Today my kids were latch key kids. They let themselves in the door, did their homework and got very high marks on their first solo outing. I was the one who was a nervous wreck and flunked the test.
Both kids biked home by themselves and then my 12-year-old biked with my 10-year-old to his piano lesson about a dozen blocks away, stayed for the whole lesson and biked back with him.
Suddenly my older son was the responsible big brother and he rose to the occasion. When I called home from work to check up on them twice, they had everything under control.
When I came home, W. was happily sitting in front of the television doing his homework. “R. told me I could watch TV while I did my homework if I finished a lot in ten minutes,” he informed me. When I insisted on getting back to our usual routine and switched off the TV, W. told met hey did better without me. Sigh.
Like many of the things I worry about, it was a non-event and that’s fine. They didn’t miss me, they weren’t worried. It all went wonderfully.
But while my kids did great going solo, I didn't do so well. So tomorrow both kids are going to their friends’ house after school. They're up to the task of being latch key kids but I’m not so sure I’m ready to be a latch key mom.
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