by Georgia S. Peaches

Created on: February 02, 2009

When it comes to the thought of letting your child or children stay home without adult supervision, there is a plethora of things that go through the mind. Will they be safe? Will they know how to call 911? What happens if something goes wrong and we're not there?

So many things can sweep through a mind, that most parents are too nervous to even attempt to leave a child at home by themselves until they are around 14 to 15 years old. Even then, there is a whole new range of problems (mostly social ones) that must be covered before a parent will feel safe leaving their offspring at home alone.

Most critics would get at any parent who might choose to leave a younger child at home, but in truth, is it really so bad?

Our job as parents is to prepare our children for their future adult lives, is it not? To prepare them to be able to be alone with out starting fires, breaking valuables or throwing huge parties. To make them independent enough to be able to make some simple meals, do their own laundry and care for any pets in the home.

Usually, a parent might think about leaving their child or children at home alone when they have to work late, need a night out, or when there is a family emergency. There aren't to many other reasons to leave a child at home alone, or at least not many that I have heard about.

Truthfully, every child is different, and it is truly up to the parent to decide when the right time will be. To help you decide if now is the right time, lets go through some questions that might help the decision become a little clearer in your mind.

1. How old is your Child? Statistics show that the average age a child can be left at home is between age 11 and 14.

2. How emotionally mature do you feel your child is? Do they run and hide when there is a thunder storm? Do scary movies give them night mares?

3. Do you feel your child is old enough not to tell anyone that they are home alone? Parents are often coaxed to teach their children to tell anyone calling on the phone that the only parent home is in the shower, do you feel your child could do this?

4. Do you feel your child could understand and follow through with a few basic rules? I.e. No using the stove, no answering the door, no parties?

These are some basic things that are important to think about when making your decision. Most parents obvioiusly try to teach their children not to play with sharp objects or stick things in electrical sockets from the time they are toddlers, but you will want to reinforce these

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