The Doctors: How Young Is Too Young To Leave Child At Home Alone?

The Doctors: Mom Leaves 7-Year-Old Home Alone

Dr. Travis Stork explained that they’ve talked on the show before about giving your child space to learn and grow up to become a responsible adult. But the big question these days is how old were you when your children left you home alone without a babysitter? How young is too young?

One mom in Brooklyn, New York recently posted on her blog that she occasionally leaves her 7-year-old son home alone. The mom claims that it teaches her son independence and responsibility. So how young is too young?

The Drs TV: How Young Is Too Young To Leave Kids At Home?

The Doctors welcomed that mom, Lindsay, to her show. She explained that her son started asking when he was 5 or 6 years old if he could just stay home when she went to pick up the laundry, which was just around the corner. She explained that it’s maybe a 15-minute errand and isn’t that far and isn’t that long. She said she resisted for a long time, but then realized that he needed to learn how to be responsible.

She said she went over what to do if there’s a fire or if he’s in trouble. They don’t have a house phone so the little boy learned to use the iPad to Facetime either her or her husband if he needed to get ahold of them. She said that even if he was a little worried, he would have someone to talk to. He also learned to not answer the door for strangers.

She said her son is very mature, quiet, and likes to read.

The Doctors: Leaving Kids Home Alone

Dr. Stork asked Dr. Jim Sears what he thought and he said that he applauded Lindsay for giving her son independence, saying that it’s certainly something kids need to learn. He said the kids that don’t grow up learning how to take care of themselves, end up lacking a lot of confidence. He said he thinks that Lindsay made one irreversible mistake, which was broadcasting it to the world, bringing attention to the fact that her house oftentimes will only be occupied by a 7-year-old.

She said she’s only done it a handful of times and where she lives in Brooklyn, there are a lot of people and they live in a very big apartment building. Even if someone knew the building, it would be hard to find the specific apartment.

Dr. Drew Ordon said that in Brooklyn you grow up quickly.

The Drs TV: Over-Sharing On Social Media

Dr. Stork said it’s a bit of a risk for parents to start saying “hey, it’s date night, leaving the kids at home” on social media. Dr. Sears said a lot of people are making that mistake, even with vacations, announcing that their house will be unattended. She said she doesn’t know ahead of time when she will leave her son alone, but Dr. Sears said she doesn’t know who could be waiting for her to leave, in order to take advantage.

So the question remains about how young is too young to leave your children at home, but no matter what, if you do, don’t broadcast it to the world!