This is a very interesting question. I know that growing up, I was left home alone. Well, with my little sister.
Our family moved here when I was in the seventh grade. So that would have been about twelve-years-old for me. I always thought that was the age that was legal in this great state of Texas.
We Were Home Alone Almost Every Weekday for a Bit
If I was twelve, then my sister was seven at the time. Scary thought now. I don't think I would leave kids of those ages alone. Now, it was never for very long. My mom worked at the hospital and she would get home around dinner time.
We rode the bus home from Canyon schools, so that meant we would walk in the door around 4:30 pm. This meant we usually fended for ourselves for about an hour or so.
Get our free mobile appThat has to be legal right? Well it turns out that the answer is yes and it is alsono. There's a lot of grey area here in Texas. See, Texas doesn't actually have a legal age at which a child can stay at home alone. Good to know that my family wasn't doing anything wrong.
Oh but there is a catch. If, while a child under the age of fifteen is home alone and something like a fire or other emergent event happens, you could face charges. Yep, you could be facing abandonment charges.
Nice, huh? So if you feel like risking it and you have good kids like we are you are safe. If you have kids that like to push the envelope you may want to have a backup plan. Just in case.