Home Alone: What the Law Says About Leaving Kids on their Own if Parents are Busy

Is there a legally appropriate age for parents to leave their kids home alone if they have to run a quick errand or have been kept busy at work? It's a question many parents wonder as unsupervised children may be perceived as an act of child neglect in the eyes of the law.

In the U.S., only a handful of states have explicit laws about leaving kids home alone. In Illinois, children can be on their own at home at 14 years old and above. However, state lawmakers are working on changing this from 14 to 12 years old.

On the other hand, Kansas allows kids six years old and above to be home alone and is the youngest in the U.S., per iMom. Maryland, Oregon, North and South Dakota, Colorado, Georgia, and Nebraska also have policies about leaving children without supervision.

However, most states do not have specific age or biding guidelines since "appropriate age" may also depend on the child's maturity, abilities, and the general home environment. It's hard to base the decision just on age alone.

Husband got angry when kids were left home alone

There have been plenty of debates about this topic among parents. Recently, a mom in the Reddit community opened up that she got into a fight with her husband because he came home and found the kids alone. Apparently, his wife took off for a doctor's emergency.

"[He] told me that from now on I have to stay home if he's not," the mother shared, per Yahoo! "I was really mad. But later I started wondering if he was right. The kids could still have gotten into trouble."

The blended family has four children from previous relationships; 10 and 11 years old boys for the mom and 14 and 15 years old girls for the dad. The mother said her husband is "very protective over all the kids."

The commenters said that the couple should agree in situations like this because an overprotective parent may also not be helping the kids mature. They also believed that the mother knew the capacity of her kids; thus, she did not have problems deciding to step out for a few minutes.

"You cannot also be forced to be confined to your house," one commenter said. "Your husband does not respect your right as the parent to judge your children's competency."

What the experts say about leaving kids home alone

Dr. Cindy Gellner from the University of Utah said that since each state has different laws about what may constitute child neglect, adequate supervision, or age-appropriate, it might be better for parents to follow the general guidelines and common sense. Children 7 years old and below should never be left alone at any time, while kids eight years old and above might be trusted to be on their own for at least one and a half hours in the daytime.

Kids between 11 to 12 years old can be left unsupervised for at least three hours, while teenagers until 15 years old may be unsupervised but not home alone overnight. By the time the children are 16 to 17, they can be left unsupervised overnight for two days.

Marie Coombes, a childcare resource person, said that parents must talk to their kids about having a trial run for leaving them home alone. This will be a good gauge for the parents to see if their children can already manage independently.

Parents must also establish the rules if they do decide that the children can be home alone. Set clear limits and list the tasks the children can do while the parents are gone.