Depending on how old you were when you first watched “Home Alone,” you might have assumed that Kevin’s parents would have likely faced far more consequences in real life than they did in the film for abandoning an 8-year-old child while taking a vacation in Paris.
When we were leaving the theater after seeing the movie Home Alone, I heard a woman tell her husband, “If you and I did something like that, and left our kid behind at home while we went on vacation, we’d be going to jail!” I’m old enough to remember that.
I remember thinking that because it’s only a movie, she could definitely relax a little. It never occurred to me that she might be correct.
However, she was.
Mr. And Mrs. McAllister Clearly Violated Illinois Law When They Left Kevin Behind
Yes, everything was an accident. After all, the McAllisters were essentially organizing a school full of children for the family’s vacation to Paris, and when a parent is overburdened, mistakes can be made. But whether it was an innocent error or not, they obviously violated Illinois law.
According to AsIllinoisPolicy.org:
I Don’t Know About Your Family, But My Mom And Dad Broke That Law, Too
I’m sorry to blame my parents for this, but it’s the truth. Since Kevin McAllister is portrayed in the Home Alone film as being eight years old, I’ll be fair and say that my parents didn’t abandon me at that age. They didn’t do it till I was ten years old.
When I was twelve years old, I was occasionally left alone at home for a few days at a time, and occasionally I was left overnight while they went. During these rare travels, everything was OK, but now I realize that if it hadn’t been, my folks would have been in big trouble.
Illinois’ Law Is The Strictest In The Entire Country
In their article on the subject, IllinoisPolicy.org claims that the state has the highest age restriction in the US, at 14 years and under:
If you think about it, more people than only Kevin’s parents could face charges related to the Home Alone event. A number of people might be considering jail time:
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