Staying Safe At Home: Latchkey Kids Until about the age of
eleven or twelve, most children are not able to handle stressful
or emergency situations that require mature decision making on
their own. So it is best for parents to arrange for an adult or
a responsible older adolescent to be at home when they are not
around or for some other structured supervision. Your child,
however, may be an exception and be sufficiently mature at the
age of eight to ten years to be home alone after school. But
before his first day on his own, you need to make sure he feels
safe and secure, and that he is prepared for dealing with knocks
on the door, emergencies, and injuries. Some communities offer
courses in babysitting that can also prepare them for a positive
self-care experience. Nevertheless, your child should not be
home alone until he is comfortable with that arrangement. Here
are some issues that you should discuss with him: - Does he know
his full name, address, and phone number? Does he know your full
name as well,