At Home Alone
There comes a time when we, as parents, need to make a decision as to whether or not we should leave our children home alone. Here are some guidelines to use to help you decide whether or not your child should be left alone:
- Is your child old enough and mature enough to stay home alone? Can your child take care of himself/herself?
- Does your child know basic safety rules?
- Will you know: Where your child/children will be? What they will be doing and who they will be doing it with?
An important thing to know is, what is your state's law about the age at which children can be left alone?
How does a parent know when a child is old enough to be left home alone?
Can your children-
- Be trusted to come right home after school?
- Use the telephone, kitchen appliances, and door locks without the need of any assistance?
- Follow your instructions and rules for the household well?
- Cope with unexpected situations without panicking?
- Stay alone without becoming afraid?
Things to teach your "home alone" children:
- To check in with you or someone you trust as soon as they get home from school.
- How and when to dial 9-1-1.
- In the event of emergency, teach your child how to give directions to your home.
- To never approach someone they do not know and never to accept gifts or rides from people they do not know well.
- How to use the door and window locks, and the alarm system if you have one.
- To never open the door to someone they don't know.
- When answering the phone to never say, "Mom and Dad are not home right now."
- To carry a house key with them in a discreet way.
Hopefully, with these tips you can make a decision as to whether or not to leave your child home alone. It is a major step in the "growing up" process and it is so important that it be a positive experience for both your and your child.
Information supplied by local police departments and printed in a community service column of the Sherburne County Citizen Newspaper.
From my experience: One more thing to help you decide is whether or not to leave your child "home alone" is whether or not you are comfortable with the decision to leave your child home unsupervised. Not only to do you have to decide if your child is ready to be left home home but you have to decide if you are ready also.
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