Whatever happened to …

.

… latchkey kids?

I’ll be honest. This was a tough one for me to write but Sheila Stewart sent the suggestion so I’ll take a run at it. It was the basis for this article. I did write the original article but asked for Sheila’s thoughts for proofreading and have incorporated them here for the final product.

‘Latchkey Kids’: What’s Different About Leaving Children Home Alone Now Versus Then

Although the term “latchkey kid” first appeared in the 1940s to describe young children taking care of themselves after school while dad fought in the war and mom went off to work, the anxiety over latchkey kids really exploded in the United States in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Usually, these posts are easy to write since I think about my personal life. The reality though is that I never was a latchkey kid. My mom didn’t work outside the house when I was in the school years. When I was very young, I got a ride to and from school with the school caretaker. Later, when we moved closer to the school, I would just walk to and from school either by myself or with some friends. There were also times when we biked.

After school, I’d drop in at home, change, and then was out again to do things with my friends until supper time.

The only rules were Mom’s and it largely revolved around getting rid of school clothes and changing into play clothes. It was actually a pretty solid rule.

I never took a bus to school. The rules for bus use with my former employer are pretty extensive.

We’re very focused on safety these days. In mine, it basically just happened. We didn’t worry about someone picking us up.

As the article notes, things have changed greatly. My life was like the first example. Now, you don’t want to be the bus driver than drops off a child without someone there to pick them up.

In terms of our own kids, they were in a luxurious position where they could walk, bike, or take a bus to and from school. My wife worked permanent midnights so there was always at least one of us around. Thankfully, secondary schools’ end of day was considerably earlier and that let me get home before they did.

We did have a routine for them to get to our “hideout” key and unlock the house to get in if necessary.

For a Sunday, I’m sure that Sheila would be interested in your thoughts.

• were you a latchkey kid? If so, did anything really bad really happen?
• what was your after school routine?
• if you’re a teacher, what are your school’s or district’s rules about safe arrival?
• are you aware of any unsafe arrivals in your community?
• are kids just kids or are today’s kids more in control of their activities?
• with a shift to more people working from home since the pandemic, has this reduced “latchkey” kids and concerns about after school care?

It’s an important conversation to have and every parent goes through it. So, what are your thoughts?

This is a regular feature around here on Sunday mornings. You can read them all here. If you have an idea for a future topic, please reach out with your idea. I appreciate it.