As your kids get older, it can be great to watch them grow more independent and start doing more for themselves. As a working parent, it can ease the strain by letting them be at home for a couple of hours after each school every day, saving you money on childcare and knowing that they can fend for themselves for a bit.
But what happens when it comes to summer vacation? As kids get older, it’s common for parents to leave kids by themselves while you’re at work. But the summer break is a long one, and how do you know if your kids (and you!) are really ready?
Think it’s time to let your kids stay at home by themselves this summer? Read the following advice to help you make the right decision.
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Does age matter?
Age can be an important consideration when it comes to leaving your kids home alone. How young is too young? You wouldn’t want to leave a young child at home unless they had responsible older siblings, but at the same time, some older children might not be mature enough to handle the responsibility.
So when is it safe to start leaving your child at home alone? Some states have set guidelines for this, but you’ll want to consider your child on an individual basis. If they’ve started to ask for the responsibility or a lot of their friends are being left home alone, it could be something to consider. Think about their maturity and how much they need you on a daily basis to help you decide. If you find that they’re pretty self-sufficient on weekends and after school, it could be a sign that they’re ready.
How responsible are they?
A responsible child shouldn’t cause you too many problems while you’re at work. Do they tend to help you out with household chores? Do they get on with their homework without being asked repeatedly? If you have kids who can adapt to a routine and don’t cause too much trouble, then you should be able to leave them at home without having to worry too much.
However, being deemed responsible is something that needs to be earned. There are different ways you can teach responsibility to your kids that can help them develop new skills and grow in maturity too. Do you have any pets that they are responsible for? This could be a nice way to help them learn.
Can you keep them busy?
If one of your main concerns about leaving your kids home alone is that they’ll trash the house or get up to no good, then one solution is to keep them busy. You can leave them with a list of chores to do and even get them to help out neighbors and relatives with their chores – an easy way for them to earn some allowance perhaps? It’s not always easy, but helping them find things to do or pursue hobbies can stop them from becoming bored on their own and make sure that you’re not worrying all day.
Leaving your kids at home doesn’t have to be a solution for the entire summer. If a vacation isn’t on the cards, why not explore some staycation ideas instead?
Checking in away from home
It’s normal to feel worried or concerned when your kids are at home by themselves, but you can always check in with them if you need to. A phone call or a text at lunch to see how they’re getting on can put your mind at ease, but can be beneficial for them too.
Being unsupervised, however, can cause a lot of worry for parents, especially when it comes to using technology. You can monitor what your kids are browsing on their phones easily thanks to different apps and tools – visit this site for more information. You can also restrict Netflix, Hula and other accounts to make sure your kids can’t access any unsuitable content while you’re out of the house.
The decision to leave your child home alone isn’t always an easy one. But at some point, they need to gain some independence, and so do you. If you decide that it’s not the right decision this year, there’s always next year, and you can put some plans in place that will help both you and your child reach this stage. The summer break can be a fun time for all the family, but make sure that any decisions you make are the right ones for you at the time.
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