I was a latchkey kid starting at a very young age, and I vowed my own children would never be because I hated it. If only technology had been around back then like it is today, it wouldn’t have been such a bad experience. Today’s parents not only have plenty of after-school options for their kids, to keep them busy and safe, but they have home security systems that can also help to give both the kids and the parents some peace of mind.
With the features of a home security system, parents can get alerts and see video, control the system remotely from work, and feel a connection to their kids and the safety of those kids even when away from home. For the children, they are reassured knowing that mom or dad is keeping an eye on them from a distance. It makes being home alone a lot less scary! And it can help to keep the kids in line.
With a home security system:
- Parents can know that their children got home safe and sound from school, camp or a friend’s house.
- Parents can see real-time video of what’s going on at the front door and inside of the house.
- They can keep tabs on a babysitter left with younger children, or keep tabs on older kids who are left home alone.
- Parents can make sure their kids are doing what they should be doing, such as homework, chores or practicing a musical instrument. They can also make sure they aren’t doing the things they shouldn’t be, such as watching TV or playing video games.
- Parents can get an alert any time a door or window is opened, as well as lock doors remotely. This last feature is especially nice if the parents leave the house before the kids do in the morning, because kids being kids will often forget to lock the door behind them.
There might be other situations unique to your household too, such as making sure the garbage can gets brought in or the cat gets put out…you get the idea.
(There are also those parents concerned about teenagers sneaking out at night. The home security features mentioned above such as alerts and video can help to put a stop to that behavior!)
Of course, technology alone is not the answer. Parents must also teach their children commonsense rules about being home alone, such as not opening the door to strangers, closing the curtains when dusk falls, and what to do if the smoke alarm starts screeching. Kids need phone numbers to call or neighbors to run to if something should go awry. And they need to know what kinds of behavior are allowed vs. not allowed when home alone.
All of this adds up to good life lessons for the kids and will probably help them to grow into more independent and capable young adults. But with the right home security system helping you parent from afar, you won’t feel like you’re abandoning them to learn these life lessons on their own!
