Leaving Kids Home Alone
By: Lauren Murphy
Updated: May 29, 2008
School is out for the summer!
That means no homework, summer vacations, and long days at the pool, but it definitely makes things difficult for working parents.
Most parents of little ones arrange day care, camps, or enlist the help of friends and relatives.
Then, there's that tricky in-between age where parents contemplate letting their pre-teens fend for themselves.
There is no legal age a child must be in order to be left home alone, but the experts say take into account the maturity of your child.
"My one warning would be to make sure your kids know what to do in case of an emergency and to be sure the child's maturity level is to where they can stay home alone and they know the appropriate people to contact," said Shawn Vandygriff of Child Protective Services.
Vandygriff also discourages parents from entrusting their pre-teen with caring for the younger kids.
