Should a National Age Requirement for Leaving Children Alone Be Instituted?

What is a safe age to leave children alone at home? Many states do not have a legal age set for children to be left on their own. Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, and Oregon have a specific set age requirement and are only a few of the states that do. In fact, the somewhat arbitrary age of twelve is only recommended to leave children for a short time, not for hours at end. Even though many states agree that 12 is a safe age, is it really?

Safety for the child should be the primary concern if a parent needs to leave a child for any amount of time. The home should be secure, safe and the child needs to be able to contact the parent or a responsible adult in an emergency or if they are in fear for any reason. The accessibility to guns, lighters, and other household hazards are other things to consider. Does the child understand why they should never answer the door or the telephone to people they do not know or recognize? Will the child do any homework or household chores responsibly? Does the child know how to call 911 and do they understand what an emergency is? Are they capable of handling an emergency?

The child should be mature enough to handle the responsibility of being alone. This does not mean that any child the age of twelve or under is mature enough to be a full-time babysitter for younger siblings. Many 12-year-old children are often left to care for another sibling or even multiple siblings. They are left to feed, bath, supervise homework, give out chores, and otherwise care for the younger children. Is it fair to the child to load them down with such a heavy responsibility? Although babysitting jobs are often given to 12-14 year olds as a first job, typically, they are only doing so for a few hours at most and many have to go through some sort of training in order to be qualified as a babysitter.

Children under the age of 12 should never be left home, no matter how mature they or the parents believe them to be. Children under this age are easily distracted and influenced by things going on around them. They can effortlessly forget they are not allowed to go outside or to let a stranger into the home. They may try to prepare food on a stove and put themselves in danger of being hurt or even burning down the home.

If the parent's work schedule means they have to be gone for hours after their child has returned home from school, what safeguards are in place? Does the parent have the option of coming home several times during their working hours? Are they able to call the child on a regular basis to check in? Is the child able to call the parent at any time during the day or evening? How far does the parent have to drive to work and how much time does it take to return home? Is there another responsible person close by to keep an eye on things in general or for the child to contact?

The reasons a child may be left alone are also very important. Leaving a child in order to go dancing, drinking, gambling, or even to go on vacation as some parents have done are not valid reasons for leaving a child by itself. In fact, the parents who have been prosecuted for doing so have often ended up in prison. These children frequently end up in foster care or with relatives to care for their children, many times for years.

With the economic situation today, many parents cannot afford childcare or after school care. Feeling that their only option is to leave the children alone while they work may cost more dearly than parents understand. Nonetheless, a national age requirement should be put in place for every county and state in the United States with guidelines on how you and your child can be protected. The number of children who are injured or killed while being left home alone has risen dramatically in the past few years. An average of 2300 children under the age of 14 dies each year due to unintentional home injuries. Although not all of these injuries occurred while a parent had to be absent from the home, injuries can and do occur. Will your child be one of them?

Sources:

Safety for Children Home Alone

Age Restrictions For Latchkey Kids - by State

Home Safety