I think by my state laws, Alan is old enough to be left on his own for awhile, but not old enough to babysit. Something like “Children under the age of 10 need to be in the care of somebody at least 14 years of age.” So if your kids are 11 and 8, you can leave the 11-year-old home alone, but you can’t leave the 8-year-old home with him.
Real life, not in the strip