TIPS Good Guidelines For Personal Safety
When Your Child Is Home Alone
Lisa Poppe, Extension Educator
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension
Arriving Home
When your child arrives home and no one is there, have them check to see if everything looks okay, then go inside and immediately lock the door. Make sure to tell them to remove the key from the lock after they open the door. Tell them it's a good idea to call you or a contact person to let them know when they arrive home.
Talk with them about an extra key. You may want to leave one with a neighbor in case they lose it on their way home.
The Doorbell Rings
When adults are not home, in another part of the house, or outside, knowing what to do if someone is at the door is important. Some parents don't want their children to answer the door at all. If your child does answer the door, these are some good guidelines to follow:
Make sure the door is always locked.
Look through the window or peephole to see who is there.
Talk through the door to find out who the visitor is and what he or she wants.
If the visitor asks for their parents, they need to say, "They can't come to the door right now. May I take a message?"
If a visitor is selling something, you can respond "Thank you, but I'm not interested."
A person delivering a package can be told to leave it outside. If a signature is needed, you can take the company's name and number and give it to your parents so they can arrange another delivery date, or you can ask the delivery person to leave the package with a neighbor.
If the visitor asks to use your bathroom or telephone, or asks you for other help, tell him or her to try next door.
The Telephone Rings
In some families, the rule is to not answer the telephone. Many households have answering machines or caller ID, which screen calls coming into the home. Know your house rules if a call comes in. If you want your child to answer the telephone, use the following guidelines:
Say "Hello."
Don't tell the caller your name, family name, telephone number, or address.
Provide no information to the caller. Don't tell anyone you are alone, where your parent is, or when he or she will be home.
Offer to take a message: the name and telephone number of the caller. Say, "My mother or father is busy right now. May I take a message?"
On the Internet
If you like to visit a chat room or send e-mail messages, remember to be a safe surfer. Don't give out personal information on-line, and never give your name, address, or the name of your school to anyone other than family or close friends. No work or image is safe on-line. You might think you're just registering with an Internet service provider, but one push of a button could make your information available to millions of internet users.
Are your children ready to stay alone? This week begin teaching them the skills they need to stay alone. Then go to unlforfamilies.unl.edu and click on TIPS and then on Feedback and let us know how you’re teaching is progressing.
