do you mean overnight, or do you mean staying home in the evening if the parents want to go to a movie or a music show that the kid desn;t care about?

kids have a lot of variation in when they are mature enough to handle being at home, or in public places, without direct supervision. by the time she was 8, my daughter was very capable of attending the public library for several hours at a time, reading books on her own, but I know a lot of children who don't have the good sense and self-control to do that. she rode the public bus downtown independently at 10 and could also take the BART train over fairly long distances to a friends' house, with me to meet her when she got off the train.

she was 10 and a half when I left her at home so I could go out in the evening, but that was mostly because I make a priority of being family centered and didn't want her to be lonely or bored. (besides that, I go to bed early most nights anyway - as it turns out SHE as a teen is way more of a night-owl than her 52 year old mother!)

same with being home by oneself - it's not so much "at what age" but ask yourself - can they get themselves a snack or even a simple meal without your help? can they be trusted to deal carefully and responsibly with stoves and other hot things, electrical appliances, sharp knives, not letting other people in, paint or other messy item? (i.e,, are they also pretty good about cleaning u after themselves as well as not creating dangerous situations?) are they the type to watch stuff on the Internet or cable TV that you'd rate they not see when you are not there? (I worked in a childcare center with kids in 2nd and 3rd grade who would describe the porno movies they'd seen on cable when a babysitter was not paying much attention to them?

will tey go to bed a t areasonable hour of you are nt there?

do they know how to call 911 in a real emergency? would you be more comfortable if they had a way to contact you while you are out? (cell phone, name of the theater or friends' house and phone number where you are going, etc) do you have a neighbor or relative who they could call if they need some kind of adult input or assistance?

as i say, kids vary SO much...i just got back last week with a road trip with my daughter, a friend who is almost 40, and her 7 and a half year old who is REALLY babyish when i comes to doing anything for himself - follow her to the bathroom, interrupts conversations to yell "MAMA, i want (ice cream, a grilled cheese sandwich, whatever) all the time - that's a kid I wouldn't DREAM of leaving at the library alone or haivng in the house unsupervised.

I'm with Judith - there is too much variation from kid to kid for it to just be a certain age. My son is much like Judith's daughter as far as personal responsibility and maturity for age. My daughter is one whose judgement is not the greatest, so the likelihood of me leaving her unsupervised for more than a brief period of time is low. That being said, here is our game plan...

If I'm going to be out of cell phone contact (like in a movie theater) I tell him
If I'm not going to make it home by the time I said I would I call and let him know
He knows well and has numbers for three adult neighbors on our street in the event of a true emergency

I remember going over lots of scenarios with him when he was younger like "What would you do if a stranger said their dog was in our backyard? There was an emergency and they wanted to come inside to use our phone? Toilet overflows? Power goes out?" I seem to remember getting a list of questions to ask from a book or magazine, but can't for the life of me think of what it was though.