A grandmother expresses concern about her son and daughter-in-law leaving their 7 and 9-year-old daughters alone at home while they run errands. The father feels that the girls are old enough for short periods alone. The grandmother considers moving closer to help but struggles with convincing them of the potential dangers. While other people's parenting choices can be frustrating, safety recommendations suggest that age is less crucial than a child's maturity when determining if they're fit to be left alone.
The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't have hard and fast guidelines on when a kid can stay home alone, also emphasizing that a child's maturity is more important than age.
SAFEkids, a non-profit focused on childhood safety, recommends 12 as the minimum age a kid should be left alone, but emphasizes it can vary based on the kid.
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