ten-year-old left alone in the house

When I was a kid there were several times I was left alone that age. It might depend on the child's personality and level of responsibility at that age but I see no problem with it. She sounds like she can handle it from anything you've indicated.

Honestly, when I was a kid, I was babysitting at age 11 and my parents left me alone with my brothers while they went out for the evening. I babysat neighbor kids and even an infant. I walked to the store on my own and was smoking at that age. These days things are different. I'm not sure what the laws are about what age it is ok to leave your child alone. I think a lot depends on the hour of the day and how long they are alone for. I know my neighbor from a few years back was working llpm until 7 am. shift and he left his kids who were 10 and 13 and DCYF jumped all over him for it even though they were in bed when he left and I was right next door and they knew they could run to me anytime or even bang on the wall!! If I were you, I'd inquire as to what the laws where you live are. Personally, I think it should depend on how mature the individual kid is but these days we have laws that dictate us on this stuff.

I would be afraid to leave my child alone at that age. There are so many idiots out there that it is not safe, along with the dangers in the home. I would really try to at least have a neighbor check on her or take the child with me.

This discussion group was started about the TV SHOW HOUSE. What has your post got to do with that. Look at the photo. It shows the actors from the TV show. It doesn't show a house.

I have left my 10 year old home just to run to the store real quick but never more than an hour. Im sorry but 4 hours is just to long to many things can go wrong when a child is left alone for that long. Where I live Child Protective Services said that leaving a child under 11 years of age home alone is the same as neglect and that you never should leave a child that young home alone. They also said that at 11 that its really taking a chance even then. I only know because my friend was investigated for leaving his 10 year old home alone. My daughter is now 12 and I am still nervous about leaving her home alone for more than an hour. I guess I am just a paranoid parent that is not ready for my child to grow up.

I think she should not be left for that long a time. If she is mature enough, she could be left for a little while. It sounds like you leave her well off, but if there is a fire would she know what to do? When I was a child I was left with my 14 year old brother,and a fire started on the couch and we didn't know what to do. I don't really remember how the fire started, but I think we were playing with matches. Obviously he wasn't mature enough to watch me (he's 4 years older than I).

Perhaps ten years old girl is still a little child. Although the equipments are well at your home. But sometimes children can do something that is unexpected. They may play something dangerous, like the fire. This is how the accidents occur when there are only little children at home.

No I don't think that it is a good idea to leave a ten year old child alone in the home. My parents didn't leave my brother and me a lone until he was like 12 and it was only for 2 hours the longest and that is it. I think that 10 years old is just too young. Yes, you may leave them alone with all the necessities that they may need, but what if something goes wrong. That's just my opinion though.

This would have to depend on the personalitry abd stamina onf the child. A Ten year old child can be a responsiblee enough to be left alone as s longf as certqin guid3elines and rulkes are followed by the household.

i think four hours or less in leaving a ten-year-old kid alone in the house is just fine. kids at that age are already aware and responsible enough to care and look for themselves as long as we advice them not to go out or open the gates if they don't know the person outside. they can already understand, or if they will just play games on computer and watch tv there. i think it is okay. but also we must not do it often, i think it is also best if she has somebody with her maybe 2 or 3 of them in the house, just in case.

Well,if your neighbor is your close friends and will help you keep a eye for your daughter,and you just leave for four hours,then I think it is OK,if not,pls do not make a 10-year-old little girl leave alone in the house,that is too dangerous.In this case you can call your relatives or your friends to your house and take good care of your daughter,or you can just take her around you wherever you go.

In our culture, we are not used to leaving a child like a 10 or younger alone in the house. I am an online teacher for Koreans and I notice that everytime I teach some of my students, some of them are alone in the house. I asked them if it's okay with them and they said yes. They even told me that they are used to it. ANd they always reasoning out that they always have their cellphone to call their parents if ever there's an emergency. But still, in my opinion, don't leave a child unattended till they're teens.

No way I'm gonna leave my ten-year old child alone at home. No one knows what things might happen to my child or even to me. I might get into an accident or a thief will enter our house and we know how thieves are, they have ways to enter a guarded locked house even in broad daylight.

i do understand your situation. what's important is that she is instructed well about safety, such as not leaving electrical appliances on, not playing with matches/leaving the gas open on the stove, not leaving the faucet or shower on. if she wants to get something and it's way up high, wait for an adult to come back and get it. don't climb up and don't get inside closets, either. i'm not sure what your instructions are about people ringing the doorbell or calling on the landline if she should attend to them, but it's worth thinking about.

Depending on the state in which you live, you may be running the risk of a visit from CPS. Four hours is a bit long of a time to leave the child home alone, and you do have neighbors--one of whom might decide to pick up the phone and place a call if (s)he sees you doing this. A quick trip out is one thing. Leaving your 10-year old home alone for several hours is another.

I don't think that it is okay to leave a child of this age in the house, because she isn't old enough to know what to do when things happen. If anything were to go wrong in the house while you were out then you would never forgive yourselves. I think that the fact that you have had to ask this question at all shows that you know that it's not okay, and that it's not something that you're entirely comfortable with. I wasn't even allowed to stay in the house on my own while my parents nipped to the shops at this age, never mind staying home alone for any significant period of time.

I don't think I can leave my 10 yrs old daughter alone. I haven't done it with my kids when they were young. But, maybe you will not do such a thing if you knew she's in danger or if the neighborhood is not safe. I guess you are confident that she's safe especially if you have lived in the place for a long time and you know how good the people are in the neighborhood.

I think it's totally okay. Kids should learn to be independent anyways. I know how frustrating it was that untzil 14 my parents just didn't want to leave me alone, and they sent people to supervise me. Especially if it's not a week, but three or four hours.

Although my daughter is now 12 years old, I have not left her at home even for a single minute. I am afraid for whatever may happen to her.

I just cannot imagine leaving my daughter alone in the house at night. Actually my friends told me the the law prohibit leaving a minor in the house alone, co's anything not good happens to the minor... the parents are liable, they could be sent to jail by a social worker. I would suggest that don't do it unless you asked a neighbor or a relative who is older to look after her when your away.