latchkey kids
Self-caring young ones
Latchkey kids are children who return from school to an empty home because their parents are still at work.
The term evokes a child wearing a house key on a string around their neck, letting themselves in.
The phenomenon became widespread as more mothers entered the workforce in the mid-twentieth century: We were latchkey kids—made our own snacks, did homework alone, watched TV until Mom got home at six.
Returning to one's origin
- housekeyHome entry device
- empty houseDwelling without occupants
- homeworkStudent assignments for outside class
- snacksLight bites between meals
television · cartoons · videogames · reading · playtime · siblings · pets · waiting
Without oversight or guidance
- unattendedLacking supervision or care
- at-riskSubject to potential harm
- neglectFailure to provide care
- unsafeLikely to cause harm
stranger danger · accidents · emergencies · unprotected · insecure · exposed · predators · injuries
State of calm stillness
- lonelinessState of lacking companions
- isolationComplete separation from others
- daydreamingIdle mental wandering
- boredomWeary disinterest from monotony
idle time · imagination · introspection · radio · silence
Depending on oneself alone
- responsibilityState of being answerable
- maturityFull growth achieved
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- self-sufficiencyIndependence from outside aid
resourcefulness · self-care · decision-making · problem-solving · initiative · confidence · adaptability · resilience
- single parentUnpartnered mother or father
- childcare costsExpenses for supervising young ones
- economic necessityRequired for monetary reasons
- shift workLabor in timed blocks
overtime · affordability · urban · suburban · class · poverty · middle-class
homecoming
Returning to one's origin
- housekeyHome entry device
- empty houseDwelling without occupants
- homeworkStudent assignments for outside class
snacks · television · cartoons · videogames · reading · playtime · siblings · pets · waiting · afterschool
unsupervised
Without oversight or guidance
- unattendedLacking supervision or care
- at-riskSubject to potential harm
- neglectFailure to provide care
unsafe · stranger danger · accidents · emergencies · unprotected · insecure · exposed · predators · injuries · intruders
quietude
State of calm stillness
- lonelinessState of lacking companions
- isolationComplete separation from others
- daydreamingIdle mental wandering
boredom · idle time · imagination · introspection · radio · silence
self-reliance
Depending on oneself alone
- responsibilityState of being answerable
- maturityFull growth achieved
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
self-sufficiency · resourcefulness · self-care · decision-making · problem-solving · initiative · confidence · adaptability · resilience · self-discipline
working parents
- single parentUnpartnered mother or father
- childcare costsExpenses for supervising young ones
- economic necessityRequired for monetary reasons
shift work · overtime · affordability · urban · suburban · class · poverty · middle-class
- Gen XGeneration X, Gen X, MTV generation, slackers, grunge
- working parentsworking mom, working moms, working dad, dual income, work-life balance
- 1980s AmericaRonald Reagan, Reagan, Iran-Contra, Contras, Sandinistas
- familymother, father, parents, siblings, parent
- kid activitiesplaying, running, jumping, climbing, swinging
- childcaredaycare, after-school programs, babysitter, nanny, babysitting