Home alone: I survived

To have made an arbitrary ruling on the appropriate age of a child that can be left alone, the judge should have based his decision on a number of factors.

These would include, but not be limited to, the social economic situation of the parent/family, past history of leaving the child alone, and for how long, the circumstance in which the child is left, etc.

If the child returns from school and is regularly left for two hours due to the work schedule of a single parent, and that child's behaviour has consistently been un-noteworthy, then it demonstrates this family unit is functional.

If the behaviour is disfunctional and problematic, or where the child is left to be alone for random and otherwise lengthy periods by a parent whose habits are socially questionable, then the judge would make a ruling and recommendations to hopefully correct the situation.

I'm curious to know the penalties imposed upon the parent. Further, I'd also like to know if the judge's ruling sets an arbitrary precedent for all parents.

As a child growing up in Vancouver in the 1950s and 60s, both my parents had to work, and I often returned home after school to be alone at home for about two hours until they arrived home.

They ran a beauty shop downtown, and on Saturdays I was often on my own for the day. However, in those circumstances, the entire block was a community of families that looked out for each other.

Perhaps that sense of community doesn't exist in this specific situation.

U. Rudolph, Kelowna