Some of you parents may be entering new territory this fall. Your kids seem “too old” for babysitters. (They are almost old enough to be babysitters.) But you’ve never left them alone.
Or maybe your tweens recently started staying “home alone” after school, but you’re uneasy about it.
Southborough Recreation has a solution. Next week, they are offering a Home Alone safety class for 6th through 8th graders.
It is free to Southborough residents.
(A free class that lets you feel good about not paying for after school care anymore? Or lets you have a date night without adding a fortune in babysitting costs? Who can pass that up?)
It will be held October 4, 6:00-6:45 pm at the Senior Center. Pre-registration is required
The class will equip tweens with the knowledge they need to avoid danger and handle emergencies.
Southborough Police Officer Kevin Landry will teach kids about:
- accident and fire protection
- first aid techniques
- internet safety
- techniques for answering the phone and door
The class includes a variety of teaching methods, including a video and role playing.
There is a 15 student maximum, so register soon.
Online enrollment is available through this Friday through the Rec Dept website. (After that, please call the Rec Dept. to inquire, 508-229-4452.)
(Photo posted to Flickr by Sky Eckstrom)
Can’t believe ayone, for any reason, would leave any kid home alone with all the child predators today, and all the home invasions taking place. It ought to be a crime really.
I wonder at what age you think children are old enough to be home alone for a couple of hours?
Kids need to be taught independence at some point. Giving your kids 100% supervision every day of their lives a less than ideal way to raise a child. As a parent, you have to do everything you can to take care of your child, while also doing everything you can to ensure that child can someday take care of themselves on their own. Giving them independence, and time alone away from parents is a crucial part of that.
It may not be a voluntary decision. Both parents may have to work and cannot afford after-school childcare. I grew up in NYC in the Lower East Side (when it was crime-ridden before it became gentrified) and was home alone after walking home from school, Grade 3 onwards. I was expected to take care of not only myself but my younger brother as well while my parents worked in low-paying jobs to make ends meet. We barely had enough money to pay for rent and food; hiring a babysitter was luxury we could not afford. I learned to cook and cook well because my mother frequently wouldn’t be home until 8pm. While my parents would most likely be in trouble with child-services today, the experience taught me the value of self-dependence, responsibility, and hard-work, which I believe has led to the successes in my life today.
Great points.
thanks for the info Beth! Passing it along to my friends with older kids. 45 minutes would be a pretty quick date! ;)
You could grab a slice of pizza.
But, to clarify, I meant that once they have completed the class you can feel comfortable going out for a more leisurely dinner!
There are no more child predators or home invasions than there ever used to be. I think it’s a myth that things used to be safer “in the old days”. There are always risks. With clear guidelines about what to do and what not to do when one’s parents are away, I think most kids eleven and up should be able to stay home for a couple of hours, if he/she and the parents or guardians feel comfortable about that. It depends a lot on temperament and maturity level. Great that this class is being offered.
When my niece was eleven, she started babysitting (only a couple houses down from her parents). But she was unusually mature!