Whether it's after school or in the evening, many parents choose to leave their child home alone for varying lengths of time. Although it is up to you, the parent, to determine if your child is mature enough to accept the responsibility of being home alone, most experts agree that children younger than 10 should not be left alone. Read the following list of questions to help you decide if you are ready to leave your child home alone.
Many kids feel lost without adult supervision.
If you think that being left alone, with all the responsibility of taking care of the house and possibly younger siblings' will be too much for your child to handle, you may want to wait a year or two before leaving this child alone. Also consider how long you think your child would feel safe while you're away. Estimate how long it would take for you to get home in case of an emergency. If it's difficult for you to get away quickly or if your child doesn't know a nearby adult to go for help, you may want to hold off on letting the child stay home alone.