What Age is Appropriate to Leave a Child Home Alone? [POLL]

Many parents are faced with deciding when it’s okay to leave their child unattended for extended periods of time. Whether they are working while school is out, or need to run errands for a couple hours, it’s a dilemma most every parent is faced with as their child grows older.

Recently, I asked the question “What is the youngest age you can leave your child home alone“. We talked about it on the radio. We even talked with a local police officer, who discussed the situation from a legal point of view. Here’s a sample of the discussion that came out:

We also discussed the situation online, and received some interesting input there as well:

The laws about what age a child can be left home alone vary from state to state. Currently, Texas has no specific age minimum for children to be left home alone, and no specific amount of time that is deemed appropriate for children to be left on their own.

Based on all the input we received, I put together a survey that I’d love for you to participate in. Let us know what you think. Also, if you have any additional comments, feel free to leave them in the section below.