Home » Latchkey Kid—Home Alone

Picking up a stick from the sidewalk, he raked it along the picket fence as he walked along, making it rattle loudly between the fence boards. He did this every day, enjoying the clatter and the vibration that rippled up his arm to his shoulder. Shifting the backpack that was almost bigger than himself, making it more comfortable with the heavy load of books, reminding him of the stupid homework he had been loaded down with. Dumb teachers, what'da they know, anyway. He broke the stick between two fence boards, then threw it into the yard.

Struggling under the weight of his books, he climbed the steps and reaching beneath the neck of his T-shirt; he pulled out the string that held his door key. Looking around and down both directions of the street-just as his Mom had taught him to do-he unlocked the door and stepped quickly inside. Locking the door again behind him, he threw his backpack on the floor in the corner of the foyer.

"Hey, Mom. I'm home." Softly, without feeling, for he knew there would be no answering hello'. Six-year-old David is a Latchkey Kid'. His mom worked and wouldn't be home for two more hours. His dad worked and might be home before David's bedtime or might not.

David goes to the kitchen and fixes himself a cheese sandwich and pours a glass of milk. Thoughtfully his mother has placed everything in his short reach. He's famished, but then he always comes home hungry because they have such crappy food in the school cafeteria for lunch-he eats the pudding or the jello or the cookie; the rest goes in the trash when he dumps his tray.

With his hunger satisfied he goes to the den after retrieving his backpack from the entrance hall, turns on the television with the remote control, and spreads his books out on the coffee table in preparation of doing his homework. He knows he would be in big trouble if his mom knew he had the television on before finishing his homework, but he thinks, what she don't know won't hurt her-or him'.

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Children have been staying home alone while their parents worked since the early 19th century (and possibly beyond). The phrase Latchkey Children' was first coined because children-children who had to stay home alone for an hour or more after school--wore their house keys hanging from a string around their necks.

The exact number-or even a reasonable guesstimation-of Latchkey Children in the United States is unknown because many parents are reluctant to admit that their children are subject to these somewhat unpleasant circumstances. Economic issues-the high cost of daycare, in-home childcare, all-around high cost of living, low family income-have great bearing on the necessity of young children being placed in this type of fend for yourself' environment. Many companies have considered in-house day care centers for their employees, but the expense was too great for most companies.

With the advent of computer technologies, some companies are allowing for work-from-home arrangements for some employees; and some very small businesses allow children to spend the hour or so, needed for after school care, in the place of business with their parent.

In place now are some very helpful services called CARE-Call Reassurance programs--parents can subscribe to these programs and the service will call and check on the children at designated times and days set up by the parents. This would be a great load off the parent's mind and could possibly give some feeling of security to the children themselves. Looking into this service might be a good idea if you as a parent have no other options available.

Studies have shown that many children who are left at home alone for considerable lengths of time do not fair as well as children who have some type of adult supervision. Many children show signs of anti-social behavior or become angry more easily.

However, parents shouldn't feel guilty when they find themselves with no other option than Latchkey. It is a phenomenon that has been around for many years-but one should cover all the bases to make sure that the children are safe at all times and use any means available to make children feel' more secure. Extra attention to the children when the parent does arrive home would probably make a world of difference in how well the child copes with the situation. A well-adjusted child might even benefit by becoming more out-going and self-assured.

Whether or not Latchkey would work for someone depends on many variables such as, neighborhood, length of time the child would be alone, age of the child, training that the child has received-ie., use of phone and who to call or what to do in case of an emergency-and this would be in direct relation to a child's emotional and mental maturity. Therefore, the decision would be based purely on individual relevance. If you should find yourself in such a situation, do your homework, cover all the bases, and do what is best for your family-but always keep your child's wellbeing at the forefront.

 

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Sandra E. Graham, author, AMOS JAKEY and NICOLINA, published by American Book Publishing. I also write book reviews for Bookpleasures. Visit my website for more info of my articles and books: http://www.sandragraham-articles-books.com