Determining When a Child is Ready to Be Left Home Alone

Information from Home Alone article at about.com/health: Child care authorities generally do not recommend leaving any child under 8 years old home alone, and most people believe that the earliest age to leave a child unattended is between 10-14 years of age, depending on several factors. How mature is the child? Will the child be responsible for younger siblings? Are they ready to accept the responsibility of being alone? Are they afraid to enter an empty home or to be left home alone? If there are younger siblings involved, it would be better if the child were at least 12 or 14 years old before being given this responsibility. The safety of your child(ren) should be your primary concern.