From: glenda@grex.ann-arbor.mi.us (Glenda F. Andre')
Subject: Re: Latch Key Kids - Home Alone (Was: Re: The Schoo Didn't Fit)
Organization: GREX Public Access Unix +1 313 761 3000
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 16:55:29 GMT

In article <C0pE1C.LAJ@SSD.intel.com> wang@ssd.intel.com (Wen-Lin Wang) writes:
>Both my parents worked while my sisters and I were kids.  We had house
>keepers from time to time.  But there were times in between and we were 
>left at home without adults around.
>None of us were 'supposed' or 'expected' to take care of the younger siblings. 
>
My mom went back to work full time when I was 11 and my youngest sister was
2 (I am the oldest of 6).  At first a sitter was hired, but *I* fired her when
I came home from school one day and found her asleep in my dad's recliner
and the youngest 2 (brother 4, sister 2) happily playing with the bandaids
and "pretty candy" in the bathroom medicine chest.  I woke her up and ordered
her to go home right at that moment.  When she wouldn't I called my mom at
work and told her what I had found, she backed me up and told the women to
leave.  After that point she made arrangements for one of the neighbors to
watch the 2 not in school for the hour between when my dad left for work
(he worked afternoons) and I got home from school.  I would pick them up
when I got home, keep the 5 of them from fighting and fix dinner.  Dinner
was my idea.  I loved to cook, hated doing dishes; so traded doing dinner
dishes for having dinner ready when Mom got home.  Worked fine for us.  I
had been babysitting for the neighbor kids for a couple of years (Mom was
right across the street if I had any problems) and was a responsible child.
The first time we had time off from school a sitter was hired since they
felt that it was a bit too long to leave me in charge, but they goofed and
hired the neighbor girl that was 2 years older than me.  It didn't work
(she wasn't as mature and responsible as I was and tried to force me to do
the dishes before I could do what I wanted even after being told by all 6
of us that it wasn't my job) and spoiled our friendship (she being the only
girl in the neighborhood even close to my age).  I finally got mad enough
to deck her (she had close to a foot in height and about 25 pounds on me,
but when you have to hold your own against a younger brother and sister that
are bigger than you, you learn to fight dirty early).  That was the last time
a sitter was hired.  Some kids can handle it and some can't.

I am looking for part time work and will only work hours where it can be
arranged for either my husband or I to be home when the kids get home from
school.  We have left the eight year old alone for an hour or two when he
had the chicken pox and couldn't go out and I had things that couldn't be
changed to a different time.  I have left both of them for short periods for
running quick errands and I knew that they would give me lots of trouble if
I took them.  I will not leave them alone for more than and hour or so and
not even that long on a regular basis until they are a bit older.  Damon is
proud when we trust him enough to leave him alone or in charge, but I don't
feel that he is quite ready to handle it everyday or for too long at a time,
yet.

Glenda Andre mom to Damon 3/12/84 and Staci 8/22/87

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