Children Left Alone at Home, Worriedly

Many parents with young children dream of the day they can walk out the door without a baby sitter, turning a stroll with the dog or a trip to the bank into an exhilarating adventure. But unlike so many aspects of child care that are clearly laid out by pediatrician’s decree or government regulation, this is a rite of passage without clear guidelines. New York, like most states, has no law stipulating an age of aloneness, though parents can be charged with reckless endangerment if tragedy befalls children while they are home without supervision.

Children Left Alone at Home, Worriedly, by Lisa W. Foderaro