In New Hampshire an uncle of 9 year old twin boys is being charged with child neglect. Giobari Atura, 25, the kids' uncle, who was left in charge of the children's care, only came to check on the twins every couple of days to make sure they were alright.

Atura was left to care for the boys while their parents were away. They have been away now for nine months. They haven't been back due to passport issues in Nigeria.

The boys were found with only ramen noodles in the cupboard. Atura is, in my opinion, being rightfully charged if the story is true, as he was the left to care for the children. But my question is, is at what age is it alright to leave kids alone and for how long?

In Maine we have a common sense rule, there is no defined age where a child can or cannot be left alone. Seemingly one of our last remaining rights we have as parents when it comes to child safety. This at least as I was told during a Q&A after a "Child Lures" power-point seminar a number of years ago at a CCD student/parent class at our church.

When it comes to common sense regarding leaving children home alone for SHORT periods of time, say an hour and for example grocery shopping or a few short errands, I'd say 14  would be the youngest. That's if your neighborhood is quiet, there is no family drama and the child is alright with it. So yeah, I'd say 14 as a general rule would be the youngest, how about you?

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