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When You’re Home Alone
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Your parents are working late this evening, so you’ll be coming home to an empty house. You’re in charge, and ready to have some time all to yourself.
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Whether this is your daily routine or a once in a lifetime chance to have the house to yourself, W2K has some ideas on how to be smart AND have fun when you’re in charge.
Before you’re home alone
Ask your parents about what sort of rules you’ll have when they’re working late. You might ask about Internet use, going outside, watching movies, talking on the phone, using kitchen appliances, having friends over, etc. It’s good to know the guidelines beforehand!!
If you don’t like the idea of being home alone, look into after school programs or ask a friend if you can come over for the afternoon. If you regularly come home to an empty house, you might consider getting involved in a sports team that practices after school or a club sponsored by your school or town. Other ideas might be tutoring after school (either getting help or helping someone else), staying after school in the library to finish your homework, or staying with a relative in the afternoons.
Make sure you have a copy of the house key (and that you actually have it on you the day of!) Another option would be to find a secure hiding place for a spare house key outside your house.
• Put a copy of all the emergency phone numbers by the telephone, just in case.
Don’t tell anyone that you’ll be home alone! It might sound paranoid, but to be on the safe side you probably don’t want people to know when your parents will be out.
The approach
As you’re nearing your house, look out for anything suspicious. For example, you should go to a neighbor’s for help if you see a strange car parked in your driveway or any broken windows.
You’re in!
Make sure you lock the door behind you. You might double-check that all the doors and windows are shut and locked if possible.
If you need to, call your parents to let them know you got home safely.
Don’t open the door for anyone you don’t know!
Entertain yourself! Watch TV or a movie, do some pleasure reading, relax, listen to music, play video games… whatever you don’t normally have time to do.
For the home alone veterans
If you spend a lot of afternoons home alone, you might have some more specific concerns…Here’s help!
Negotiate rules: Make sure both you and your parents are clear on what you expect from one another. What sort of chores should you have done by the time your parents get home? When should your parents call you if they’re going to be late?
Talk it out: You might feel neglected or resentful when your parents aren’t home with you. Make sure you tell your parents how you’re feeling. Some kids just silently suffer instead of speaking up and finding a way to make things better. If you tell your parents, they can probably find ways to help make things better!! There are always options, like staying at a friend or relative’s house after school.
If you’re lonely: You might bring a pet into the house with you, if you have a cat or a dog that can come inside. If you’re tired of waiting for your parents to get home so you can tell them some news, or just vent, you might do your homework or chores now so that later you’ll have free time. Work out a system so that you have at least some time in the afternoon to spend on the phone or Internet with friends. Also, your parents will probably let you have a friend over occasionally if it’s OK with the friend’s parents!
Get involved: Do you hate being home alone after school? Ask your parents or teachers about how you might get involved and make things better. Start a friend phone line (or WARM phone!) with volunteers who can talk to kids who are lonely and home alone. Or ask teachers and school administrators if you can get a club started that will meet after school so that kids don’t go home to any empty house. You might play games, practice sports, or do homework until your parents come home.
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