To ask what age you would leave a child alone.....

[LemonSherbetFancies]

In the evening at home by themselves (Parents out from about 7PM-11PM)

12? I think my DD would be fine.

@WorraLiberty

I was a mature 12 yr old, I was still scared shitless when my dad went out at night, leaving me alone, to buy fags or alcohol once it was dark.

Yes, it's important the child is happy as well as mature and confident.

I just think 11pm is too late for any 12 yr old to be unsupervised. Even a mature, happy 12 yr old would get freaked if the door bell rang at 10pm at night

OnlyFoolsnMothers true enough.

OP, why do you ask?

Maybe 13/14, but probably only if there were two about that age. I wouldn’t want to leave just one 13 yo alone for the evening. My eldest is 12 and shed be lonely left all alone for the evening, even if perfectly safe.

I certainly wouldn’t leave them to look after younger children until about 15/16.

I remember the first night I spent alone in my family home. I was 16 and it felt odd. In hindsight it was the only night I would spend alone for more than a decade. Should hace enjoyed it more

For those of you saying 16 , i am shocked !

I was working full time at 16

13ish if they were mature and happy and possibly with a friend staying with them.

It so dependent on them
Individually though.

Only in MN world would parents not leave kids alone for that long until they were 16!

You can get married and legally have sex at 16 FFS!!

We were thinking about 14 to be left alone late at night.
Thanks all x

@YellowPurple

For those of you saying 16 , i am shocked !

I was working full time at 16

My parents used to go away for a week long UK holiday when I was 16.

My best mate (also 16) used to stay with me though.

There were also no mobile phones back then.

@LemonSherbetFancies

We were thinking about 14 to be left alone late at night. Thanks all x

Are they happy to be left alone? Confident? Trustworthy?

What's the area they live in like?

I think this meme hits the nail on the head

By the time they were old enough to leave that late in the evening, I'd be more worried about them having parties and coming home to a trashed house! (This may just be reflective of my own mis-spent youth).

Until 11pm, I'd want the eldest to be at least 14. And I wouldn't leave them in charge of a child under 10. So I guess 11-14 if more than one of them present.

I was down the pub till 11 myself at 16 It really depends on the child and it would be better built up to gradually. I can remember feeling a bit worried on my own but maybe that's a necessary stage to go through to some extent.

@cutthebs

Only in MN world would parents not leave kids alone for that long until they were 16!

You can get married and legally have sex at 16 FFS!!

I don't really agree that a 16 year old should be legally allowed to be married anyway (misses the point!) I used to hate being left at 14/15, unless my siblings were with me. Even then, we'd get scared if the doorbell rang after dark!

Amazed at people saying 16 - I left home at 16.

12. But nearby - 5-10 minutes walk away. I wouldn't go a taxi ride away. Plus we have a dog and they were happy to be left.

If it's a big night out then I'd still get a sitter

13/14 here. We were going out in the early evening until about 9pm pre-Covid and leaving dd with ds who would have been 10. They were fine.

Now at nearly 15 and 11 I’d leave them until 11pmish.

I was also in the pub myself at 16....

Times have changed!

My oldest was 14 but he wasn’t completely alone as his DB was 12.

@ImAlrightThanx but you can be scared at any age... you can be nervous alone in your 20's! But at some point everyone has to grow up.. being scared isn't the same as not having the maturity to be left alone.

[quote cutthebs]@ImAlrightThanx but you can be scared at any age... you can be nervous alone in your 20's! But at some point everyone has to grow up.. being scared isn't the same as not having the maturity to be left alone. [/quote]
Good point when you think of how many Mnetters don't like their husbands staying out late, because they can't sleep when they're alone in the house.

[quote cutthebs]@ImAlrightThanx but you can be scared at any age... you can be nervous alone in your 20's! But at some point everyone has to grow up.. being scared isn't the same as not having the maturity to be left alone. [/quote]
That is a very good point.
Like I said, I would have a ballpark of around 14, depending on the maturity of the child/teen.

My father was a police officer in a small town, and the police office and cells were incorporated into the house we lived in (bedroom was over the top of the cells). I was regularly left alone from age 10ish, though not when there were any prisoners in the cells. I used to sit in the dark when my parents were out, as I was terrified that someone might come to the door looking for the police. My mother could never understand why I hid in our dining room under a table, when someone came to the door (even through the daytime) and would tell people I was hiding, some of whom who would then come into the room and look under the table, laughing at me. She could never understand why I wouldn’t speak to people and used to get mad at me for being rude, when in truth I was painfully shy??

It took me many years to realise that my parents were the ones in the wrong, not me, though I still loved them dearly! My childhood has affected my whole life and made me very introverted and I have always struggled with meeting and speaking to strangers, apart from when I have had to stand up for my own children!

Please don’t leave your children alone until both you and they feel that they are happy to be left alone.

We weren't quite sure about this one, but covid has meant the issue hasn't arisen. At 13.5, we were leaving her happily if we were going to be back by 10.15 (which covered most of our evening activities), but we did get a babysitter to come at 9pm when we were going to be late back. It looks like she'll be 15 or even 15.5 by the next time it arises...