Liz Atwood discusses when is a good age to leave the kids home alone during the summer in this week's Tween Tuesday:

School is winding down. My fourth grader came home Friday and announced he would have no more homework until fifth grade. But while I’m sure parents and kids can breathe a sigh of relief over that, parents know that in some ways the work and worry is just beginning when the kids get out of school.

The biggest problem for many parents is who will be looking after the kids when school is out. Many parents of tweens are asking themselves if this might be the year the kids are old enough to stay home alone—at least for a few hours each day. By the time our kids hit middle school, the traditional daycare arrangements often are no longer a good fit. Some facilities won’t take children after they are out of elementary school and camps usually don’t last all summer. And as kids get older, they become more reluctant to spend their entire summer in a structured environment.

Are you thinking this might be the summer to let your tween stay home alone? If not, when do you think it’s OK?