latchkey kids

[Anonymous]

In terms of leaving a child home alone, letting them walk to the bus stop or school, I don't think there's a magic age. It depends on the child. For example, once my son turns 8, I think I would feel OK leaving him at home for a few minutes while I ran to the corner store (a five minute walk), but I wouldn't feel OK leaving him at home for an evening out. There are kids who may be ready earlier or later.

There are some important basics that a kid needs to know before they are ready for this, though, and some questions I ask myself.

Does he know his address and phone number well enough (my ex and I have shared custody, so he has to know two)?

Is there a landline in the house? If not, does my child have access to a cell phone for emergencies? Does he know who to call and what to do if there is an emergency?

Is he old enough and responsible enough to prepare food? Use the stove?

Is he old enough and responsible enough to know how to handle a knock at the door? Do we have a protocol in place? Does he know what to say and what not to say over the phone? At the door?

This is not an exhaustive list, but it's the kind of stuff I'm thinking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In terms of leaving a child home alone, letting them walk to the bus stop or school, I don't think there's a magic age. It depends on the child. For example, once my son turns 8, I think I would feel OK leaving him at home for a few minutes while I ran to the corner store (a five minute walk), but I wouldn't feel OK leaving him at home for an evening out. There are kids who may be ready earlier or later.

There are some important basics that a kid needs to know before they are ready for this, though, and some questions I ask myself.

Does he know his address and phone number well enough (my ex and I have shared custody, so he has to know two)?

Is there a landline in the house? If not, does my child have access to a cell phone for emergencies? Does he know who to call and what to do if there is an emergency?

Is he old enough and responsible enough to prepare food? Use the stove?

Is he old enough and responsible enough to know how to handle a knock at the door? Do we have a protocol in place? Does he know what to say and what not to say over the phone? At the door?

This is not an exhaustive list, but it's the kind of stuff I'm thinking about.

Wow. I showed this to my husband who was a latchkey kid, and he said it made him want to cry.

How about your child feeling lonely every day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Wow. I showed this to my husband who was a latchkey kid, and he said it made him want to cry.

How about your child feeling lonely every day?

Well, yeah. There's that, too. And I'm not dismissing it.

But my point was more that as our children grow up, I'd rather be proactive in equiping them to deal with being able to be home alone for a little while than not. These are survival skills every kid should learn at some point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Wow. I showed this to my husband who was a latchkey kid, and he said it made him want to cry.

How about your child feeling lonely every day?

Well, yeah. There's that, too. And I'm not dismissing it.

But my point was more that as our children grow up, I'd rather be proactive in equiping them to deal with being able to be home alone for a little while than not. These are survival skills every kid should learn at some point.

Ahhh, sorry if I misinterpreted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Ahhh, sorry if I misinterpreted.

Yeah, no. I'm not leaving my child unattended wondering if he's OK or not. I put it in the first-person in an attempt to avoid anyone feeling singled out or start something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In terms of leaving a child home alone, letting them walk to the bus stop or school, I don't think there's a magic age. It depends on the child. For example, once my son turns 8, I think I would feel OK leaving him at home for a few minutes while I ran to the corner store (a five minute walk), but I wouldn't feel OK leaving him at home for an evening out. There are kids who may be ready earlier or later.

There are some important basics that a kid needs to know before they are ready for this, though, and some questions I ask myself.

Does he know his address and phone number well enough (my ex and I have shared custody, so he has to know two)?

Is there a landline in the house? If not, does my child have access to a cell phone for emergencies? Does he know who to call and what to do if there is an emergency?

Is he old enough and responsible enough to prepare food? Use the stove?

Is he old enough and responsible enough to know how to handle a knock at the door? Do we have a protocol in place? Does he know what to say and what not to say over the phone? At the door?

This is not an exhaustive list, but it's the kind of stuff I'm thinking about.

Wow. I showed this to my husband who was a latchkey kid, and he said it made him want to cry.

How about your child feeling lonely every day?

Another key question is, how long would they be alone? Is it from 3:30 until 6? Or is mom/dad shooting to get home at the same time as the child, but there may be a 15-20 minute gap? I will facing the latter when my kids get older. My goal is going to be to get out of work in time to be home when they get home from school (ideally, in time to walk them home from school). But I know there is always the chance I'll get caught on a call/in a meeting that runs over or stuck in traffic, or whatever. Do I pay for/enroll in SACC for those few days a month? Up until a certain age, that answer is clearly yes. But by later elementary school? I just don't know.