[onewhippedpuppy]

I would leave home for hours, my parents never knew where I was. The world is a safer place today, yet we as parents are all more paranoid. My 10 year old is self sufficient, we leave him at home pretty regularly for a morning or afternoon (4-ish hours). We will leave him at home to babysit the other two (4 and 7) for an hour or so. I have no concerns for their safety, but if we leave the 4 year old alone long enough, it's guaranteed that he will break something.