By Stephanie Portnoy for americanbaby.com
It's been documented countless times in Hollywood movies, from Home Alone and Risky Business to Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead: When parents are away the kids will play. If your child has to look after himself while you're at work, what can you do to keep him safe, under control, and off of the nightly news?
Coming Home from School
Set up a regular route for your child to follow on the way home from school. Make sure it's lined with "safe places" (such as a neighbor's house or a corner store) she can turn to in the event of an emergency.
Instruct your child to look for anything out of the ordinary when she arrives at home. If the door is ajar or a window is broken, she should go to a neighbor's house and call the police--she should not enter the home alone.
Once she's safe and sound at home, she should call you at work to check in. Here's your opportunity to talk to her about her day, remind her of your expectations (regarding chores, homework, limited TV or computer time) and generally remind her of your parental presence.
Phone Essentials
Put a sheet with important names and numbers on all the telephones in the house. This list should include doctor's numbers and your local poison control center. If your job requires you to be in a different location each day, there should be a place in the house that documents your changing itinerary--for example, a white board hung on the kitchen wall. As for how to answer the phone, it's important that you tell your child not to give out personal information. He should never tell a caller he's home alone. Instruct him to say that Mom or Dad is busy, and take a message.
Read more on americanbaby.com:
Answering the Door
Visits From Friends
Cooking Dinner
TV and the Internet
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