Leaving Your Child Alone

There are some instances when you will be forced to decide on leaving your children alone at home. There are several things you do have to consider before you leave your child or children alone at home.

Know what your state legislation laws say about leaving children alone at home. For example: In Georgia and Illinois there is a stipulated specific age limit for children that parents can safely leave them alone at home without facing any legal issues. In other states, there are no age limits for leaving child alone at home as long as safety measures are done to ensure their safety.

You may want to determine what age your child can be safely left alone at home. It is but natural to assume that children 5 years old or younger cannot be left alone at home even for a short amount of time. Some children at the age of 8 can be left alone, but only for a short period of time.

For example, if you are only running next door for a cup of coffee or down to the market to pick up milk, you know you are within minutes of home at all times and you will return shortly. In most cases such opportunities help to inspire a sense of self-confidence and empowerment in a child. But each child should be considered on an individual basis. If you are confused, the age of 12 generally can be a safe age to leave children behind.

Your child’s temperament should also be considered when you think of leaving them behind. If your child is impulsive, inquisitive, highly adventurous, and often gets into mishaps even in your presence, you may want to reconsider leaving him behind. Amazingly, there are children at the age of 10 that are well-behaved and able to stay at home without getting into trouble when you are gone.

Maturity level is also important. Even if your child is 14 years old, that does not mean he is responsible enough to stay trouble-free. They can bring their friends along to play games all day instead of finishing their homework. There are 10-year-olds that can go straight home, heat dinner, and keep it from burning while doing homework.

In the same context, you also have to consider the level of skill and capabilities your child has. A child who cannot clean after himself certainly cannot be left at home alone without supervision. Sustenance is important for children. If your child cannot cook or even heat food, be sure to be back home way before dinner time.

Your child’s level of understanding the rules and following instructions must also be considered. You have to inform him of the things he can and cannot do by himself, what to do and what number to call in case of emergencies.

If something happens to your child while you are away, you will be confident to know that he will be able to dial the numbers of people he must call to rescue him.

When you have no choice but to leave your child behind, make sure that you have applied the necessary measures in your home:

~ Fire places and the gas range must be secured to prevent setting off fires.

~ The water heater’s temperature is lowered to a less than 120 F so your child will not scald himself in case he accidentally turns on the faucet full blast.

~ If your child must heat dinner, the food must be placed in an oven-proof or microwave safe dish.

~ Your medicine cabinets must be securely locked. If your child must self-administer a medication, make sure you have premeasured them in cups labeled at the time it must be taken. Never leave your child with just the bottle and a teaspoon.

~ If you have firearms in your house, lock them securely in a place where your child cannot reach. A lot of child accidents happen at home in connection to guns that have been left in easy reach of children, some of them fatal.

~ Your child must know how to call 911 in case of emergencies. Stress the importance of not calling 911 when it is not needed.

~ If you must leave your child alone for a long time, you must both have a schedule on when to call each other to make sure that everything is just fine.

Give your office number as well as your cell phone number so your child will not have a reason not to call you just in case one number cannot be reached. If indeed you are unavailable, you must turn on your answering service so your child will leave you message telling you of his condition. Be sure to return back the call so he will not worry.

~ Tell your child that no one must be allowed inside the house, especially strangers. If there is a scheduled delivery, leave an authorization letter to your child and have him ask for the delivery man’s identification.

~ Be sure that your child knows his emergency drills for fire, earthquake, and burglary. If you have a cordless phone with a headset, tell your child that he must have it on constantly so he can call the proper authorities.

If you are unsure about leaving your child behind, a practice run will do the trick. Leave them inside the house for several minutes and see what they would do. If you wish to look closely, then pretend that you are leaving and park the car in a different block while having an arrangement with your neighbor to come pick you up.

You will then be able to check on your kids while being just near them – but they don’t know that. Once the stipulated time is up, go back to your car and come back home. If all are comfortable with the arrangement, then all is good.

If not, then do it gradually so that everyone will be assured that each will be fine with the arrangement without the presence of the other.

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