I was left alone sometimes overnight at that age, but my mom really knew me and knew she could trust me. She also had friends/family call sometimes to make sure I was ok, and called herself too. It wasn't even out of distrust of me but just to check and make sure there were no problems etc.

Even now, my mother-in-law who lives nearby will call and see if how I'm doing if she knows my husband is out of town. It's just kind of nice to know someone is thinking of you. Accidents and mishaps can happen and it sure never hurts to have someone call or check in.