unsupervised children

Each child is different. Some take to being left alone at an earlier age than others. I started leaving my son at home alone for 15 minutes at a time while I ran to the corner store at the age of 9 so he could get the idea of how it felt. He was not ready to be left alone for hours until he was 14, or at least that is how I felt. He was afraid of storms and we had them all the time, so to leave him home alone would have cause undo anxiety. I left him home at 12 with an older child but the two of them almost caught the house on fire. So, 14 worked for me, but there are other children much more resposible at an earlier age. Go slow and reassure them they can contact you if they need you. Teach them to call 911 in case of ann emergency, make sure they will not allow strangers in the house etc. These things are very important for their safety and your peace of mind.

The law saids 12, but I think it should be based on how mature your child is. I've seen 16 year olds that should not be left at home alone. Also I think it depends on the area which you live in. You could have a very responsible child, but live in a high crime area. Under those circumstances, I wouldn't do it. That's my 2 cents :)

i think around 12 or 13 yeh ...but i think the legal age in the uk is 14.