Is Your Child Ready For Their Own Set Of Keys?
Posted on: 13 March 2015
As your children grow from preschoolers to teenagers, you give them more freedoms. Once a child becomes a teenager one of the freedoms often discussed is giving the child their own set of house keys. This allows the child to stay home alone and somewhat go and come as they please. Giving your child their first set of keys is a big step. It's not a decision you want to jump up and make without thoughtful consideration.
Follows the Rules
Does your child follow the rules? This is a very important question you need to consider. First, can you trust that your child won't have guests over that you haven't approved? Can you trust that your child will come home by their curfew and that they won't use their key as a way to sneak in?
If you answered yes, your child might be ready. However, if you answered no, your child might not yet be ready for their own set of keys. To determine just how well your child follows the rules, look at their current behavior patterns. If you're constantly having conversations with your child about their inability to follow the rules, you might want to hold off on this decision.
Mature and Responsible
Giving your child keys to your home comes with great risks. Consider how mature and responsible your child is. You need to be confident that your child will be able to keep up with their keys. Should your child lose their key, this leaves the door open for an intruder. In the event of a break-in, your insurance company may deny your claim for the mere fact the burglar had a key.
Many insurance policies require forced entry to validate a claim. Even if you believe your child is mature and responsible enough, you still want to take additional protection measures. Program the number of a reputable locksmith into your child's phone. In the event they lose their keys, they can call a locksmith right away to have the locks changed, keeping your home secure.
If you decide that you want to give your child a key, a locksmith can help. Once you've decided to allow your child to stay home, this is a good time to have your locks assessed. A locksmith can come out and inspect the security of your current lock systems and create additional keys to give to your child.
For more information, check out companies such as Ottawa Key Shop.
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