Is my child old enough to be left at home alone?

This is a million-dollar question most parents of tweens and teens have. Frustratingly, there is no law to define what age a child is old enough to be left at home without adult supervision. This means that the lines are blurry and, essentially, it comes down to a parent’s best judgement. After all, a twelve-year-old might be far more mature than their fifteen-year-old sibling; that’s for you to decide. An independent college in Berkshire have prepared the following guidance for parents who are unsure as to whether or not their child is ready to be left at home alone. 

Consider your child’s problem-solving skills and maturity…

Consider your child’s problem-solving skills and overall maturity. Do you think they’d know what to do if a stranger knocked on the door or the heating won’t come on? It might be worth chatting to your child to find out how confident they feel about being home alone. If they don’t seem comfortable with the idea, then perhaps the time isn’t quite right. 

Having this conversation may flag up some of their key concerns that you can then work to eradicate. For instance, they might tell you that they would not know what to do in an emergency, like a fire. As a result, you will be able to teach them what to do, as it is crucial to know this even if there is an adult around. They might tell you that they wouldn’t mind being home alone, but they don’t know how to prepare food in the microwave. This one can be easily resolved, and is a life-skill as well.

Start small…

At some point, your child will need to learn how to take care of themselves without you being around. Practise leaving them alone for short bursts of time so that they can gradually become more used to the idea. You could even just go and sit in the car for 15 minutes and see how they get on. Talk to them about how they felt whilst you were gone and ask if they faced any challenges. Slowly, you can increase the amount of time you are gone. Make sure they have a clear-cut list of rules and multiple emergency contact numbers, just in case you are unable to get to your phone.