Summertime is around the corner, with the school year wrapping up in a few weeks. Summertime also brings changes to family schedules, particularly for kids who will have more free time. With schedule changes, some parents might be wondering if they can start to leave their kids home alone. Some kids don’t want a babysitter because it makes them feel like a baby. If you’re a parent trying to make this decision, this is what Blanca Cobb, who has a master’s in psychology, and I am talking about today.
Just because a child is 13 years old and headed into 7th grade in the fall doesn’t necessarily that they’re mature and responsible enough to be left home alone. As a parent, ask yourself the following questions: Do they follow your rules? If they don’t follow the rules when you’re home, then how can you be sure that they’ll follow the rules when you’re not? This is important because if you tell them to lock at the door when they come in the house and they don’t, then how can you be sure that they’ll do it when you’re gone? Another question to ask yourself: Are they quick to panic when something goes wrong, or do they remain relatively level-headed? An important answer to know because things can happen when you’re not home, and you want to be sure that your child will handle minor problems.
To help you decide if your child is ready to stay home alone, you can do a test run. A test run is where you leave your child home alone for a short time, like 30 minutes. When you get home, you can a safety check, making sure that doors are locked, the stove is off, or if they’re cooking that they’re in the kitchen and not in another room. And you can gradually increase the time they’re home alone.
Your kids should understand that staying home alone is a big responsibility. Important information to talk to your kids about: who to call in case of an emergency, where to find an extra house key if they lock themselves out, if they can have friends over to the house when you’re gone, are they allowed to use the stove when you’re gone, where to find the first aid kit and kitchen fire extinguisher. These are a few examples to get the conversation going.
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