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As I have called many times to see what the "legal" age of being able to stay at home for a child was, I have always been told that there is no legal age, it depends on how capable and trustworthy your child is,and if they are able to get help if they need it.I have four children ages 16, 13, 7 and 2. I have always made sure that my chid was properly taken care of if I left them alone for any amount of time, you never know when an hour at the store will lead to three hours because of some unforeseen incident. I have always made sure they had phone numbers to call for emergencies, and more so neighbors to go to for help. I also try to let the neighbors know the child is home alone.But as for what age is appropriate, my older two kids never stayed home alone before the age of 9 for any reason because I didn't think they were mature enough and they never wanted to be alone. Also we lived in a big community and too much could happen to them I feared.My son who is 7, has always been independent,and when we moved to a rural community of only 4 thousand people,where we know almost everyone,I felt more secure about leaving him at home for an hour or so.It all depends on how well you think your own child is capable of being home alone. If you have any questions that they will not be OK by themselves, then you probabley should not do it.Also if you have any questions or concerns, call child welfare services, they will help you answer your questions.

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