Latch key kids
 

pardon the title of this thread but i didnt know what else to put for it lol

what age is a decent age to give your child their first door key?

i got one made for Reece today and i'm in two minds whether to give it to him yet or not, he's 12 1/2, he's going to have to get used to not losing one when i go back to work, is now the right time?

i totally trust him in the house on his own now, have done for the last 5/6 months, mi dads next door so nothing untoward can happen to him....is this the right time?

Re: Latch key kids
 

i had a back door key when i started high school. it depends entirely on whether the kid is mature enough to look after it and it sounds like reece is (from what ive read about reece) your dads next door so he is safe, might be good for him??

Re: Latch key kids
 

In your situation, I would say 'yes'
It wouldn't work for all 12yr olds or even some 14yr olds.
The fact that grandad is next door will make him feel secure and will give you peace of mind.
I was much younger when I got a key on string round my neck, and I remember that that key was 4" long. I did have a brother 3yrs older, so I wasn't alone. That was a time when neighbours cared as much as any relative does today, so there always would be help if any emergency arose.

Re: Latch key kids
 

thats good to know, i have some great neighbours, we all look out for each other

maybe i will just have to be out one day when he comes home from school, just to see how he goes, he has been on his own a few times before but i've always left him when i nipped to the shops or tesco

Re: Latch key kids
 

I think you're doing right, Flashy.

From what you've said he sounds a sensible lad.

Re: Latch key kids
 

ta H, he is sensible, can be a daft get at times though

Re: Latch key kids
 

best soloution id say is to give him the key but also a clip type thing so he can attach it to something and always know where it is, its too easy to lose things that fall out of pockets.

Re: Latch key kids
 

Yep would trust Reece with a key he is a sensible lad:)

Re: Latch key kids
 

Latch key kids always sounds a horrible expression, doesn't it ? Smacks of kids left to their own devices somehow.

Well, they are in a way, but you have just got to ask yourself a few questions :-

• Is he sensible enough not to leave lights on indiscrimitably, leave gas jets/electric hobs on, stick his finger in plugs ? in other words, safety to himself.
• Let undesirable friends in your house whilst you are not there who will have no respect for your property.
• In danger of any adult knowing he is alone and taking advantage. Locking doors if he goes out to play.
• Will he get on with his homework without being strongly encouraged ?

Myself, wouldn't even consider it for a couple of more years, but Grandad is next door, and perhaps he could report to him when he arrives home, etc.

Re: Latch key kids
 

In my days we never had a key.... the door was never locked...... happy day :-)

Re: Latch key kids
 

i was 12 when i got my first door key on a string round my neck just in case my mum was out when i got home from school. I kept it on that string till i was 16 then graduated to a keyring in my purse!!! Was 10 when i was left in the house on my own watching telly on a saturday morning while mum & dad went down accy doing the shopping. Go for it flashy ... you wont know till you try... and like you say your dad is next door if he gets frightened or something goes wrong .... Its part of growing up getting your door key, being left on your own, going to the shops on their own, catching the bus etc....

Re: Latch key kids
 

kids i think are more grown up these days than when i was that age, ya know yer own lad shaz, go with yer instinct., my parents never needed to give me a key, as i was a burglar.:D:D

Re: Latch key kids
 

haha@cashy

as a couple of accywebbers know, i USED to leave my door unlocked when i went out....until accyman rollocked me for it one day, Reece is sensible enough, he doesnt 'play out' anymore, think i'll give it a go when he goes back to school

cheers you lot, you always come up with the goods when asked a question :D

Re: Latch key kids
 

hey flashy, if you're lucky he will have your tea on when you get home :D

Re: Latch key kids
 

Always remember when my Dad gave me a key to the front door, really makes you feel good and you've finally made it, I was 52 at the time:D

Re: Latch key kids
 

lol @ Jay

been at my mates all day and her son is just 6 days younger than Reece, she told me that her lad has had a front door key for a few months, so i will follow her lead :D;)

Re: Latch key kids
 

:D... and your Dad had the locks changed the next day :D

Re: Latch key kids
 

Don't see why kids should not have their own keys at an early age.. it dosen't mean they can come and go as they please.. just common sense..youngsters do tend to loose keys but then again you might just loose your's!

Re: Latch key kids
 

It's not necessary to give young kids a key though, is it? They're not going to be coming and going on their own and they are much more likely to lose a key than an adult

How young are we talking?

For what reason would you give a young child a key?:confused:

Re: Latch key kids
 

I don't see any reason for a child not to have a key for his/her own home..other than they may loose it..how young?... I'd say around the time they leave primary school.. or when you stop picking them up from school...it dosent mean you leave them alone at home but don't see any harm in them having a key to the door.

Re: Latch key kids
 

Sorry, when you said from an early age I though you were talking about young children, children of 5 or 6 years old.

Yes, I agree, when they leave primary school. :)

Re: Latch key kids
 

No Lilly didn't mean 5 or 6yrs.. might even try to eat em at that age! lol

Re: Latch key kids
 

Got my first key when I was 9 years old.Had to wash the breakfast dishes when I finished school,set the table, make the tea and light two coal fires,hardly had time for a fag before the old bag got home.......Happy days.:smokin::(

Re: Latch key kids
 

Didn't know you knew my Dad that well Mancie:D

Re: Latch key kids
 

And they keep telling us they were the good old days Beni:rolleyes::D

Re: Latch key kids
 

I will be giving Saff her front door key when she starts secondary school

As I will be picking her younger brother up I wouldn't expect her to walk from Moorhead to Peel Park so we can catch the same bus together
Or I wouldn't want her to think she has to stand around waiting for us to get home before she can get in

There is always the thought of them losing it... but so might I

Re: Latch key kids
 

Flashy, get yourself another spare because this one "will" be lost quickly :D

And it might be an idea to put a key ring on with "if found please contact xxxxxx" on so it can be collected or perhaps someone else's address or his name & school class no etc so it can be dropped off if found . Certainly NOT your address.
(something to identify its owner but not where they live)

Mine have had keys since they were at high school, if I can trust them with the internet then I can trust them with a key.

Re: Latch key kids
 

thats a good idea Matty, cheers

Re: Latch key kids
 

It's amazing how many have things like a teddy bear etc on, certainly no identifying features.
The key return tabs from insurance companies are usually best on LKKK's :D

(LKKK's = Latch Key Kids Keys) :D

Re: Latch key kids
 

i have a key ring that has my grandads phone number (not mine) on it and offers a £10 reward

Re: Latch key kids
 

£10 reward for a key that only costs £3.50? are you mad?

Re: Latch key kids
 

its more about being able to get into my house. would cost a lot more to have someone come and let me in if i didnt have keys.

Re: Latch key kids
 

hmmmmm but how do you know that they are going to find the key the same day?> you could be waiting weeks for someone to find it and return it, be a bit buggered then wouldnt ya

Re: Latch key kids
 

yeah but theres a chance they find it and ring.....new locks are pretty expensive!!

Re: Latch key kids
 

think about it logically though Emma, you lose your key, no one finds it for a few days/weeks or EVER, by this time you have HAD to get a new lock on your front door because you can't get in...someone eventually finds your key and demands you give them the tenner...for nothing because the key is no longer useable....

Re: Latch key kids
 

In the past I found it handy to have the same type of lock front and back, so that they can be switched in minutes. At the back you tend to have extra things like bolts, so that when you leave your house the front way you are still secure

Re: Latch key kids
 

its been on there for years, grandad gave it me.... at the mo my spare key is at grandads which is about 20 mins away, should probably find someone nearer lol

Re: Latch key kids
 

lol, 20 minutes aint so bad, i'd rethink the reward thing though, seems a bit pointless to me

Re: Latch key kids
 

Could you not leave a spare key with your dad, or a neighbour you trust ?

Re: Latch key kids
 

IT DEPENDS WHO YOU ARE TALKING TO kATE, IF YOU ARE TALKING TO eMMA THAT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE, HER DAD LIVES IN IRELAND, AND IF IT WAS ME YOU WHERE TALKING TO....I AINT SPEAKING TO MI DAD, SO NO

oops caps, cant be arsed changing it, not shouting really lol

Re: Latch key kids
 

woah flashy caps!!!

Re: Latch key kids
 

also a chance they will find it, rob ya, n then return it to ya fer another tenner.:D

Re: Latch key kids
 

They wont get my address... it has my grandads number on it, im not that daft ;)

Re: Latch key kids
 

My home insurance covers new locks and they send out a keyring with a phone number on offering a reward if the keys are found, so I don't pay for , the insurance does, and fitting new locks to these daft upvc doors is an expensive thing to do !

And yes, give him a key, my daughter has one for a couple of years, no problems, but I insist she always locks the door behind her when she comes in, and NEVER answers the door, ever , at all!