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Home › Articles › Safety › Living as a Latchkey Kid

Living as a Latchkey Kid

Tips to Keep Kids Safe

By Carma Haley

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"My two oldest children were latchkey kids," says Chris Morgan, a stay-at-home-mom from Connecticut. "All these years later, my daughter still holds it against me. During the time my daughter was latchkey, she never let me know just how much it bothered her to come home to an empty house. She tells me now that the only way she could convince herself to go into the house was to get the dog out of the kennel and send her in first."

As a child grows older and reaches the junior high or high school level, parents may become more confident in their ability to be home alone after school. But it is within this age range -- 12 to 17 -- that children may actually have the greatest need for a parent's presence. "This may be a lonely or trying time for kids this age," Berkley says. "When coming home they may have some wonderful news and then have no one to share it with. Or, if something bad happened, there is no one to offer comfort or sympathy or maybe even just to listen. Children who are going through the pressures of the preteen and teen years often times need parental guidance and sometimes, it can't wait."

"I was a latchkey kid and hated it," says Sheri White, a writer from Frederick, Md. "I hated coming home to an empty house with nobody to talk to, especially if I were upset about something that happened that day. Even in high school, I hated it, although I admit I did take advantage of it -- which is another reason why I will be home for my kids after school, even when they're in high school."

According to Berkley, even with a lack of funds or resources, parents can find alternatives to the latchkey situation. "There are alternatives to putting a child in a latchkey situation," Berkley say. "Parents can get together with other parents in their community who are in similar situations. These parents can then work together to devise a schedule or program that works for all involved. These parents could exchange babysitting for other tasks, meals or errands. There are programs at the boys and girls clubs and also at the local YMCA facilities that are free to the public. Also, some school systems have after-school programs to prevent latchkey situations from being needed. Parents just have to look and find a program that works best for them and the children."


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