At What Age Can You Legally Leave Kids Home Alone in Connecticut?

If you were a kid in the 70's & 80's, being left home alone without parental supervision wasn't a big deal. Most of my friends had working-class families who put in long hours at their jobs. Still, I was surprised when a friend told me that their 10 year old was home alone at the time. Is leaving a 10 year old home alone legal in Connecticut?

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According to our state's official website CT.gov, yes it is. There is no set age prescribed by law, or by child development experts, for when your child is ready to stay at home alone. That decision lies with the parents, and as you probably guessed, Connecticut does have plenty of guidelines and factors for you to consider before you make that decision.

Among the most important: Your child's age, their maturity, their ability to handle emergency situations, their feeling about being left alone, a safe environment, and length of time they'll be alone. It's a huge responsibility that obviously is not taken seriously at times.

My initial shock at my friend's 10 year old being home alone was quickly met with a live view of his kid on his cellphone. I didn't even consider security cameras in my initial rush to judgement, but the ability to take a live look in via cellphone is wonderful at reducing anxiety.

There was always someone home when I was a kid, my grandparents never left the house. Looking back, I think I was mature enough to be left alone at 13. Maybe 12 if my parents had Ring cameras everywhere.