Less than a handful of U.S. states offer legal age requirements for a child to be left alone unsupervised.

When is your child old enough to be left unsupervised?

That’s the question a lot of parents are asking after news reports this week of a neighbor who called police and child protective services on an Illinois mom who let her 8-year-old walk her dog alone. Police dismissed the complaint, after finding the child was not in any danger. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services also investigated the mother’s actions and found no wrongdoing.

It might be easy to shrug off a story like this as random, weird, or a Midwestern anomaly. But it does raise the question: When is your child old enough to be home alone or go outside without your supervision?

The story prompted a conversation between my husband and I about the right age to let our own children walk down the street or even be home alone. For most families, 8-years-old may sound fine to allow your child to leave the house for a short time alone.

But the answer is complicated and highly subjective. Is your child mature enough?

How’s your neighborhood? Is it urban, suburban, or rural? Is there a lot of traffic? Has there been a spate of violence, break-ins, or burglaries lately?

There are also legal requirements and guidelines that vary by state and locality.  Four states have legislation that stipulate an age that a child can legally be left unsupervised or home alone for a period of time.

The so-called Free-Range Parenting movement is gaining momentum across the country, as activists call for fewer rules to allow children to play outdoors or be home alone independently.

In Maryland and North Carolina, the minimum age is 8. In Oregon, it’s 10 years old. Illinois is the highest; children under 14 cannot be left unsupervised for an unreasonable amount of time.

Some localities offer guidelines. In Virginia, for example, there’s no specific age, but child supervision guidelines in Loudoun County in Northern Virginia say children ages 9 and under should not be left alone.

I grew up in St. Louis, Mo., as a latchkey kid. At 8-years-old, I had to come home from school alone and supervise my brother, who was a year younger. I cooked pizza pockets in the microwave until my mother got home from work in two hours.

But I can’t automatically say my children should be able to do the same. And even though my children could definitely accuse me of not being the fun parent, I believe we live in different times that call for varied parenting strategies.

And then, there’s the matter of nosy neighbors. But that’s for another time…

Would you let your 8-year-old walk down the street alone or be home alone? What’s the right age? Let me know in the comments.