone to making bad decisions, is impulsive, reckless and temperamental, then you might think twice about going anywhere without him.

How old were your children the first time you left them home alone?

Related Articles:

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Who Watches Your Kids on Vacation?

Do You Leave Your Kids Alone in the Car?

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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