Product Code Database
A latchkey kid, or latchkey child, is a child who returns to an empty home after school (or other activities) or a child who is often left at home with no supervision because their parents are away at work. Such a child can be any age, alone or with siblings who are also under the age of maturity for their community.
More specifically for their purposes, the San Marino (CA) Public Library has defined a Library Latchkey Child as "one, who, on a regular basis, is required by their parents or guardian to remain at the public library for extended periods of time after school in lieu of day care. 'Regular basis' is defined as three or more days per week. 'Extended period' is defined as two or more hours per day" (American Library Association 12).American Library Association (ALA). Association for Library Services to Children's Division. "Latchkey children" in the public library." Chicago, American Library Association.
The term latchkey kid became commonplace in the 1970s and 1980s to describe members of Generation X who, according to a 2004 marketing study, "went through its all-important, formative years as one of the least-parented, least-nurtured generations in U.S. history." Latchkey kids were prevalent during this time, a result of increased divorce rates and increased maternal participation in the workforce at a time before childcare options outside the home were widely available. These latchkey children, referred to as "day orphans" in the 1984 documentary, To Save Our Children to Save Our Schools, mainly came from middle or upper-class homes. The higher the educational attainment of the parents, the higher the odds the children of this time would be latchkey kids.
If, however, there are enough stimuli at home, such as books, computers, games, solitary hobbies such as modelmaking, etc., the negative effects can be averted. The child may learn independent lifestyle skills, such as making meals, very early.
Socioeconomics status and length of time left alone can bring forth other negative effects. Children from lower income families are associated with greater externalizing issues (such as and hyperactivity) and Academia problems. This association was weaker for children from middle class families as compared to their supervised peers. In 2000, a German PISA study found no significant differences in the scholastic performance between "latchkey kids" and kids in a "nuclear family". We can see these effects on children when their parents are not around, whether they be at work or just being plain neglectful.
Positive effects of being a latchkey child include independence and Individualism at a young age. Deborah Belle, author of The After-School Lives of Children: Alone and with Others While Parents Work suggests that being left home alone may be a better alternative to staying with Babysitting or older siblings. Latchkey parenting allows for guardians to gain more money if they work while their kids are caring for themselves.
Parents can be held accountable by child welfare, child protective services organizations, or law enforcement if children come to harm while left without supervision if, in the opinion of the agency, the children's age or other considerations made such a choice inappropriate. Legal issues also continue to be important concerns for those who work in libraries. They worry about the potential liability should an unattended child be hurt, molested or abducted while at the facility. This issue becomes critical, particularly at closing time when "parents who are late picking up their children also create safety, and, possibly, legal problems."Smith, K. Serving the difficult customer: a how to do it manual for library staff. New York: Neal Schuman Publishers, Inc.
|
|
