Walking Home

12 or 13, depending on where they are walking, but even then you worry.

They can stay alone in the home a little younger than that.

Good question B.. I'm not so sure it's just about age though. There are factors to consider as maturity, safety of environment (neighborhood etc), ability to call for help. I also think the walking home part is a little different than the staying alone part. If it's walking home from a nearby neighbor who could check to be sure he/she got home that's one thing. Walking home from school and a longer distance could be something else. - I'm all for helping kids gain a sense of independence and I think that's important, but I guess in the back of my mind I always tried to balance it with their safety. - For staying home alone, you could do a 'test run' and go to the grocery store or to a neighbors. - You'll know when it's right in your situation considering different factors.

I think it depends on the child. I didn't start doing this until my sons were 12, mostly because I had other options. When those options dried up, well, we bit the bullet and learned to deal it.

But, each child is different and each family has its own circumstances it has to deal with. If you think your youngster can handle it, then give it a try. It's a great way for kids to learn self-reliance and independence. Thanks to their hour or so alone in the afternoon, my sons have learned how to start simple meals and discipline themselves to do homework and chores. It wasn't easy and it wasn't without stress, but we managed.

Good luck.

legally the age is 12. I was left home alone at the age of 10 and did fine for an hour but wouldn't recommend it for any younger

I would say 12 to 13 IF they are resposible

There's a small window between ages 9 and 13 for girls, maybe a little different for boys, that I would trust. It is dependent upon the individual child, but once they get to the teens, you have to worry about OTHER PEOPLE'S kids, boys, etc. My three girls walked home from school in 6th-8th grades and had chores to do before I got home 3 hours later. They always called, always had chores completed or punishment was guaranteed. After 8th grade, I or my husband had to be there. One of my girls wasn't trustworthy.

I would ask a few ?'s first on the walking home ?, like how far is your home from school and are there busy streets? without knowing in general I would say about age 10-11 if alone and the distance is not too far or no busy streets to cross. For the staying at home for short time alone I would say about age 10-11 too if your child is mature and responsible. You could run errands for an hour or so then ck in by phone to see how it is going , then you can extend the time over time as you see he/she can handle it. Hope this helps.

http://www.latchkey-kids.com/latchkey-kids-age-limits.htm

accroding to this website the recommended age is 12. But in the state of texas there is no legal minimum age a child has to be to stay home alone. I know when I was a child and lived on army bases the base had a rule that you had to be 10 to stay home alone and 13 to babysit.

could your child ride his bike home from school? That might be safer than walking.

I personally would not allow my child to walk home and stay alone after school at any age. I have some friends who are police officers and they all say that the most dangerous time for children is in the hour to hour 1/2 after school. This is the time when they are most likely to be hurt by someone else or to make decisions that will get them in to trouble due to lack of supervision.
I know that there are many people who allow their children to do this, but I would never want to put my child in that situation, so my answer is they aren't old enough.
Even High School kids may need someone to talk to after a rough day at school and if you don't ensure that there is a responsible adult there to help them through things they will find someone who will be there and it may be someone that doesn't have their best interest at heart.

I'd like to say never because of the day and age we live in. Also because being alone leads to internet serfing, etc. But, you know the maturity of your own child. Do you live really close to the school? Does he/she call you the minute they walk in the door? Do you have good locks or an alarm system in your home? You decide but I am sure you will get some help from this board of women.

It's not about age, really, it's about maturity. I was about 10 when I stayed home alone with little sis. The important thing is to have a routine/plan in place for emergencies, contact, etc.

It would depend onthe maturity of the child and how far they will be walking. Also, how your relationship with your neighbors, can your child go tho them if there is a problem? I would say around 12, give or take a year.

I do not feel it is ever safe for a child to walk home alone. My parents thought nothing of my brothers and sisters and I walking to and from school and I was doing so when I was 7. While they set up "walking friends" for us, I never could count on my "friends" being my friends every day, so there were times I was left to walk alone. It was scary for me.

When I was 11, a man pulled up along side me and asked me directions. Looking back...it was so easy to answer his question and even though I had been warned not to talk to strangers, that didn't occur to me until after I had answered him, and I realized he was completely undressed. I was so lucky! In the location we were, he could have grabbed me and no one would have seen it.

When my grand daughter, who l have custody of, asks me when she gets to walk home, I tell her it will be a while. I tell her it isn't safe. If she wants to walk home from school, I will walk up to the school and walk home with her OR I will let her walk home from school with a friend with me following close behind them.

I may be over reacting, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Wow, how times have changed. I grew up in the country so it is totally different than city or the burbs. I rode the school bus and walked home from the bus stop alone from 1st grade. Kindergarten was the only year they would pick you up in front of your house. The walk was somewhere between 1/3 -1/2 mile. It was a rural area though and I only passed 2 other houses before getting to my own. From the time I was in 2nd grade (age 7) I came home to an empty house. My sisters got home from junior high & high school about 2 hours later. From 7th grade (age 12) I was home alone until my mom got home from work about 4 hours later. This was in the 80's.

My own daughters' (twins) are now 8 years old, and I cannot imagine having them come home alone everyday. I think nothing of going over to the neighbor's house and leaving them by themselves for 30 minutes though.

FYI, for the most part a child is much better off by himself than with a friend of the same age. When I stayed home alone I was never permitted to let anyone else in the house. One kid alone is fine, two kids together spell disaster.

For staying home alone for about an hour, I let my daughters start doing that when they were 10-11 years old, but I took their level of maturity into consideration. However, I would never let them walk home alone it is just too dangerous. My oldest is 15 1/2 and I still don't like her doing it . . . sure she is mature enough but grown women have been grabbed off roadways so I don't see how a teenager would have any chance, let alone a younger child.

Dear B.:

The answer to your question could be a very wide range, depending on maturity of the child, how long of a walk home and the route and your neighborhood.

Walking home, no matter the age, I always have had my daughter walk with at least one friend. Safety in numbers, from grade school right up through high school.

Staying home alone, with strict rules, (staying inside, no friends over, no using the stove), a mature child, 9 to 10 years old.

With my daughter we did some trial stay at home alone. I'd go to the drugstore five minutes away and just grab a couple of things and come home, all done in 30 minutes or less. If your child has barely notice you were gone, you can experiment with a little more time. If they were looking for you and seem a little worried, it's too soon. We had the slightly worried reaction to start, so we waited another year.

I think the bottom line knowing your child, having a good talk, gauging the comfort level of your child and have an adult backup that they can call if they feel they need help. Absolutely do not do this if your child has any worries! It's always better to wait if they're not ready, no matter what their age.

L. F., mom of a 14-year-old daughter

I don't know how to really answer this. I was a tad overprotective and mine did not really ever stay home alone until they were around 14. I didn't let them walk home unless it was real close. We were also in a new town so I did drive and pick up all the time. It really depends on how mature a child is. How much trust you have in your child. I believe that its against the law in some states to leave a child under 12.....not sure but something you should look into.