Discussions

Does anyone know the legal age that a single parent can leave the youngest teenage kid at home while going for Eg. A holiday?  
(There is also an older teenager in the home too).  
 
Thanks in advance.

13 was the youngest age a child could be left without supervision and is also the youngest they are allowed to babysit UNLESS they take the babysitters' course at age 12.

I know the 13 is for without supervision such as running to the grocery store. As for taking a holiday I wouldn't let anyone under 18 stay alone, older teenager or not. Taking a vacation and leaving kids under 18 alone might cause some problems.  
 
-If you leave them at home and you take off on a vacation I smell a house party coming up.

Anyone under 18 is still a minor as far as the law is concerned. The older child is not the legal guardian of the younger child, you are.  
 
There are a lot of things you can do as a single parent, this is not one of them.

TheScotsman said "Anyone under 18 is still a minor as far as the law is concerned. The older child is not the legal guardian of the younger child, you are.     There are a lot of things you can do as a single parent, this is not one of them. "

I want/need to be sure of where the law/I stand.  
 
Edited by MREJ, 2016-12-01 17:13:05

I wouldn't leave for 24 hours a teenager alone at home even a 18 year old unless he/she is mature. Few days gone who will you slap on the head and blame if something happen...hope you will be blame yourself.  
Anything can happen.

1 chance said "I wouldn't leave for 24 hours a teenager alone at home even a 18 year old unless he/she is mature. Few days gone who will you slap on the head and blame if something happen...hope you will be blame yourself.   Anything can happen. "

1 Chance how do know OP's situation, it is clearly obvious that a negligent parent wishes to leave there child home alone while they selfishly take vacation for themselves.  
 
I of course am not biased, like yourself and follow the rules.  
 
[i]Section 17 (2) of the Child and Family Services Act states: "a child is in need of protection where the child," subsection (g) "being under the age of 12 years, is left unattended and without reasonable provision being made for the supervision and safety of the child."  
 
This means that police and child and family services agencies consider children under the age of 12 as needing supervision: they cannot legally stay home alone.  
 
After a child is 12 years old, there is no specific policy or legislation that says how long they may be alone, or at what time of day. Parents or guardians need to make those decisions depending on the maturity and skills of each individual child. Some children over the age of 12 years are mature enough to watch other children, while other children over the age of 12 years might still require considerable supervision themselves.  
 
A parent or guardian would need to look at the maturity level and other factors to make the best decision regarding leaving the child home alone:  
 
what is the child's comfort and confidence in being left alone?  
how does the child react to unexpected situations?  
is the child independent and does he or she make good decisions?  
does the child notice when a situation is getting out of control?  
is the child able to initiate contact with someone else if they needed help?  
When young people are left alone, they should be able to contact either a parent or guardian, or another trusted person in case of emergency. Parents and guardians should talk with them about how to handle emergencies, as well as who and how to call for help, and an escape plan. They should have all necessary provisions for the length of time they are alone – things like food and clothing – and be in appropriate shelter for the weather. It is the responsibility of parents or guardians to ensure these are all in place.  
 
There are programs offered in many community centres, agencies and schools that help to prepare children for being alone and for babysitting once they are over 12 years of age.  
 
For a more lengthy discussion regarding the age of children for staying home alone, please click on the link below to go to ManitobaParentZone.ca's Middle Years tab concerning Behaviour and Learning Responsibility at Middle Years >: Behaviour >: Learning Responsibility.  
 
ManitobaParentZone.ca acknowledges the assistance of Family Services and Consumer Affairs in responding to this question. [/i]  
 
Source: http://www.manitobaparentzone.ca/mobile/ask-an-expert/child-care.html  
 
Like OP I often take to ebrandon to find legal advice and will continue to do so in the future as this will not lead to trouble.

It's 12 that a child can be home unsupervised not 13.  
 
Honestly it depends on the child. I was a mature teenager and my mom was a single parent, she left a few times to take courses for work BUT we lived in a small town, I had numerous people I could go to if needed and she had a friend stop by and check up on me. She knew I wouldn't have parties at the house or be irresponsible. I was 16 1/2 the first time she did and it was just a long weekend. She would never go on a vacation though and leave me by myself.

summergal said "It's 12 that a child can be home unsupervised not 13.     Honestly it depends on the child. I was a mature teenager and my mom was a single parent, she left a few times to take courses for work BUT we lived in a small town, I had numerous people I could go to if needed and she had a friend stop by and check up on me. She knew I wouldn't have parties at the house or be irresponsible. I was 16 1/2 the first time she did and it was just a long weekend. She would never go on a vacation though and leave me by myself. "

They must have changed it since the 90's.  
 
I had CFS all over me because my sister-in-law reported that I had left my then 12 year old son in charge of his younger brother and sister while I ran out for 5 minutes.