"When can children stay at home alone? This is a question that many parents ask. Dakota Child Protection has established guidelines for parents to determine how long children can be left at home alone. The following are the department’s recommendations:Feel free to give me your opinion. But I guarantee you'll never convince me that these recommendations are safe or advisable.
Age 0-7 under no circumstances can the child be left unattended.
Age 8-9 the child may be left unattended for up to 2 hours.
Age 10-12 the child may be left unattended for up to 12 hours.
Age 14-17 the child may be left unattended for 24 hours."
Friday, March 20, 2009
Outrageous!
I just got this information in our school district newsletter. I think this is outrageous. I would never leave children alone for this much time. Maybe a responsible 17 year old I'd leave for 24 hours, but I would never follow any of the other "recommendations." This is parental neglect and endangerment in my opinion.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
It seems like a quantum leap from 2 hours at age 9 to 12 hours at age 10. Also, perhaps they're presuming that the kids are 'electronically supervised' from cell phones, GPS ankle bracelets or something?
I think my kids are getting to the point where they might be able to be alone in another part of the house, but I'm always still within earshot.
But then at age 7, I was outdoor playing all day pretty much on my own...except that the neighbors all knew each other and any adult was an authority over me.
It's strange times.
These are the state guidelines as well. I wouldn't leave kids home along that long either (and I certainly didnt with my boys), but man, I was totally ON MY OWN as a kid! I came home from kindergarten, changed my clothes, and walked a mile down the country road to my aunt's house where I stayed until my parents got home. When I was in 1st grade, if I was home sick from school I was home alone! Ok, I suppose my mom thought I was VERY independent, and maybe my mom didn't have any other options back in 1972, but still! Summers were long and boring on my own, my high school aged brothers and sisters were off doing their own things and I was probably more responsible than they were. LOL
The same folks (public educational establishment) who come up with this nonsense are supposedly teaching our kids reading, writing, and mathematics.
I was pretty much on my own riding my bike wherever I wanted by age 7 or 8.
I think kids should not be left unattended for long periods of time in this day and age. Times are much different from when we were kids. We could run all over the neighborhood all day and our parents didn't know where we were. I think parents should know where their kids are and who they are with at all times. I think teenagers can have a little more latitude, but not kids under 13.
Post a Comment