leaving a minor unattended

Arrange to have a trusted older person (a relative or something) go over to the house periodically to check on her.
 
^ I would say only to do this if you learned with some degree of certainty that leaving her alone is not in itself illegal. Otherwise, should something happen - anything bad of any sort - while she was alone, at a time when she wasn't being checked in on (which would be most of the time), you would be arrested and probably charged with a crime upon your return.
 
bottom line is that if you have to question the safety and legality, i don't think it is a wise decision. forgive my facetiousness, but coming to bl to ask this shows me you probably aren't in the position to make this decision. you need to err on the side of caution.
 
Here is my thoughts, based on my own experiences.

I was a good child when I was 15... I listened to my mom for the most part, we had regular teenage parent angst problems, but nothing major. Then my mom let me have the house to myself for the Summer while she stayed in the next town over.

I had parties all the time (of which the cops came to once, and by miracle no one got tickets and they did not question why my mom wasnt there) I lost my virginity because I was able to have my boyfriend over without anyone watching us. I drank and smoked weed. I stayed up all the time and didnt do shit that I was supposed to. I went out cruising the streets to do nothing but drive around and be a teenager.

Well my mom wised up to me and I moved in with her and her new boyfriend... but the fact remained that I was a good kid that went wild unattended.

I am a good 23 year old now that can laugh at the things I did then, but things could of been much worse. I shouldnt of done half the shit I did then but ya know... it happened and luckily I didnt get pregnant, get hurt, or do anything else major.

My mom came home every week to check on me and give me food and money, but still... I would never do that to my kiddo and I have no idea what my mom was thinking at the time! Shes a good mom but we both werent thinking in that situation.
 
haha party time!!!



(I couldn't figure out whether to approve this, but it seems like you're saying she'll throw a party and this could lead to trouble, which is a valid concern. -Johnny)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Meeko Baybee said:
Here is my thoughts, based on my own experiences.

I was a good child when I was 15... I listened to my mom for the most part, we had regular teenage parent angst problems, but nothing major. Then my mom let me have the house to myself for the Summer while she stayed in the next town over.

I had parties all the time (of which the cops came to once, and by miracle no one got tickets and they did not question why my mom wasnt there) I lost my virginity because I was able to have my boyfriend over without anyone watching us. I drank and smoked weed. I stayed up all the time and didnt do shit that I was supposed to. I went out cruising the streets to do nothing but drive around and be a teenager.

Well my mom wised up to me and I moved in with her and her new boyfriend... but the fact remained that I was a good kid that went wild unattended.

I am a good 23 year old now that can laugh at the things I did then, but things could of been much worse. I shouldnt of done half the shit I did then but ya know... it happened and luckily I didnt get pregnant, get hurt, or do anything else major.

My mom came home every week to check on me and give me food and money, but still... I would never do that to my kiddo and I have no idea what my mom was thinking at the time! Shes a good mom but we both werent thinking in that situation.
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teenagers will be teenagers.
 
boshi61 said:
I did end up calling the police actually to find out if it was against the law because I needed some other info on an upcoming case regarding my (soon to be) ex husband. They told me that there is no age at which it is illegal to leave a minor at home for an extended amount of time; that it is completely up to the parent.
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First of all, you should NOT rely on the police to tell you what the law is. They aren't lawyers. In fact a lot of cops are not particularly bright in any regard, legal or otherwise.

Second, even if there's no law that says you can't leave at home a person of age X, there are more general laws against child endangerment, abuse, etc.

Think about it. If you leave a 2-yr-old at home for an extended period of time, there's absolutely no doubt that this is child endangerment and/or abuse, right? So even if there isn't a law that explictly says you can't leave a 2-yr-old at home, it's still illegal, right?

Now, a 15-yr-old isn't a 2-yr-old, but quite frankly, there are some ways in which the former is more dangerous than the latter.

Lastly, while we try to keep this forum strictly for legal advice, in this situation I'm going to exercise my moderator's prerogative to say that this is just plain bad judgment. If you and your child come through it OK, it's only because you're very lucky.
 
i don't know about the legal concerns (you should check your local laws and contact agencies) but i think that 15 is too long be left alone overnight, much less for WEEKS. that's a very long time period, and a lot of responsibility comes along w/ being home alone. a lot can happen in that time (and no, i'm not referring to partying). things can go wrong... its just too long of a time period.

you mentioned that you have a support system of friends and family members. is it possible to set up a calendar of 'sleepovers' where you could arrange for someone to spend the night at your residence w/ your child each night you're away?
 
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