Latch Key Kids: Keeping Them Safe

Let's face it, in our society we have either dual parents working, or single parent households where the parent is working. Often we do not live in near enough proximity for our children to get off the bus at the home of another family member, and in truth, many single parent households simply cannot afford the costs of childcare for their adolescent and prepubescent children. This all equates to your child being a Key Latch Kid. Do you have a Latch Key Kid? If your child is part of the one third of children who come home from school to an empty home or apartment because the parent is still at work, how can you be sure they are ready and safe?

Your child's readiness will depend on certain personality characteristics concerning their emotional maturity, their skill set, as well as their age. Emotional your child must be independent, confident, calm, outgoing and communicative, honest, and resistant to peer pressure. Fearful, anxious, and excitable children do not make good candidates for staying home alone until you get home. Your child's skill set should include knowing their full name, address, and telephone number, their parent's names, employers, workplace address and telephone numbers and know how and when to dial 911. Your child should be able to give a correct answer as to what to do when you role play such things as being followed, a stranger at the door, how to handle incoming phone calls, what to do in case of tornado, fire, or accidental injury. The child must also know how to contact the parent if needed and be willing to follow parental rules such as locking the doors, who's allowed inside. Educate your child concerning the possibilities of their interaction with "bad people". Find a balance of fact giving so that the child understands the risks, what to do, and at the same time is not overly frightened. Your child's response in this area may give you a clear idea of your child's emotional readiness for being home alone.