Here’s The Legal Age You Can Leave Your Kids Home Alone In Illinois This Summer

Once upon a time, being home alone in the summer was so fun.

Do you remember how old you were when you first started staying home alone? I spent a lot of time with my also-teen neighbor binge-watching MTV and eating junk food. Pop culture education, obviously.

There's a lot going on in the summer. Kids are out of school, we're not off work, and daycare is not cheap (one of my friends is paying nearly $500 per week!).

Not all of us have the luxury of having family close by to watch the kids during the day. If your kid is responsible and on the cusp of being able to stay home by themselves you may be ready to let them try it.

Illinois Has One Of The Highest Minimum Ages For This

via GIPHY

Illinois and Oregon are the only two states (as of now) to require a kid to be at least 14 years old to stay home alone.

But there are a lot of options the law has with this. It ultimately depends on the kid and how responsible and ready they are to stay home alone. If something happens, police have options on what to do based on the house and the kid's/family's state.

According to Legal Aid, two criminal laws are in effect in Illinois that deal with kids being left alone:

• You can't leave a kid younger than 6 unattended in a car for more than 10 minutes ("unattended" meaning not with someone who is 14 or older)
• Child neglect- allowing someone under 18 to "engage independent activities without regard for the minor’s health and safety"

The child neglect law also mentions "allowing a child to engage in independent activities that are unreasonable under the circumstances or for an unreasonable amount of time". 'Unreasonable' isn't defined just by a kid's age, but also their maturity and circumstance.

Illinois Department of Children and Family Services says ultimately it falls to the parent to decide when their kid is ready to be left home alone.

Take into consideration things like the safety of the neighborhood and teach your kid what to do if something happens.