Abandonment of a child from a legal stand point varies from state to state as well as the age of the child and whether the separation was willful on the part of the parent, initiated by the child or the parent and numerous other factors. 6 months to one year is the usual amount of time for children 14 or older to be considered to be legally abandoned while children 13 and under the time period can be as short as 24 hours. There are so many variables which must be considered when defining this question such as where was the child left, were there any responsible individuals over the age of 14 present, how many children were left alone, were phone numbers left so help could be called in case of emergency, what time of day was it, and the list goes on and on!