Left unsupervised, a young child could drown, take a fall or even be abducted in a very short span of time.
So when is it OK to leave the kids alone? And for how long?
“There is, to my knowledge, no specific law governing that,” said Steuben County, Indiana Sheriff Rick Lewis. I know some parents think it’s OK to leave children who are 10 years old home alone. I feel strongly that a 10-year-old child is not old enough to be left unsupervised.”
Marie Davis, a licensed day care provider in Hamilton, Indiana who has accreditation through Early Childhood Alliance, said she was told by a social worker that legally a child can be left alone from the age of 11.
“I was told that it was OK to leave a child between the ages of 11 and 13 alone as long as they are very responsible and know where to get help,” she said. “I think 11 is extremely young. I don’t think at that age a child is really aware of what’s going on around them. They’re kind of in their own little world.”
Lewis said that in this day and age, when both parents in most two-parent households have to work and there are so many single-parent households, there are probably a lot of children left alone that no one will ever know about.
“It’s probably much more prevalent than we realize,” he said. “And I believe that’s the fault of society in general, not necessarily the parents. I feel in a lot of cases, the parents are forced into leaving the children alone when they’re not really comfortable doing it.
Lewis said 30 years ago, children being left alone at home probably wasn’t as big of a concern as it is today.
Thirty years ago, we all knew our neighbors and mothers were home all the time,” he said. “We weren’t so concerned about child abductions and things as we are now.”
Davis said it’s important for parents to remember how little it can take for an accident to happen.
“A child can drown in two inches of water,” she pointed out. It would only take one wrong person to know that a parent leaves their 5-year-old child alone in the house just to run down to the store. There are sex offenders in our area. You just don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s very scary.”
Lewis said the sheriff’s department does receive some calls about children being left alone, but that it’s a small number.
Lewis said as children begin getting older, parents should assess their maturity carefully before deciding whether or not they are capable of being left by themselves.
“They have to be old enough to make mature decisions,” he said.
Lewis said even in a law enforcement capacity, cases where someone has reported a child has been left alone are rarely black-and-white issues.
“It can be a case of neglect, or there are times when it crosses over into a criminal case,” he said. “That usually happens if there’s been an accident or death.”
Lewis said the gray areas on the subject are many.
I f a parent leaves a 10-year-old child alone after school for 20 or 30 minutes, is that neglect?” he said. “There’s no clear-cut answer. In cases where we really don’t know, we refer them to the Department of Family and Children. The children are interviewed to see if (being left alone) is a common occurrence or a one-time thing.”
Lewis said it’s hard for him to say what the proper age to leave a child alone would be.
“Obviously, there are 18- and 20-year-olds who probably shouldn’t be left alone and aren’t capable of making good decisions,” he said. But what it comes down to is that the parent has a responsibility to protect the child and to not let them get into situations where they’re in harm’s way.
Lewis suggests that if children are left home alone, parents review the following things with them:
How and when to dial 911.
The name, phone number and address of a trusted neighbor they can contact if they feel scared or threatened.
To not answer the door under any circumstances, and that if they answer the phone, to not indicate that their parents are not at home.
A password that anyone picking the child up from anyplace has to know for the child to go with them.
“If they’re alone and someone wants them to come see a puppy, they’re probably going to go see the puppy,” she said. “Any intelligent parent is going to know when their child is ready to be alone. I just think some parents don’t think about it enough and do it too early.”
