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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;When is my child ready to stay home alone? It is one of the most difficult decisions for parents to make, especially as they enter those preteen years.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;If your kid is too old for daycare, then you need to look at your options:&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Do you need to find someone to watch your kid after school or during the summer? A school mate\u2019s parents, a relative or a neighbor are all possibilities.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Are there after school programs available? Some schools and recreation centers provide options for parents with kids that are in the preteen age group.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Is it time to start allowing your kid to stay at home alone? This is the big question and the answer is not easy!&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;When you do feel it is okay to at least try and let your kid stay home alone, there are a few things you should do to keep them on track and put your mind at ease.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;The Routine&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/teen-behavior-and-daily-routines-ages-13-to-18-2609057&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Establish a routine&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; and write it down. Set a time to get up, a time to have breakfast, a chore to be completed, etc. Perhaps some &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/everyday-tactics-that-will-encourage-your-teen-to-read-2609551&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;reading&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; before television or letter writing to pen pals or grandparents can be added.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Sit down together and brainstorm a list of things and then make it a part of the routine. A healthy routine will become a habit. It promotes a good attitude and keeps your teen active.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;It is all too easy to fall into an unhealthy routine. &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/how-much-sleep-does-your-teen-need-2606870&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Sleeping&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; half the day during summer break or playing video games immediately after school are common. It is what they may &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;want &amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;to do, but it may not be the best.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;By coming to a consensus, writing down the routine and checking up on your teen, they will follow it and be a much nicer person to come home to.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Expectations and Rules&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Make your &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/ways-to-send-clear-message-to-teenager-2610989&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;expectations and the rules clear&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. Set up rewards and consequences for following and not following the rules.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Be sure to be fair and firm with the rules and let your teen have a say.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;What To Do If...&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Possibly the worst part of letting your child stay home are the &amp;amp;#34;what if&amp;amp;#34; fears. &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;What if&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt; they get hurt? &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;What if&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt; someone comes to the door? Role play these situations with your teen so they know how to handle them.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Run through each situation the right way and the wrong way.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;Have your teen tell you why the wrong way was wrong.&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;This will help both of you communicate clearly about what is expected in each situation.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;Personal Calls at Work&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Inform your workplace that your child will be &amp;amp;#34;calling in.&amp;amp;#34; While personal calls may be frowned on, your parenting &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/how-to-delegate-a-responsibility-to-your-teen-2609142&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;responsibilities&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; need to take priority.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;You and your teen will feel more comfortable if you establish a call time. Most employers will be understanding of this.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;The Backup Plan&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Have a backup plan available if things should go awry. It may be temporary or it may mean that your teen isn&amp;amp;#39;t ready to stay home alone quite yet. Either way, you will worry less if you have an alternative waiting for you in the wings.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;If your teen gets sick or is unable to handle a whole day alone, perhaps having him go to an afternoon camp or to a friend&amp;amp;#39;s house is a better idea for now. You could also have a relative or neighbor check on them to make sure things are okay.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;h3&amp;gt;FAQ: Teens Home Alone&amp;lt;/h3&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/at-what-age-is-it-okay-to-leave-a-teen-alone-overnight-2609611&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;6&amp;quot;&amp;gt;At what age is it okay to leave my teen home alone overnight?&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/teens-home-alone-this-summer-what-can-i-do-2609612&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;7&amp;quot;&amp;gt;My teen is going to be home alone this summer. What can I do?&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/should-we-leave-our-teen-home-alone-2609609&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;8&amp;quot;&amp;gt;We&amp;amp;#39;ve heard our teen is planning a party in our home while we are going to be away. What should we do?&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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