5 minutes agoAuthor: Shivakant Shukla
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past On November 8, a tragic incident took place in Rohini, Sector 27, Delhi. A family had gone to the ghat to celebrate Chhath festival, leaving their only son alone at home. The child was alone in a closed house. The house behind caught fire and an innocent 5 year old died.
One such incident took place in the year 2021 in Sutton, a city of South-West London. Here a mother left her four children at home and went to the market for shopping. Suddenly the house caught fire from behind, resulting in the tragic death of all four children.
Many such incidents come to light every day, in which parents go out of the house leaving their children alone at home and an accident occurs.
so today relationship In the column we will talk about the safety of children. You will also learn that-
- What things should be kept in mind while leaving children alone at home?
- Children up to what age should not be left alone at home?
Is it safe to leave children alone at home?
Children below 12 years of age should not be left alone at home because most children below this age do not have the maturity to face emergencies when left alone. For this, as the child’s intelligence increases, tell him about the dangerous points in the house. So that children can take precautions on their own even when their parents are not around.
Think before leaving children alone at home
Some things should be kept in mind while deciding to leave the child alone at home. Such as-
- Child’s age and maturity
- surrounding support network
- Can the child call someone immediately in case of crisis?
- How far from home are you going and for how long
Apart from this, see the details in the graphic below-
Keep these things in mind before leaving children alone at home
Counseling psychologist Dr. Aditi Saxena says that if you want to leave your child older than 12 years alone at home, then it is very important to take care of some things before doing so.
For example, are there neighbors around you whom you can trust to help your child in an emergency? Do you live near a very busy road or is it a quiet area? Is there a lot of crime in or around your neighborhood? Keep these things in mind before deciding to leave your child alone at home.
Prepare your child also to deal with this situation. Tell him about everything that he may need at home when you are not there. See this in the graphic below-
How to know when a child is ready for responsibility?
When deciding whether your child is ready for responsibility, think about his or her skills. By noticing certain things in a child’s daily routine, one can estimate his or her responsibility. Understand it from the pointers below.
- He helps in household chores.
- He can think about the consequences of his actions.
- He understands the people around him.
- He accepts his mistakes.
- He takes responsibility for his actions.
- He completes his work on time.
- He believes in solving problems.
- He knows about the danger areas of the house.
Give information to children about how to deal with these situations
Sometimes suddenly a situation arises which requires immediate decision to deal with it. In such a situation, definitely tell your children about how to deal with an emergency situation. These conditions can be of many types. Such as-
- If a small fire breaks out in the kitchen…
- If the weather is very bad…
- When a stranger comes to the door…
- Someone should call the parents who are not at home.
- If there is a power failure…
Trial necessary before leaving child alone at home
Dr. Aditi Saxena explains that even if we are confident in our child’s maturity, it is wise to do some practice runs or trials before leaving him alone. First of all, leave your child alone at home for half an hour to an hour. During this time, you should go to such a place from where you can reach him in less time.
Return and ask these questions to the child-
- How did it feel to be alone without adult supervision?
- Are you scared alone?
- When the doorbell rang, did you open the door directly or first check through the safety window to see who had arrived?
- Did you use gas or microwave in the kitchen?
- Did you dispose of those things responsibly after using them?
- Do you think you can stay home alone for one-two-four hours?
- Are you ready for this responsibility?
- During this time we may also make mistakes. Can you identify any of your mistakes? Like leaving the geyser on?
- Is there any improvement or change needed from our (parents) side? Can we make it safer for you to stay home alone?
This kind of communication with the child itself motivates the child to be responsible and take responsible decisions. Children do not feel that they have to follow anyone’s orders. They learn that it is their own responsibility to live wisely. This is how children attain maturity.
Make some rules for children when they go out of the house
When you are out of the house, set some rules for the children and make sure that the child follows them. Such as-
- Do not invite any friends to your home.
- There is a fixed time for watching TV.
- No going to the kitchen or cooking.
- Do not open the door for strangers.
- If you get a call from a stranger, do not talk to him.
- Do not quarrel with brothers and sisters. Have to live responsibly at home.
Keep these things away from the reach of children
Before leaving children alone at home, it is important to make the house safe for them. No matter how much your child follows the rules. Keep anything that could pose a health or safety risk out of the reach of children.