[JRA]

There has been a new study on "growing up in Australia", apparently 1 in 4 10yo is left at home for at least an hour once a week without supervision.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-08/one-...sion-at/4416448

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting...v-1226532477955

Some of the comments have been interesting despite the "it is illegal" that is often cited on EB

In two-thirds of the cases the children were alone but were not really at risk of significant harm," Ms Goward told The Daily Telegraph.

Ms Goward said concerned neighbours, or passers-by who knocked on the door to discover a child alone, were among those who had dobbed in parents.

"There's no law against children being left at home. We expect parents to make their own judgment but parents can be charged if a child is left in a dangerous situation," she said

[L&E]

Mine is one of them

Once a week he comes home from school and is on his own for around an hour til I get home. I speak to him when he arrives home and he watches tv til I get there. Knowing my child, my neighbourhood and the adults he knows in houses next door and across the road, I think he's old enough for that situation.

[JRA]

L&E: I am far from having a go. I posted to try and point out it is quite common, despite the reactions on EB, and that Pru Goward believes it is not illegal, once again despite EB comments

[ILBB]

I look back on to my childhood growing up in the country - from about the age of 6 we were out of the house early and back probably for lunch then gone again till dinner. As long as Mum had some idea where we were this was considered okay and normal. My older sister (not that much older though) was responsible for me during the school holidays as Mum was working and there was no such thing as school holiday care. I now see that leaving a 12 year old could be considered negligent and wonder how things have changed! I also wonder that if we dont leave kids to their own devices at some stage we will not have a generation of children able to tackle the world independently.

[brazen]

i have started leaving ryan home alone for around 1/2 hour, just in the past few months, at 9.5.

we've set up a system with phone numbers and special phone rings and locked doors etc.

[Nora.]

I leave my 9.5 year old alone. She's given instructions on what to do/what not to do. Good, quiet street. Know all the neighbours. I've told her if there's an emergency, to go to one of our neighbours houses. She also has the ipad, with all my contact numbers on it, so she can call a number of people (obviously including me). She just sits on the computer or watches TV.

I think EB always has a tendency to over react. I was really shocked to read somebody saying they hadn't left their child alone until 15.

[redkris]

I also wonder that if we dont leave kids to their own devices at some stage we will not have a generation of children able to tackle the world independently.

It's already happened, ILBB. I know of 15 year olds who cry when they get left alone at home and dont even know how to make toast or use a microwave. Scary.

[proudmama1]

I do not leave my son home alone and probably won't til he has started secondary school (at age 12). Each to their own though.

[4kidlets]

What usually happens in these threads is someone jumps up and down about how it is illegal but has no links or sources to support this and then someone else, often me, responds with govt website link which states it is illegal to leave child for unreasonable time without reasonable provisions (words to that effect) - obviously this is open to interpretation but it does NOT state an actual age that it is illegal to be home alone.


10 seems reasonable age to me for short periods ,say, an hour, with provisions for who to call or contact if there is a problem.

[FrogIsAFrogIsAFr...]

I've become quite comfortable leaving my 11 year old home on a regular basis one night a week after school when my MIL goes away and can't do the pick up one night for me.

He meanders home, weaves his way through the suburbs with his mates for a while, rings me at work when he gets home and plays on the computer until I am home at 5:30pm.

He EVEN did his homework the other night before I got home FTW.