As the kids enter into their teens they start making demands to allow them to become more independent and insist on taking a more “grown up” role in the family. Now is the time where they no longer want a babysitter and feel quite confident about remaining in the house alone.
Most parents will try and ease their young teens into this type of responsibility by allowing them to be alone at home after school and in the early evening. Where the real concern arises is when the parents want or need to be away for a few days and the kids insist they will be fine.
One of the best resources that can be in place when this takes place is by first having a good security system in place. However, if the system is not used properly then it isn’t going to serve it’s purpose. No doubt there will be plenty of ground rules put in place for the young ones home alone experience, but included in this should be a complete overview of the security system, and the promise that the kids will use it accordingly.
If you have had security system guidelines in place for the family and the kids have pretty well followed these previously then chances are they will continuing following their good security habits. If the youngster happens to be one who always forgets to set the system when asked to or doesn’t bother using it after school then you may have to be a little more adamant about your rules.
One of your main concerns is that they and the home are protected against intruders,but a second and just as important concern is their personal safety again fire. No doubt you have raised them with the proper cautions when using the stove or anything else that could create a fire risk. One additional measure is to make sure you have the right fire alert alarms installed and that they are in proper working order prior to your leaving them. One last step is to maybe review the fire escape plan that you have designed for your specific home, which is a good thing for all homeowners to have.
You don’t want to make the kids nervous and their wanting to be independent is all part of growing up. At the same time you don’t want to be on edge all of the time that you are away either. If this is something that is going to take place on a regular basis and you are concerned about it, then you may want to consider more advanced security systems, where you can check in on the kids through your smart phone or a similar device no matter where you may be.
