There comes a point in every parent’s life when they ask themselves the question, “can I leave my child home alone?”

Many parents assume that California has a law stating when a child is old enough to be left home alone, but that’s not the case. At this point, California lawmakers leave it up to parents to decide. The problem is that the lack of a set age doesn’t absolve parents from being charged with criminal neglect if something happens to the child while they were home alone.

California lawmakers prescribe to the theory that each child is different. Some ten-year-old’s are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves for a few hours and some teenagers shouldn’t be left home alone for more than a few minutes...