Lisa Mori

Mom or Dad Says I Shouldn’t

An increasingly large number of children spend some portion of the day without adult supervision (Belsky & Steinberg, 1978) as an expanding number of primary caretakers join the work force each year. These children are often referred to as “latchkey children” because of the latchkeys they often wear on a chain or carry to let themselves into their homes after school, several hours before their parents return home from work (Garbarino & Sherman, 1980). There is increasing evidence that such children, left at home without adult supervision, experience a greater risk of accidents (Tokuhata, Colflesh, Digon, & Mann, 1972) which are the number one killer of young children (Gratz, 1979). In addition, there are emotional and motivational problems inherent in being unsupervised (Elkind, 1981).