Keys for children?

FBaby

My impression is that children in this country are being wrapped in cotton wool and watched over way too much. I get to see the consequences with 18 year-olds arriving at university who are clearly lacking essential life skills.

My experience is that most people brought up abroad feel like the above. I have lived in 4 different countries and the UK is definitely much more protective/over-protective (however you see it!) then other countries.

If she loses a key, Lord knows who could get in my house

Do you really think that someone would bother to try all the houses in the area until they see which door it opens? I have made sure that our address is written nowhere where the key is, so no way to identify it.

System

I never gave my children keys to the house until they needed them (about 14 years of age)

hgotsparkle

I got a door key at 12, once we moved close enough to my school for me to walk (only 4 streets away) and both parents worked 9-5. I did lose it a lot though and we had to have the locks changed about 5 times in a year and I did leave it at home most days but we were fortunate enough to leave next door to a lovely older lady who would let me sit with her until my mum came home.


I would say if you trust them, let them have a key if its really needed.

aliasojo

aliasojo wrote: »

Possible scenario (in our case anyway)....daughter goes to youth club (club is for ages 12-18), puts key down, one of the older yobbish gits that hang around mainly to cause trouble and aren't really interested in the youth club itself, picks it up 'for a laugh'. Daughter doesn't realise it's missing now.

The 'laugh' becomes slightly more serious when he laughs with his mates about it and they soon decide to keep the key to see what they can get up to when there is no-one home.

This is based on a situation that actually happened to someone else but could easily happen to daughter simply because she's not the most careful of souls and forgets things a lot.

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

Eek! I'm slightly horrified but also impressed with your daughter for going, both at the same time. Although I'm also wondering why you allow her to go? yobbish gits?

There is no way my 13 year old would be socially comfortable at that youth club. An age span of 12-18: there's a world of difference between the two. DD2 has just turned 12, and a tall & very mature 12 at that, but she's only a week into secondary school and still playing with Lego!

I've emphasised the relevant parts. I was describing a possible situation.

Why would you pick up on one aspect and assume it's real whilst accepting the rest was hypothetical?

I was illustrating what could happen, in reply to Peachy who thought it more likely that a key could be dropped/lost. I was describing what could just as easily happen in the case of a kid who is forgetful or not particularly streetwise.

As it happens, daughter doesn't actually go to that youth club, it was simply a scenario used to depict a situation.

So you can stop being 'horrified' now.

I am now off to pick daughter up from choir practice. Yes, really. :cool:

Loz01

I had my own key from about aged 12/13 as sometimes I'd get home before my mum. Never lost it. In fact, still have the same key on my car keys and I'm 26 :rotfl:

jellyhead

As long as the key is on a long enough cord, attached to their schoolbags, they probably won't lose it or leave it in the door. I need to do that with my key. I have a Kipling bag with a key cord inside it.

As my hopelessly disorganised child has got older, he's attached the key to his mobile phone ... he would feel naked without that, so he'll never lose it!

Lunar_Eclipse

aliasojo wrote: »

I've emphasised the relevant parts. I was describing a possible situation.

I know you were describing a possible situation, and one that happened to someone else, yet I thought your daughter did actually go to that youth club for the following obvious reason : when you wrote "daughter goes to a youth club" I interpreted that as it was written and didn't think you meant "imagine my daughter went to a youth club..."

aliasojo

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

I know you were describing a possible situation, and one that happened to someone else, yet I thought your daughter did actually go to that youth club for the following obvious reason : when you wrote "daughter goes to a youth club" I interpreted that as it was written and didn't think you meant "imagine my daughter went to a youth club..."

I also wrote ...'puts keys down' and 'doesn't realise it's missing'. All in the same tense.

I just thought it interesting that you picked up on one particular part.

Lunar_Eclipse

aliasojo wrote: »

I also wrote ...'puts keys down' and 'doesn't realise it's missing'. All in the same tense.

I just thought it interesting that you picked up on one particular part.

Yep, the description of the youth club grabbed my attention, not the more down to earth example of your daughter misplacing keys, as people do all the time.

The latter I can relate to, but I can't relate personally to sending my 13 year old to a youth club with that description, which is a moot point since she would be the first saying she had no interest in going when she saw the age range (which I accept is ridiculous, but she's easily intimidated.)

geoffky

We spent a night in a hotel near Ironbridge last night and my wife phoned our 14yrs old daughter and she was in our house getting a shower..We went ballistic and asked her who she got the key off..
My dad had given her the key and had told her to give it back when she was due to see him today..(is he thick?)
The wife and i nearly had a heart attack and told him to go and get the key back and we told my daughter to go to her friends house where she should of been in the first place...
It put a bit of a dampener of the evening as my wife could not settle until our oldest went around at 9pm to ensure my 14yrs old had not run rings around my dad and deceived him.