| How Old is Old Enough to Walk home from School Alone ??
Posted: 9/9/2006 9:11:31 PM | Well, in the pages that I was reading, i didnt find any legal facts saying that anyone can call the police about this. Sad, but...I guess thats the way it is. If anyone can find a link proving otherwise, i would really like to read it,it would be good to know the legalities, yanno? :)
Really, when I read " a seven year old should not be left home alone- period" I have to wonder "says who?"
Ive never actually heard of anyone doing jail time because of it. Leaving your kids alone for days- is a different story.
I would just be really interested in finding out the legal facts. I looked everywhere on the net- but it seems I missed something.
Blondes.  | |
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| How Old is Old Enough to Walk home from School Alone ??
Posted: 9/9/2006 9:25:59 PM | I am so glad to hear that you aren't going to leave him alone for that time!
Some things for you to consider before looking into it again:
-see if any grade 6 kids from his school can babysit for you during that time...they are usually thrilled with the opportunity to earn money and have enough sense to call an adult if any problems arise.
-look into your community calender for home alone or latchkey kid classes to give your son the skills needed (most won't let kids in until they are at least 10 years of age)
-keep looking for another daycare...you can always pull him out of this one when another spot become available
-My son accidentally started an electrical fire when cleaning up while I slept one day, he's also cut his finger while cutting an orange open, gotten a concussion from tripping and hitting his head on a bench and I've caught him at the top of a ladder trying to help the cat off the roof. All of these things he did while being 'good' and trying to help out. What if there wasn't an adult present to put out these 'little fires' so to speak? A one hour wait is way too long for an 8 year old (mine) to be unsupervised.
Good luck with the daycare situation!!
Marg | |
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| How Old is Old Enough to Walk home from School Alone ??
Posted: 9/9/2006 9:32:35 PM |
Some Canadian Laws
Some laws you should be aware of
It is illegal to drive without a driver’s licence, registration and insurance.
It is illegal to drive if you have been drinking alcohol.
The driver and all passengers must wear seat belts at all times when driving in Canada.
Babies and children who are too small to wear seat belts must be placed in properly installed infant or child car seats, appropriate to the age and weight of the child.
Children under 12 years of age cannot be left at home alone, or to care for younger children.
All children aged six to 16 must attend school.
Smoking is not permitted in federal buildings, in elevators, on Canadian airlines, on buses and on other public transportation, nor in many banks, shops, restaurants and other public places (some municipalities have banned smoking in all public buildings).
Depending on which part of Canada you live in, you must be either 18 or 19 years old to buy or drink alcohol in any form.
It is against the law to hit your spouse or children, either in the home or in public.
It is illegal to use, buy or sell marijuana, heroin, cocaine and other addictive drugs.
It is illegal to make any kind of sexual remarks or advances if the other person does not like them.
found at... http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomer/guide/section-08.html | |
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| How Old is Old Enough to Walk home from School Alone ??
Posted: 9/9/2006 9:39:53 PM | hmmmm.... and this...
The legal age to leave a child at home alone must be the #1 question we receive at Kidproof, and unfortunately the answer is not cut and dry.
Many factors will determine when a child can be left at home alone. The statute that typically deals with children in need of protection are the Provincial statutes. The Canadian Safety Council, as well as Kidproof Canada, recommends that children should be at least ten (10) years old before being left at home alone. However – this is a guideline and not law.
Section 218 of the Criminal Code creates the offence of abandonment of a child. It says: "Everyone who unlawfully abandons or exposes a child who is under the age of 10 years, so that its life is or is likely to be endangered or its health is or is likely to be permanently injured, is guilty of an indictable offence is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years."
and, "abandon" or "expose" includes
(a) a wilful omission to take charge of a child by a person who is under a legal duty to do so, and
(b) dealing with a child in a manner that is likely to leave that child exposed to risk without protection;
So what does all this legalese mean? Basically it is up to you to decide if your ten year old child is ready, able and capable to be left at home alone. There are children whom are 14 years old that may not be ready – and some at 11 are. You know your child best. If you have prepared them, made sure that your home is safe and keep the time alone to a minimum, you should be able to lead your child into this transition from child, to responsible teen.
I hope that that caller has had the time and patience to read this blog, and learn the answer to her question.
Prepare your kids for being home alone visit www.kidproofcanada.com
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| How Old is Old Enough to Walk home from School Alone ??
Posted: 9/9/2006 9:43:49 PM | Ya, i gave the same quote from the criminal code..:)
Its this phrase right here that annoys me;
recommends that children should be at least ten (10) years old before being left at home alone. However – this is a guideline and not law. | |
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*Em*
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Joined: 6/29/2005
Msg: 33 | |
| How Old is Old Enough to Walk home from School Alone ??
Posted: 9/9/2006 10:50:11 PM | i never left my daughter home alone untill she was 11 and then that was only an hour here and there and i phoned her consistantly.
my 8 year old may possibly be left at home for an hour when he's 13..and thats at a push. i think you know your own child and i know my son would panic if something were to happen whilst he was alone.
as for walking home from school? well like i said, he is 8 and i have said maybe when he's 10. there are two fairly busy roads for him to cross and i wont take the risk.
to me children are far too important to play guessing games with and are not worth the risk of losing. they are too precious.
if you feel the need to ask this question in the first place then your obviously not too sure. let him be a child for as long as you can before making him grow up. seven is still such a little boy. | |
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| How Old is Old Enough to Walk home from School Alone ??
Posted: 9/10/2006 3:53:33 AM | 7 - in a big city like Edmonton??? NOPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He is way too young! His safety is more important than liking or disliking before school care.
Personally, I would say 12 before a child should be allowed to go to school on their own. | |
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| How Old is Old Enough to Walk home from School Alone ??
Posted: 9/10/2006 6:19:39 AM | He is too young to be alone. Kids are not allowed to be left alone until they are 11, I believe.
He might be fine walking home and being on his own for an hour but why take a chance. All it takes is for the wrong kind of person to realize your child is home alone, and your child wouldn't know what to do. | |
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| How Old is Old Enough to Walk home from School Alone ??
Posted: 9/10/2006 8:38:26 AM | I wish there was another daycare that he could go to.
I will continue to send him to OOSC there, the place
is a nightmare: no air conditioning, smells bad, old.
dirty ....and SOME of the other kids are just nasty.
Help from my neighbours ... never in a million years.
The riot squad has been to the townhouse on the
corner because the dad took his family hostage at
gunpoint.
One little kid about 4 showed up on my doorstop
covered in festering sore. Polysporin & Bandaids
before I let him passed the doorway.
LOL, my son had a sleep over with a 10 neighbour boy
...the kid was so dirty I didn't want to let him in my
house. When I asked the little boy if he remembered
to bring his toothbrush he said " Why do I need a tooth
brush?".
At 7pm he asked me if I would make him dinner...because
his mother hadn't fed him yet that day.
These are some of the sorts of people that live in my
neighbourhood. It will be three years before we can
move, I doubt the bank would change my mortgage
because I'm appalled by my neighbours.
The more I read these posts and the more I think about
it ... I realize that it's not my son I need to worry being
left alone ... it's what might happen to him if he lets these little
punks in the house.
savage | |
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| How Old is Old Enough to Walk home from School Alone ??
Posted: 9/10/2006 8:47:58 AM | Good point savage... avoid tragedy.
I'd look around, if I were you, for a townhouse or something in a different part of town. There would be no penalty on your mortgage if you were getting a new mortgage with the same institution. If you have ANY equity in the home you are in I would consider a move - although it sounds like finding a buyer may not be as easy as it should be.
Good luck... | |
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| How Old is Old Enough to Walk home from School Alone ??
Posted: 9/12/2006 6:08:54 PM | When my youngest boy was 4, my wife had gone to work, my oldest son had gone to school and I had left the little guy watching TV while I went out to shovel snow for a bit.
When I came in after about half an hour the boy sees me and says "I thought you were at work". I was dumbfounded here was my 4 year old thinking he was home alone for the day and quite unfazed by the idea. He said he had planned on "just taking it easy".
Quite a difference between him and the oldest. If the oldest got out of eyeshot of his mother at that age you could hear him scream for miles.
cheers
phishrman | |
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