Families living on one income are a rarity, making it almost unperceivable to think of a parent being home on a daily basis to greet their child when he or she comes home from school. The birth of the two-income household was the beginning of the latch key kids (Dr. Heins, 1999). Today, about one third of all school-age kids, an estimated five million adolescents, so are so called latch key children. Many parents are forced into this situation due to various reasons. One of the most common reasons is when the child feels too old for a babysitter, usually around the age of thirteen. Other circumstances such as the lack of good day care services and prohibitive costs may drive the issue even further. There are conflicting opinions about the effects of leaving teens on their own.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro compared a group of forty eight la
I think that adolescents should not be left unsupervised due to the reasons listed above, but if it is necessary, the following aspects should be taken into consideration. The parents should prepare the children and provide instructions and rules that involve safety and school work. There are various alternatives to leaving an adolescent home alone such as after school activities that can increase young people's practical skills and knowledge, provide increased contact with civic minded adults (providing role models) and provide them with opportunities to practice formal leadership. Some work places offer benefits such as day care. This too, would be an alternative.
In an ideal world, all communities would provide safe, affordable care for those children whose parents are at work. Since this is not yet a reality, parents must work harder to meet their children's needs and fulfill their work obl
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