When is it the right time to let your kids do things on their own?

A Yahoo News survey asked parents when they trusted their kids to do different tasks:

• Dress themselves? Age 7.
• Use the Internet with supervision? At 9.
• Study independently for a test? 10-and-a-half.
• Pack their own lunch? 11.
• Walk to and from the bus stop alone? Also 11.
• Do their own laundry? Age 12.
• Own a cell phone? At 12-and-a-half.
• Stay home alone unsupervised? 13.
• Get a job? Also 13.
• Use the Internet unsupervised? Again, at 13.

As we say, your results may vary…but they are good benchmarks to give you an idea of what other parents are doing.