Articles Tagged with kids home alone

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The number one question on the Oregon Legal Research website has for many years been “When Can I Leave My Kids Home Alone?” The last time this was updated was in 2011, so I thought I’d update that page.

Oregon does not have a law specifically stating the exact age when children can be left home alone. However, the child neglect statutes do offer some guidance, along with cases that interpret those statutes. It is also helpful to look at the information provided by government agencies. If you read the updated Q&A you will find the text of the statutes and links to helpful resources.

 

 

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Wondering how to interpret Oregon’s Child Neglect statutes in ORS Chapter 163.505 et seq.Offenses against the family,” including but not limited to sections 163.545 And 163.547?

This (undated) Oregon Department of Human Services FAQ has these Home Alone tips, on page 4 of the PDF:

Can a child be left home alone at the age of ten?

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Our Kids Home Alone blog posts* still generate lots of questions and comments. Here is more terrifying food for thought for those of you who think twice about leaving kids home alone. Longform linked to this story on May 31, 2016:

“A Trial By Fire,” by Carol Mersch, at The Big Roundtable, May 2016

In eight minutes, Miashah Moses took out the trash and a blaze consumed the apartment….” [Link to Longform and the full article.]

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Not every workplace has a Take Your Kids to Work Day (and some parents just want to know if and when they can leave their kids home alone!), but if you want to think about planning for such a day next year, visit the Daughters and Sons to Work website and the Wikipedia counterpart for some ideas.

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In addition to Laura’s most recent post on leaving children home alone, June 15, 2009, and our newly updated Kids Home Alone in Oregon legal research guide, here are a few websites with information and resources on leaving children home alone and child care:

1) “Babysitting Basics” class from the Oregon Red Cross:

“Designed for youth ages 8 to 11, this two-and-a-half-hour Red Cross course prepares children to respond safely to a variety of situations when direct parent supervision is unavailable”

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See recent update (2/10/11), but also click on the Home Alone label at the bottom of this post.

In addition to my new Kids Home Alone in Oregon legal research guide and my rather lengthy previous post, from January 13, 2009, I add these:

1) A corrected link to the “What is the legal age for leaving a child home alone?” information at the Clackamas County Juvenile Department FAQ. This deep link changes periodically so don’t despair. Just hunt around a bit or leave a Comment here and I’ll look for the new link.

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See recent updates (e.g. 2/10/11, 6/15/09), but also click on the Home Alone label in the sidebar.

Some who just left me a Comment on my previous leaving children home alone post asked if there were any laws “about 2, 3 or 4 children being left in one home alone that are just friends or days alone or over night alone?”

I wish there was a simple answer, but there is not. Like a lot of questions about leaving children home alone, if the general information given on the various websites doesn’t answer your question, you may need to consult a “professional.” “Professionals” includes any number of possibilities, from a social worker, to a law enforcement officer to a lawyer.

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Maybe it’s my bent sense of pathos and bathos, but I’ve found Nebraska’s safe haven law dilemma both incredibly heartbreaking and (darkly) humorous. The sadness is for both the parents and the children. The humor is reserved for the legislature that crafted this law with enormous Unintended Consequences. (More Nebraska abandoned-children stories here and here.)

If you either don’t have kids or if you have trouble-free kids (ha ha ha ha ha), you might not know it but, believe me, there are an awful lot of parents around the county who would love to do what these parents have been doing. Parenting is really hard and not only is it very hard to get away even for a little while, but what do you do when you have completely run out of ideas and energy and are quickly running out of love?

Yes, Oregon parents want to get away from their kids too. My most popular blog posts, in page hit numbers you might find hard to believe, are the ones on WHEN CAN I LEAVE MY KIDS ALONE! That’s right. Parent everywhere, are trying to flee their kids. They have my sympathy, and loads of it, but I’m not offering to babysit, thank you.

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Please see the Oregon Curfew Laws July 1, 2009, update.

I bet you thought curfews were from the old days (or war-torn countries). Or of the classic corfu/curfew mixup sort (“Curfew will not ring tonight!”) from here).

But these are real curfews – for real children (and parents)!

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