I have a question regarding my 7 year old son (1st grader)... occasionally my husband picks him up after school and then leaves him home alone for a couple of hours so he can go back to work to finish a job. He is a business owner and sometimes it's crucial he gets back to finish something. He just has him watch TV and tells him not to answer the door/phone. I also don't get home from work until a few hours after school gets out. We used to do "afterschool" care, but with our 5 yr old daughter in care full-time, we could no longer do it financially.

Is this even legal?

There is not normally a "age" where it is OK or not OK, It is when something goes wrong, that they start to second guess if this child was mature enough.

Now personally speaking, no this is too young, I can only speak from the view point if I was on the jury, and having to decide if you acted prudient or not, and I would say no, this is too young. Even a mature 7 year old, they are still just 7. I would be saying it would depend on their level of being mature if they were 10, I would be saying most likely no problem at 12.

Why does the husband just not take the child back to work with him, if he owns the business, no one can say he can't.

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Originally Posted by irishgirl7561

I have a question regarding my 7 year old son (1st grader)..... occasionally my husband picks him up after school and then leaves him home alone for a couple of hours so he can go back to work to finish a job. He is a business owner and sometimes it's crucial he gets back to finish something. He just has him watch tv and tells him not to answer the door/phone. I also don't get home from work until a few hours after school gets out. We used to do "afterschool" care, but with our 5 yr old daughter in care full-time, we could no longer do it financially.

Is this even legal?

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Well they have done a study and you should try it... one morning remind your son never to open a door for a stranger send a person who he doesn't recognize to go to the house to knock on the door.. and if your son opens it have the friend tell him to call you.. or when you get home scold him.. he will never do it again

Here is a link to some state guidelines- only two states actually have laws. Children Home Alone and Babysitter Age Guidelines
I hope this helps!

I would invest in a little TV in your husbands work and get him to sit there and watch TV for a couple of hours. There is so much a 7 year old can get into. What if he get's hungry and wants some toast so he goes and plugs in toaster the wrong way or he tries to ply the stuck toast out with a fork, or what if he falls. What if a preditor overhears and finds out that you are leaving him alone, NO it's just not a good idea, I would ask your local schools if they are running any after school programs or could recommend one. I would also ask the boy and girls club.

In England this would be illegal!

Children are not considered remotely responsible for themselves until they are 13 and even then only brave parents leave them on their own.

In my state, the child needs to be at least 12 years old, before being able to stay home alone. Even if that - not all day. What is acceptable is like from the time school ends at 3:30 p.m. until the usual time a parent gets home at 5:30 p.m.

Even if there are no state laws regarding this... child welfare has guidelines. You can always call a child welfare hotline and get your state's typical regulations. Child welfare will answer questions/no they will not be able to see where your calling from... Just remember, once child welfare gets involved it is super hard to get them uninvolved. Ethically this is not an age that can make appropriate decisions. One small decision could have life/death consequences. He cannot see abstractly or understand all potential consequences. Basically, I would never risk this even for 15 min alone. Look into neighbor, local teen might sit with him cheaply, take child to work with you, family member, anything but leaving him alone. Please don't take the risk... it just isn't worth it. Cathy

I'm a developmental psychologist, and 7 is way too young to be left alone for more than a few minutes to borrow sugar from a neighbor. First, 7-year olds do not have the knowledge of what to do in an emergency (or to be able to stay calm during one). They also do not have the full cognitive abilities to know what might result from their actions (such as cooking some soup, and forgetting to turn off the gas). Thirdly, the parts of the brain that permit impulse control & judgment (the prefrontal cortex) are not well-developed yet, and 7-year olds are apt to do stupid things that pop into their head. Think of it this way--with each day that the child is left alone, the chances of something bad happening increase. How will you feel if that "something bad" turns out to be irreversible?

Can't your husband take him to work with him?

LEGAL AGE

There are very few states in the U.S. with legal minimum ages for children home alone, but many state agencies have published guidelines. NH, Illiniois, Maryland and Oregon are a few of the states with ages specified in their laws. NH has the most specific age laws.

12 years of age appears to be the most common recommendation. Home Alone Children Legal Age Limits provides one guideline from a California agency representative who suggests that 8 year olds and over can be left at home for up to several hours (usually after school before a parent gets home from work). This site also provides a state by state comparison with references.

This may be of help to you.

At what age can a child legally be left alone to care for themselves?

I say 7 years old is way too young to be left home alone. He could simply fall of the couch in a bad position and break his leg, but no one else would be home for a while. Your husband should take him to work with him.