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Why do parents leave their underage children at home alone while they run errands?
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Tennis star Anna Kournikova’s mother, Alla Kournikova’s, was arrested and charged with child neglect. Ms. Kournikova is accused of leaving her 5 year-old son, Allan, home alone unattended for at least an hour. She told police she had gone to the bank and post office but left Allan, on his own, at home watching television because he did not want to go with her. She left him a telephone and locked the front door with a dead-bolt to stop him wandering out.
The police reports states: ‘The boy jumped off a second story roof that was approximately 15 feet high and landed in a white stone yard between two air conditioning units. The child stated he hung by his hands before letting go.’ Unbelievable!
Allan landed, painfully, on a patch of stones with no shoes or socks, and then headed for the swimming pool to soothe his injured feet. Just think what could have happened if he fell into the pool!
A neighbor later found him wandering outside in the street and called police. It became apparent to the police, that the child was unable to exit the residence, normally, as all the doors were locked with a key-type deadbolt lock. All the windows were painted shut or shuttered,’ said Detective Medeiros. Allan was determined to get outside. Parents tend to underestimate children, they are very crafty.
The police left a message on Mrs. Kournikova’s mobile voicemail and waited for her to return home. She was then arrested and taken into custody. After posting a $3,000 bail, she was released from the Palm Beach County Jail.
According to some state laws, a person has to be at least 10 -12 years old to legally stay home alone. There are very few states in the U.S. with a legal minimum age for children home alone, but many state agencies have published guidelines. Georgia, Illinois, Maryland and Oregon are a few of the states with specific ages mentioned in their laws. Obviously, five years old is much too young to be left unattended.
There are many issues and potential risks and dangers that parents should consider before a child is placed in this situation. Parents should consider the following:
- Age readiness
- Definition of parental “rules and expectations”
- How to access parent(s) or other adults (e.g. phone numbers)
- Potentially unsafe situations (e.g. medical emergencies, fire, alcohol, drugs, strangers, guns, etc.)
- When and how to answer the phone or doorbell
- Use of phone, 911 for emergencies
- Use of computer (internet)
- Friends and visitors coming to the house
- Responsibilities for siblings
- Use of unstructured time (e.g. watch TV, videos, etc.);
Being home alone can be a frightening and potentially dangerous situation for many children and some adolescents. As parents, we are required to make mature decisions and not put our children in harm’s way.
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2 Responses to “Why do parents leave their underage children at home alone while they run errands?”
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leaving a child at home is wrong. Even leaving a young teenager can be dangerous let alone a 10 year old.
Neglect is a matter of perspective. I was a latch key kid from the time I started kindergarten in the fall of 1980. Many of us were, because that was the way of the world. I was taught to take of myself and had the fear of god put in me if I screwed up it was my ass.
This kid obviously has no common sense or been taught to look after himself which is the real neglect, not the being left alone.