As a parent you may never wish to leave your children by yourself but circumstances may sometimes force you to do the unthinkable and entrust your child to stay home by yourself. However, it should be noted that in most instance the parent does not get to decide the minimum age at which a child should be left by themselves because this decision is made by the law. But, a parent can decide whether a child who is of this age can be left by themselves or now. No matter the age at which you decide to leave your child alone for the first time the process would provide to be extremely overwhelming and there are several factors that you may forget to take into consideration before leaving your child. Thus, the following article will proceed to explore some of these factors down below.
Safety Steps
All the doors and windows should have a sturdy cable lock on them and it is also recommended that one invests in an electronic security system as this would provide a heightened sense of security to both the child and the parents. Furthermore, the children should be instructed to never open the door for strangers or any service providers or delivery people and these individuals should be asked to return on another day or to leave their packages on the door. Moreover, one should ensure that the smoke and fire alarms are in proper working conditions and the children should be taught to either call the fire department or leave the home immediately and ask a neighbor to contact the fire department if these alarms ever go off.
Emergency Contacts
Ensure that there is a neighbor, a friend or even a relative nearby who the teenager can contact in case of an emergency or if the teenager feels scared. Make sure the teenager is not too prideful to contact these individuals and let them know that they can contact them without any reservation.
Contingency Plan
Ensure that the kid is aware of the emergency contacts and that they know the numbers of emergency services. Furthermore, one should also make sure that there is a key management system in case then teen loses his/her keys or in case you need to gain access to the house in case of an emergency. No matter how prepared you may be leaving your child alone for the first time is never easy and you may be stressed out and anxious during the entire time. But utilize the aforementioned tips and make sure that child is aware of what steps to take in case of an emergency situation and encourage them to talk to you in order to clear any doubts or scary thoughts they may have about being home alone. 
