General Chat

i thought it was 12,just shows you doesn't it,my eldest is 10 and i know is mature enough to be left for a while on her own but i still wouldn't do it until shes at least 12.

angela i think i will do that.even though i will be worrying.but i fel they need there independence.and the sooner they start the betterxxxx(:

Lisa I thought it was 12 when they could be left alone. May daughter started high sch last sept and turned 12 in Oct. I have been leaving her at home for about a yr now. The first few times i did it she had to call me every half hour. She also has rules... She's not allowed to answer the door unless she can see who it is and even then only close family members. The same goes for the phone, she is not allowed to answer it unless the answer machine clicks on and she know the person, again relatives or her friends. This works fine for me, but I must stress, the longest she has been left is about 3 hrs. If i have to go out for a long time say 2 hrs plus then we revert back to her calling me once in a while to let me know all is well. I also try and make sure her aunty is home so if there is a porblem then help is a minute away. I also have 3 boys but can not see me ever leaving two of them, would come back to no house and them stil killing each other out front ! lol On one occassion i did leave her in charge of one of the boys , but took the two trouble makers with me, this was a 1/2 hour trip. I guess I'm fortunate, my daughter is sensible and does have her head screwed on right!!! Shelli

I was lucky, my daughter was very grown up at 14. She was the most popular babysitter around..... she made a fortune !! Not only babysitting, she used to take in people's ironing too !! I have a younger daughter, who is now 18, and she can barely look after herself...... and thats now !! I think you know when they are ready. I started slowly, like going for an hour to do the shopping, or popping to a friends for coffee etc. Andrea

i agree angela 14 is a responsible age.my daughter will be 14 next year so might give it a trial run and see what happens.plus she is more responsible than me!LOLXxxxxxxxxxxxx(:

There is no legal age to leave a child in charge of another one, but, and its a big BUT, they are not legally responsible until the age of 16..... so if under 16 and anything happens, you could still end up in court. I phoned and found out when my daughter was 14 and people wanted her to babysit. Andrea :o)

i think it's 16 yearsxxx(:

that is the problem we face nowadays.my daughter i feel is responsible but if i get it wrong i could be in the dockxxxx):

I think they don't quote a specific age now. Like she said, the parent should judge and use common sense. i suppose some children would be responsible at 12 and others not until they are 16. But, if you leavethe child and something happens, they will still prosecute if they feel that child was not responsible enough to be left. I am not sure but I think there is a legal age at which one child can be left in charge of a much younger child. Ann Glos

being a good parent i phoned up social services to find out if there is a legal age for leaving your children unatteneded at home....only to be told that there is no legal age for this.if the child is mature enough to be left on there own then in so many words thats fine.what the hell is going on.i know they need to cover themselves but what that is telling me that if a parent feels there child is responsible enough(which some parents may feel younger than 14 which i thought was the legal age)then they can.but she did state that i would be responsible for that child.well stating the obvious.so now i am really confused about when to leave her at home.what age where you allowed at home on your own.?xxxx(: