Curious - New York,NY

NO.
Of course not!

Bear in mind, that Child Predators... OFTEN will be near bus stops and schools... they then watch and observe the kids, and where they live.... and/or follow them... home. Or, just grab them into their car.
This happens.
Even in nice neighborhoods.

School bus stops, are easy targets.
And if kids are walking home by themselves... they ARE easy, targets.
Bear in mind also... that in my city, a TWELVE year old girl, was walking home after school. In broad daylight AND there were many people around. A Man... in a truck, started following her.... and when the girl noticed, she started running... and then the guy in the truck kept following her..... she THEN had the good idea, to turn around, and run back to the school. Only then, did the man stop chasing her.
And, this was a 12 year old, girl.
In a nice neighborhood.

It does not matter... how smart or responsible a child is.
Crimes, happen.
It happens to any child, no matter how smart or responsible, no matter what age, and in all neighborhoods.

4 moms found this helpful

I have asked a police officer in Kansas and was told that they are too young. He said the earliest they can be left alone withOUT siblings is 10yrs old. To be able to watch siblings, the earliest is 12 years old.
I would not leave them home alone for even 5 minutes because anything could happen!

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not a chance. that is plenty of time for something bad to happen. break in, fire (kids usually get scared and hide when there is a fire), they could choke on a snack, or any other number of things.

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No. That is way too young. The oldest should be at least in 6th grade (age 12). How responsible can a second grader really be? Besides you could get reported to CPS and have your kids taken away. I don't think the authorities would find a second grader to be old enough/responsible enough.

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Not in my house! I had issue with my middle schooler getting off the bus and home by himself!

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No, they are a few years too young. I worked for child protective services and 10 is usually they youngest age recommended for a child to be alone (depending on circumstances maybe older). But maybe you could find a young teen (12 or 13) that could watch them for that short a time. I know I started babysitting at 13 and did that all through high school. If not, see who you know who is home at that time. Is there an after school program at your kids' school? Maybe a YMCA or Boys or Girls Clubs might have something.

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No. The wisdom it would require for them to act appropriately when faced with danger/disaster is just not possible in a child this young. Pay for the childcare. It will be worth it 100 times over in the event that the unthinkable happened.

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I think you are going to get a lot of "no" answers to this one. I started leaving my daughter alone for about 35 mins at a time at age 7, but only infrequently. I would not have done it every day after school. Our state only has guidelines not laws about how old a child must be to be home alone. But I realized that my daughter was not real comfortable with it until age 8. Now at 9, she if absolutely fine with it.

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Probably not at that age. A good idea would be to google ( or contact child services) your state or city's laws or policies on children home alone at certain ages. Some states don't have them, but many do. Legally if you decide to do this, you want to be sure it's not against the law. I'm thinking with those ages it probably is! No way on my opinion on the first grader and highly doubtful for a second grader.

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Personally? No..

I would not have trusted my 7 and 6 year old home alone for 35 minutes. That's me.

I live in a VERY safe neighborhood. My boys are good boys - but NO. Stuff happens and not only no but heck no.

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No - I wouldn't leave my 5th and 4th graders home alone for 35 minutes after school. Bt that is just me. I think the law in CA is they have to be 10 to stay home by themselves, and 12 to stay home with a younger sibling...... I would check the laws in your state, you wouldn't want something to happen to your kids and then on top of it be facing charges!

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Nope. And in my state, it would be illegal. Send them to aftercare, or get a neighbor to help. Or can you rearrange your work schedule to work through lunch and leave early? (I'm just assuming you work out of the home)

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No. I wouldn't. If you choose to (but really, I wouldn't) check your state laws. It could be illegal.

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Honestly you are the only one who can answer that. My older two kids would have pulled that off with honors. My younger two, not so much. You know your kids.

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I personally wouldn't do that. I think the age for being home alone is 12 at the earliest. (in Tx) You never know what could happen, who is watching, etc....fire, choking, child abusers...plus it could always be longer than just 35 minutes...traffic, car accidents....don't do it. :)

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Uh, no. My kids are almost 12 and almost 9. School just started last wed here and this is the first year I have let them walk to school and home by themselves. And we live across the street from the school and the police dept is on the next street over. I'm here waiting for them when they get home. I told them I am "testing" them to see how they do and if I can trust them to get right home without hanging with friends and not going anywhere they aren't supposed to then we will start letting them do other things to show more responsibility. But I think first and second grade is way too young to do that on their own. Good luck.

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I'm sure this happens everyday to a million families all around the world. I however wouldn't do it. But that's easy for me to say because I've never had to.

:(

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How old is the 2nd grader? Personally, I would want someone there to meet them, there are to many things that could go wrong.

1 mom found this helpful

not my kids!!! adults get in trouble......2 kids? may be responsible but things happen when east expected---called accidents!!

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The question shouLd really be: will your children know what to do in the following situations? A stranger approaches and grabs one of them, the house catches on fire, someone breaks in your house?
And the big question for you: is it worth it? Can you live with yourself if something happens to one of your children because you had to work that extra 1/2 hour? If something happens and they take your children away! What is the more precious then your children.
Legal age for them to be home alone is 12. In my opinion there is no "safe" neighborhoods anymore. Have you searched on watchdog.com to see how many pedifiles there are wound your neighborhood.
Please think about this seriously, it only takes a moment for something to happen that you will regret for the rest of your life.

1 mom found this helpful

Unfortunately no, I do not. At least not as a rule. Once or twice, OK, but not more. The chances that something will go wrong are minimal, but if they do the consequences could be dire.
I was a latchkey kid in middle school. One day on my way home from the bus stop, a clearly mentally unstable man hid behind a tree a few hundred yards ahead of me, just after my house. I got my key out so I could open the door quickly, which was very lucky, because he came out from behind that tree, tried to grab me and pounded on the door after I slammed it in his face and locked it. I called my mom and the police, but I was old enough to act (though of course I should have turned around and gone the opposite way to a neighbour's house rather than show him where I lived). Little ones would have been helpless. I grew up in a safe neighbourhood in a safe town and was a very responsible kid. But you can never control all the variables.

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I would be too afraid to let a 6 and 7 year old home alone together. For one thing, you can't tell the older sibling that he/she is incharge since they are so close in age and I don't believe in letting siblings watch siblings anyway. No matter how safe your neighborhood is, there is no way to be 100% sure nothing will happen. Have you checked the sex offender list? Don't forget some sex offenders haven't been caught yet, so they aren't on the list. Some of the nicest neigborhoods have drug dealers or manufacturers in them, because nice neighborhoods are the perfect cover for them. Maybe nothing will happen, but then all you need is for one incident and you will have to answer to the police. Some states have a home alone type of law dictating the age a child can be left home alone. A lot can happen in 35 min. and things can happen to delay you like traffic or getting in the "wrong line" at the supermarket. The kids could fight or argue about something and you're not there to stop it. If you have a pet, the pet could get loose and they would be running around the neighborhood looking for the pet. Other neighbors might find out they're home alone and frown upon your judgement to leave them alone. One of the children could get hurt or bruised by falling/tripping over something. (kids are clumbsy.) Someone who looks familar to them could knock on the door, and they'd let them in when the person might be a robber. Something could happen to you while you're out. Nope, I'd be scared.

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Absolutely not and it may be illegal. Please, please tell me you don't LIVE in NY city too? No way - doesn't matter where you live really.

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2nd graders are usually 7 yrs old, 1st graders usually 6 yrs old. OMG.
Absolutely not to be left alone. These children are still "babies", need to be protected and have supervision. Nuf said!!!

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NO WAY look what happened in bklyn recently 9 yr old kidnapped and killed

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No! they are just 6 and 7 years old. I do not leave my daughter alone until she is in the school and she is 8.

too young. i wouldn't leave children alone at such young ages. you never know what could happen and how they would handle themselves in an emergency.

I still think they are alittle two young to be alone in the house. Lots could happen that they wouldn't know what to do. A half hour is a short time. Do you have a neighbor that could watch them for that time? Put on one tv show for them etc....