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Hopefor
the
LATCHKEY
CHILD
/
by
Patrick A. Parnell
Children left home alone for long periods of time are called latchkey
children. What is not known are the many different ways a parent who is at home
may produce a latchkey child.
E
KE MILLIONS
of other
c hildren, 16-year-old
Susan and 13-year-old
Cindy didn't rea lly ask to be
in the left-to-themselves situ–
ation they find them–
selves in so much of
t he time lately.
Th ei r mother ac–
quired a mutual l y
agreed upon di vorce
from their dad. S he's
now gone a good deal
of the time, either
working or away from
home visiting friends.
The girls usually return
from school to an empty
home and are by them–
selves for much of the
time. Susan and Cindy's
dad is in the military and
he rarely sees the girls.
The girls' situat ion is
far from ideal. Susan
pretty much comes and
goes as she pleases, doing
what she wants when she
wants. She now has a
steady boyfri en d and
October 1984
she's known to be experimenting
with drugs.
Thirteen-year-old C indy has her
own house key, which she wears on a
chain around her neck so she won't
lose it. She comes and goes almost as
muchas her older sister. Jndications
are that Cindy will probably follow
her older sister's lead .
It
won't be long befare she has a
steady boyfriend , someone to give
her companionship she now misses.
And it wi ll be justa matter
of time befare she gives in
to peer pressure and joins
the in-group and begins
experiment ing with drugs,
too.
Susan and Cindy are
now deeply ensconced
members of that large
and increasing group of
youngsters we modernly
call " latchkey" children.
Because they carry their
own house key, they've
been given tbe name
latchkey children, a name
acquired from the com–
mon word used years ago
for house key. For one
reason or another, wheth–
er because thei r parents
divorced, creating a si n–
g le-parent home, or be–
cause both parents work
and a re gone, latchkey
youngsters usually come
home to an empty house,
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