Kristina Hope Wright Left Kids Alone To Go Drinking

[LadyValkyrie37]

Woman charged with leaving three young children alone at home

Lexington County Sheriff's Department deputies arrested a 29-year-old West Columbia woman on charges that she left three young children, ages 2, 5 and 9, alone at home overnight between Friday, February 22 and Saturday, February 23 while the woman went on an alcohol drinking binge.

The woman is solely responsible for taking care of the children.

Lexington County Sheriff James R. Metts said Kristina Hope Wright, 29, of West Columbia, was being held on Sunday, February 24 at the Lexington County Detention Center on bail totaling $30,000 on three counts of unlawful conduct towards a child by a legal custodian.

Arrest warrants allege that Wright willfully and knowingly abandoned the three children, a 2-year-old girl, 5-year-old boy and 9-year-old boy, on Friday by leaving the children alone at their West Columbia home overnight, with no adult supervision and no provision for taking care of the children, Metts said.

http://www.thetandd.com/articles/200...5726063155.txt

I think we all can agree that what this woman done was wrong. However, let's say that she really did go get a birthday present for her son then came home. Is is right to leave a nine year old responsible for it's younger siblings, even if it's just while you go to a store? What is a good age to leave a child home alone? What is a good age to leave a child home alone and responsible for their younger siblings?

[Dark Star]

Is is right to leave a nine year old responsible for it's younger siblings, even if it's just while you go to a store?
What is a good age to leave a child home alone?
What is a good age to leave a child home alone and responsible for their younger siblings?

First question...No. I would not have left my 9 year to take care of her younger sibling. She would have been to little to take care of herself, definitely too afraid to be without Mom. Hell, she is 11 and I would not leave her to care for her 5 yr old brother.

Question 2...That depends on a lot. The maturity of the child. The location of where the child would be. Availability for help to arrive quickly if the child needed an adult present.

Question 3...I babysat at 12, but I was a mature young girl. My daughter, probably by the time she is 13, I would feel comfortable with her watching her brother for a couple of hours....if I was near by...let's say within 15-20 min. of home. That's my daughter. Someone else's child may be more mature or less mature at 13. Again it really depends on the child.

In this case,with Kristina Hope Wright, yes I think all of us would agree. These children were too young to stay at home alone.

[gprime]

I worry a little about the dangerous precident it sets. It is fair for parents to leave to their kids at home if they are responsible and mature enough. And, where appropriate, it is fine to leave them in charge of younger children. In this case, I think that the woman made a bad decision. And in theory, I don't mind her being punished. What I worry about it what it means for future, less clear cases.

[sassymom08]

Each state has a set age that kids can legally be left alone at home for set amounts of time, and they also have laws about ages to babysit siblings vs. non-siblings and the amount of time allowed at each age. That said, I know that my son was more mature and ready to be alone for short periods at a time (ie: me running to the corner store in our very rural community) than my daughter was at the same age. When he was 9 I could go 2 blocks away and grab some milk comfortably, but at the same time he had a list of phone numbers to call and I gave him a time frame as to when he needed to start worrying and calling the neighbor if I wasn't back. When he was 12 he was mature enough to watch his siblings for that run to the store, but overnight? Hell no!
My kids are very self sufficient, I taught them to cook early and they know how to use a fire extinguisher and minor CPR, but I was a fire fighter and had the tools to give them.
I think this "mom" needs to be busted hard for this, it is serious neglect and I just cannot comprehend choosing a night of drinking over her kids, WTF? When did parenting become a side job to these people??