Home Alone

We had a police officer speak at our moms group one day and I asked this same questions. He said there is no law with a specific age limit for staying home alone. The reason is because every child is different and some are more mature and responsible than others the same age. A parent could leave a 6 year old home alone and would not be in any trouble, unless something happened to the child or the child was in danger. The officer did say the the age of 12 is a general guideline.

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I would definitely call and ask your local police department.

I was 8 and my sister was 10 when a police officer came to the door to discover that we were home alone (he was supposedly tipped off...said my parents). This was in Texas 20 years ago. He asked us if we knew where our parents were and we did and he left...I guess that was enough for him.

Not sure of the laws but I recommend the babysitting course from the red cross. I do know that there are different time limits as to how long the child can be left alone according to age. I hope this helps.

I know working in childcare we can have them till the day they turn 13. Then after that they are not allowed to come becuase they should be able to stay home.