For those of you who leave you're LOs in the car while you run in someplace: would you actually get in trouble for that if someone reported you where you live? I know it's against the state law for a child to be left alone for any length of time if they're under 11 yo, in the car, the house, doesn't matter. They can't be left watching another, younger child unless they're over 14. And yes, they even apply it to running into the gas station here.
In Alaska, there's no law against it. So no, you shouldn't get in trouble if someone reports you in this state.
Under 11? What? And no babysitting under 14? Are you kidding me? What state is that if you're comfortable sharing? I know for a fact my sibs and I stayed home alone together before my older sister was over 14. It's called raising responsible children!
@lovesclimbing I Googled cuz I was curious. Illinois has a law that children can't be left alone before 14 and only 2 other states have laws mandating when kids can be left alone. Most leave it up to parents. Alone in a car is another story but it all varies by state. I know in MT you can't leave a child in a car if they're 4 or under but I don't know the age if they have an older sibling watching them. My son has asked if he can stay in the car during quick trips. I don't because I'm scared of "good samaritans." It kinda bothers me the amount of people that would rather pick up a phone and call you in for leaving your child unattended than talk to you about you and your child and what they are like! My son is a super cautious kid and would never do anything knowingly dangerous. He plays in the backyard by himself all the time but not in the front because I don't want CPS called on me.
@lovesclimbing I Googled cuz I was curious. Illinois has a law that children can't be left alone before 14 and only 2 other states have laws mandating when kids can be left alone.
Really? In Ontario they offer a program you can take at 12 years old to babysit other people's kids. And even that is optional, I don't think there's a specific law of what age.
In my state (Nebraska) there are guidelines but no specific laws about children staying at home alone or older children watching them; if someone were to call it would be judged on case-by-case basis. You would get in trouble for leaving a child 6 or under unattended in a vehicle, though.
And there is no way I'd let a 12 year old babysit DS. My sister is 14 and I've let her stay with him for an hour at a time here and there. She's pretty responsible though. I wouldn't let DH's 14 year old cousin watch him.
There is no specific law in my state (New York) about leaving children home alone or alone in cars, just vaguely worded child endangerment laws that I'm sure are interpreted differently in different cases. People in my town have their kids playing outside alone all the time though, so I don't think it would occur to anyone to call cps. My neighbor's four year old is out by herself constantly and I don't think anyone thinks anything of it. I will definitely let dd out alone as soon as she is old enough to know not to go in the street or go up to cars that pull in the driveway.
I personally am not comfortable leaving a child alone in a car, but I could see maybe feeling differently in some of the situations you guys have described. I'm overly paranoid though, like I get nervous and lock the doors as I walk from dd's car door (behind the passenger seat) to mine. Our main babysitter is only 14 though, so I guess I am inconsistent in my paranoia.
@lovesclimbing I Googled cuz I was curious. Illinois has a law that children can't be left alone before 14 and only 2 other states have laws mandating when kids can be left alone.
Really? In Ontario they offer a program you can take at 12 years old to babysit other people's kids. And even that is optional, I don't think there's a specific law of what age.
Yeah we have a program here too, to take at 12 but there's no specified age in Montana. Those 3 states though...North Carolina (8) Maryland (8) and Illinois (14) have laws stating when you can leave your kids alone by themselves. But that's not necessarily babysitting age.
I'm overly paranoid though, like I get nervous and lock the doors as I walk from dd's car door (behind the passenger seat) to mine.
I do this too! DH thinks it's a bit much, but there are crazy people out there and I just don't want to risk it and have those regrets. I probably do think through all the "what ifs..." too much, though.
I'm overly paranoid though, like I get nervous and lock the doors as I walk from dd's car door (behind the passenger seat) to mine.
I do this too! DH thinks it's a bit much, but there are crazy people out there and I just don't want to risk it and have those regrets. I probably do think through all the "what ifs..." too much, though.
Why do you do this? Are you worried about someone grabbing them? Not judging-dd will be moving to the passenger side when baby's car seat is installed.
I'm overly paranoid though, like I get nervous and lock the doors as I walk from dd's car door (behind the passenger seat) to mine.
I do this too! DH thinks it's a bit much, but there are crazy people out there and I just don't want to risk it and have those regrets. I probably do think through all the "what ifs..." too much, though.
Why do you do this? Are you worried about someone grabbing them? Not judging-dd will be moving to the passenger side when baby's car seat is installed.
I guess. Walking around the car would give someone enough time to run up and open the door. It would be pretty hard to get them out of their car seat fast enough, but who knows.
I'm overly paranoid though, like I get nervous and lock the doors as I walk from dd's car door (behind the passenger seat) to mine.
I do this too! DH thinks it's a bit much, but there are crazy people out there and I just don't want to risk it and have those regrets. I probably do think through all the "what ifs..." too much, though.
Why do you do this? Are you worried about someone grabbing them? Not judging-dd will be moving to the passenger side when baby's car seat is installed.
I guess. Walking around the car would give someone enough time to run up and open the door. It would be pretty hard to get them out of their car seat fast enough, but who knows.
Ah ok. I might join you doing that too. Sounds like something I would do. Lol
@Kylieslip24 Yeah, it's not super rational. That is what I think of though, even though I would bet that the more likely threat (although still incredibly unlikely) would be someone grabbing my keys away from me on my way over to my door and stealing the car without knowing that they are accidentally also kidnapping a child. I think about this stuff way more than I should.
@ellie111227@ladylolly89 I do all sorts of stuff in the name of safety that my husband thinks is ridiculous, and always think of the most ridiculous worst case scenario, but I don't do this. So thank you! I just shared this with my husband and told him not to give me a hard time about any of my irrational fears/actions anymore because there's more I could be scared of!
I'm overly paranoid though, like I get nervous and lock the doors as I walk from dd's car door (behind the passenger seat) to mine.
I do this too! DH thinks it's a bit much, but there are crazy people out there and I just don't want to risk it and have those regrets. I probably do think through all the "what ifs..." too much, though.
While I was googling I found that a child is more likely to be electrocuted than taken from a car by a stranger...
I'm overly paranoid though, like I get nervous and lock the doors as I walk from dd's car door (behind the passenger seat) to mine.
I do this too! DH thinks it's a bit much, but there are crazy people out there and I just don't want to risk it and have those regrets. I probably do think through all the "what ifs..." too much, though.
While I was googling I found that a child is more likely to be electrocuted than taken from a car by a stranger..
But that's not very surprising, is it? I mean, that's why they sell outlet covers in almost every store and all appliances come with warnings about keeping them away from water. I'm not saying that kidnapping is likely, because it isn't, but this comparison doesn't really highlight that for me since it is pretty expected that taking precautions against your kid being electrocuted is a basic parenting requirement.
FFFC #2 totally just side-eyed my cousin's Facebook post in which she had pictures of her child's QU wedding pictures. There were pictures of 5 year olds in frilly dresses and "walking down the isle" with a boy dressed in a football uniform. I seriously thought "WTF weird Catholic tradition is this!" Until I googled and learned of the marriage of Q and U in Kindergarten! I had never heard of this before!!!
I actually remember the QU wedding when I was in kindergarten. We all got to be a letter. I was letter X! We didn't dress up or anything it was just a fun activity during class.
Re: FFFC 4/28
Under 11? What? And no babysitting under 14? Are you kidding me? What state is that if you're comfortable sharing? I know for a fact my sibs and I stayed home alone together before my older sister was over 14. It's called raising responsible children!
My son has asked if he can stay in the car during quick trips. I don't because I'm scared of "good samaritans." It kinda bothers me the amount of people that would rather pick up a phone and call you in for leaving your child unattended than talk to you about you and your child and what they are like! My son is a super cautious kid and would never do anything knowingly dangerous. He plays in the backyard by himself all the time but not in the front because I don't want CPS called on me.
You would get in trouble for leaving a child 6 or under unattended in a vehicle, though.
And there is no way I'd let a 12 year old babysit DS. My sister is 14 and I've let her stay with him for an hour at a time here and there. She's pretty responsible though. I wouldn't let DH's 14 year old cousin watch him.
I personally am not comfortable leaving a child alone in a car, but I could see maybe feeling differently in some of the situations you guys have described. I'm overly paranoid though, like I get nervous and lock the doors as I walk from dd's car door (behind the passenger seat) to mine. Our main babysitter is only 14 though, so I guess I am inconsistent in my paranoia.