What age can a DC come home from school...

amother

Slateblue

Wed, Jan 09 2019, 9:48 am

Yes amother emerald, all of us neighbors watched the kid crying outside. Why?? Because this has been going on for years and it's the mothers responsibility to make arrangements for her child. If the mother does not care to make some phone calls, why should I care??
Its like when I watch my kids outside and some mothers just figure they'll send their little kids out because an adult is anyways there. By now my neighbors know that I only watch my kids when were outside. Its not possible to watch 5 toddlers.

amother

Yellow

Wed, Jan 09 2019, 9:52 am

amother wrote:

Please avoid doing this if you can! My neighbor gets home from work about 15/20 minutes after her daughters bus. Her daughter gets off the bus and waits on the stoop till her mother gets home, no matter the weather. She is doing this from nursery, the girl us often nebach crying by the door. My heart breaks for her. If possible, avoid doing this till 8th grade or high school.

Sorry this is child abuse.
Maybe she’s freezing.
Maybe she needs the bathroom etc

FranticFrummie

Wed, Jan 09 2019, 9:52 am

According to US law, the age a child can be left alone with a younger child is 12.

My sister and I were latchkey kids. When I was 13, I came home and there was a burglar in the house. I ran next door and had the neighbors call 911. B'H nothing was stolen, but our tvs and stereos were piled by the back gate, ready to go. They must have heard me talking to the neighbors, and ran around the side to get in their can and leave. I think the back sliding glass door had been accidentally left open. I've never been so scared in my life!

My sister didn't get home until a half hour later, so thankfully she missed all the drama. She's way more sensitive than I am, and she'd be a wreck if she knew.

Depending on where you live, make sure your kids know what to do in an earthquake, and always drill them on fire safety.

If you can arrange for them to go to a neighbor's house until you get home, it would be worth a few dollars for the service. When I lived in the US I had several kids stay at my house for an extra half hour to hour. I made sure everyone got healthy snacks, helped with homework if they wanted, and let them play with my dogs. I also had age appropriate Jewish books for them to read. I charged $15 an hour, or $17 if I also had to go stand in the rain and wait for the bus.

shabbatiscoming

Wed, Jan 09 2019, 9:57 am

In isrsel it is legal to have a child stay alone from age 6. I would never do that but my daughter was home alone when she was 8 for about an hour till I got home. It could not be helped.
Also, in ametica I think each state has its own rules as to what age is allowed and not allowed.

keym

Wed, Jan 09 2019, 10:00 am

When my kids turn 10, I let them be home for a few minutes occasionally as long as I'm reachable by phone.
They have to call me when they get home.
At 11, I'll let them babysit one younger sibling for up to ten minutes and left alone for an hour or so.
At 12, depending on the child's temperament, I start allowing longer babysitting, and longer time alone.
Before 10, I would arrange for my kids to go to a neighbor, and I would leave a note on the door for them.

thunderstorm

Wed, Jan 09 2019, 10:12 am

My DH connected a security camera to an app on his phone. If my kid got home before I did for whatever reason, he gets an alert when the door opens. He's able to communicate through the camera. One day I was at a doctors appointment and didn't make it home in time. My DS age 8 stood in front of the camera and said " Totty, I looked all over and Mommy is not here. What should I do?". So DH gave him instructions and he kept an eye on him through the camera until I got home.

amother

Coral

Thu, Jan 10 2019, 1:03 am

My 9 and 7 year old walk home together. I usually come home before them or at the same time. Occasionally, I come a few minutes after them and my 9 year old HATES when this happens. They both have keys and there's a phone they can use to reach me. My 7 year old is totally fine but my 9 year old flips out. So personality really comes into play.

teachkids

Thu, Jan 10 2019, 3:00 am

We’re all pretty close in age, and I remember my mom being more ok with it when there were 2 of us home than just one. So a 10 year old + 8year old was ok, but 9 year old alone was not. Idea being that if one of us wasn’t ok, other could call, but 1 kid alone couldn’t. 1 kid alone was I think 10, and it was only an hour till the older kids came home.

amother

Blue

Thu, Jan 10 2019, 7:01 am

amother wrote:

Sorry, this post just seems so uncaring. To watch a nursery age child sitting outside in the cold and crying and not let them into your house for 15/20 min just seems awful. Whatever the mom's responsibility is, this child is a human being and likely could use the extra care, based on what's going on. Maybe the mother didn't ask any neighbors because she knows what the response will be.

Yes, I'm judging, but my heart aches for this child.

I can't imagine watching this scene occur and doing nothing, if I was home.

keym

Thu, Jan 10 2019, 7:05 am

teachkids wrote:

I was one of those who say I'd rather it with just one kid. Simple. When I'm not home, especially after a long day of school, they'll fight and get each other stressed out.
Alone, they'll just chill.