How Old Must Your Child Be Before You Can Leave Them Alone In Texas?

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As our kids age, they gain more and more knowledge along with a sense of independence and we begin placing more trust in them and their decisions. There will come a point when you'll want to leave them home alone by themselves, but at what age is that legal to do in Texas?

In Texas how old does your child have to be before you can leave them alone?

Whether you're needing to make a quick trip to the grocery store to pick something up or go back to the office to finish up a project or leave them alone while school is out for a day or the summer, parents wrangle with when is it appropriate to leave their child alone and not be breaking the law. Well, in Texas, there is no specific law stating how old a child must be before they can be left home alone.

Texas and 33 other states have no statute stating an age, however, that's not the case in other states. In Illinois, a child has to be 14 before they can be left alone and children as young as 7 can be left alone in Oklahoma, Nebraska, and 6-years-old in Kansas according to imom.com.

I was 11 when I was left at home alone.

Thinking back to when I was a child, my mom began leaving my brother and I home alone when I was about 11. She had a job that required her to work evenings, but if anything were to happen we had some trusty neighbors that we could call upon if we were ever in a situation where we needed assistance with anything. Thankfully we didn't need them though.

Responsibility and common sense are key.

As a parent, when the time comes when you start thinking about leaving your children at home you will know if they are ready for the big responsibility. My wife and I knew when it was ok to leave our daughter at home alone. Your kids will show you how responsible they can be and know what to do in certain situations.

Although there is no specific age stated by the state, as a parent, you are still responsible for them and you too will need to use your common sense and know when it's safe to let your kids stay home alone while you run errands or leave them home for the summer.