In our state, a child must be 14 years old to be left in charge of another child. They have to be 11 to be home alone for no more than 2 hours.
I called DCFS for the laws before I ever left my 12 year old home alone because I figured if something happened, I’d be held accountable.
I have a 7 year old, so I wanted to know how old she had to be to babysit.
RE: “I called DCFS for the laws before I ever left my 12 year old home alone...”
That might be something you could do for the mother. Find out the local laws, explain them to her, tell her how serious and the situation is, and tell her what you intend to do if it continues.
If she continues her negligence, follow through. If that causes friction among neighbors, it doesn’t sound like you’ve lost much. But if it corrects the problem, she will appreciate how you handled it.
Apparently, Kansas has no written standards, therefore it is left to the judgement of child-savers with too much time on their hands. In 1987, my 3 step-children were confirmed as neglected when they were left at home alone whiletheir father worked an eight hour shift --- they were ages 13, 15 and 16.... yes, years, not months