Happy Latchkey Kids
My teen daughter texted me the other day: I’m locked out.
Damn. Usually, I work from home in the afternoons so that I’m there for my kids after school. I don’t want them to be latchkey kids. But new projects have me out of the house more often, and I just can’t be home all the time.
The thing was, this particular day my daughter was supposed to go to her mom’s house. Maybe my daughter needed something from my house, like a computer? I texted her back: aren’t you at your moms?
My daughter texted back: locked out there too.
What could I do? When a father’s daughter needs help, he comes to her aid. I sent a text message: ok. I’ll be home in 10 min.
As I drove, I thought back to when I was a latchkey kid. I hated coming home to an empty house, especially when I forgot my key. As a latchkey kid, I felt lonely. Not neglected, but hardly important. I didn’t want to inflict latchkey status on my kids.
They’re both teenagers now, so it’s not as big a deal. But with record heat in the Bay Area this week, the thought of my daughter sitting on the front porch in 97 degrees made me melt. I was her knight in a shining hybrid. I spurred my car faster. Which meant, of course, I hit more red lights. Ten minutes of driving was turning into twenty.
I texted her: almost there.
I hit a long red light, and I suddenly wondered why my daughter didn’t just go to her moms? Her mom was probably home, helping her brother get ready for lacrosse practice. I phoned my daughter. No answer.
I pictured her dying of thirst, passing out from heat exhaustion, too weak to answer her phone. (Not really, but I need a bit of dramatic effect here. I did wonder why she wasn’t being responsive. Maybe texting a friend?)
When the light turned green, I got off the expressway and took a looping shortcut that would get me home more quickly. My daughter needed to know I cared.
When I finally pulled into the driveway, there were both my teen kids – on the lawn, with the garden hose, spraying each other, smiling and laughing like there was no tomorrow. (Reminding us all: why does life have to be planned?)
“Hey, Dad. Want to get wet?” my daughter asked.
“Sure,” I said, and let her spray me. I asked my son what he was doing there.
“Playing with the hose,” he said. (Nothing like stating the obvious, eh?)
“Don’t you have your keys?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he said.
Huh.
Inside, my daughter checked her bedroom for her keys, to no avail.
“Maybe they’re at your mom’s,” I said.
“No, my truck is here,” she said. “So my keys have to be with me.”
She rummaged through her school backpack, and found them.
“Haha,” she said. “Oh, well. It was fun playing with the hose. Bye Dad!”
A kiss on the cheek, and my latchkey hosers were off to their mom’s house.
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Comment by Kimberly Zook
| April 24th, 2009
This post may me both laugh and sigh, remembering days like these when I was growing up! Wouldn’t it be nice to let our minds relax enough to hose ourselves down without worrying about other things too much! That was really kind of you to hurry to help your daughter; some day she’ll probably do the same for her children!
Kimberly Zook´s last blog post..Tethered to the Umbilical Cord
Comment by Andrea
| April 24th, 2009
How fun. Playing in the garden hose and running through the sprinkler are fond memories for me. Isn’t it funny how after you hurried and worried about her melting (nice addition by the way ;) she managed to find her keys in her bag?
I wasn’t a latchkey kid till I was in 8th grade and then my sister was in high school and home before me anyway.
Now I’ll think of you as the Hero in a Hybrid.
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Comment by FJ
| April 24th, 2009
Great story about how parent’s concern builds up and up in one’s mind…only to find out you come home to a completely unlikely and unexpected – but awesome – scenario. The kids – teenagers, no less – were simply playing with a garden hose and their phones were probably 25 feet away. Very relatable for folks like me who know they will be worry-wart parents!
Comment by MindyMom
| April 24th, 2009
I just love it when my kids pull a move like that! Sometimes I think they just want reassurance that I’ll drop everything to come help them. Good thing yours found a way to keep cool and pass the time while dad was sweating it. ;)
MindyMom´s last blog post..Thirty-nine Things
Comment by vinomom
| April 24th, 2009
That was a great post. Something we can all relate to with our kids; Texting you when they need help, can’t find what’s in front of their noses, and forgetting all about it in the 20 minute span it took you to come to their rescue! Love it. :)
Have a great weekend.
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Comment by QTMama
| April 24th, 2009
Your kids sound kick ass, DH. Thanks for the smile today.
QTMama´s last blog post..Weird Thing of the Week
Comment by katherine.
| April 24th, 2009
Dad the hero…coming to the rescue of his daughter in distress.
Keys were in the backpack all along. Yep. You got a few more years of this…trust me. It has something to do with brain development.
I was never a latch key kid. My Mama went back to work when my youngest sib was 9…and I was sixteen. But she taught part time and with my afterschool sports she was always home first.
My oldest went to a full time school…and by the time the kids came along…we lived in the mountains, so my kids were’t latchkeyers either. But I think they wanted to be.
(you weren’t texting while driving were you?)
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Comment by April
| April 24th, 2009
Great post!
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Comment by Mark
| April 24th, 2009
A great lesson taught by your children! No worries about the heat, they found the hose. You were there for them and you didn’t freak out when the keys were found to be available. Hat’s off to you! Doing a great job Dad!
Mark´s last blog post..Preparing for Mourning
Comment by Eathan
| April 24th, 2009
Funny.. she was passed out too weak to text? My kids say they are never too weak to text. I think they practice text in their sleep.
Nice job getting hosed in the middle of the day.
Eathan´s last blog post..Modern Single Momma Contest
Comment by Edgar
| April 24th, 2009
I like the dramatic flair in the story, David. You really ought to be a novelist. Oh…wait – you are!
I guess I’m the only commenter whose urge would be to chastise the kids for being so careless in their search. But then again, if you had been more probing in your questions to your daughter concerning the whereabouts of the keys, there would probably have been no story about white knight-dom, n’est-ce pas?
Comment by Canadian Bald Guy
| April 24th, 2009
LOL…can’t wait for some of those “aww shucks” moments with my own kids. Cute story.
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Comment by Beth
| April 24th, 2009
Great story! You’re an awesome dad!!
Comment by bettyl
| April 24th, 2009
Sometimes, we worry WAY too much, but better to be annoyed at a minor inconvenience than screwing up something important! And with the new (step–but that’s a bit impersonal)teen-age kids, I have learned not to get upset about every little thing.
I was a latchkey kid, but really didn’t think anything about it. Funny how we all react differently.
You did good, dad :-)
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Comment by dadshouse
| April 24th, 2009
Edgar – interesting point. In general, I don’t chastise my kids too often. My daughter knew she screwed up, and having me yell at he wouldn’t make things better. It might help her remember to check better in the future, or it might just make her pissed off at me. I’d rather keep things peaceful, so she wants to do the right thing, rather than create an atmosphere where she fears doing the wrong thing. Every parent has their own style, and mine borders on lax!
Comment by Erica
| April 24th, 2009
The part of this post that makes me happiest is when you said “sure” to getting wet. Hooray for play!
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Comment by Laura
| April 24th, 2009
hahaha well at least you were close enough to come home :)
Very cool for playing in the water – thats always fun!
Comment by Twenty Four At Heart
| April 24th, 2009
My teens are so absent minded … I’m glad they aren’t the only ones. At least they were having a good time while they waited for you!
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Comment by The Dadical
| April 24th, 2009
Hey, this makes me want two things: 1) summer, 2) my kids to not become teenagers!
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Comment by ilinap
| April 25th, 2009
That is adorable. I love that the simplicity of childhood hasn’t left your kids. And I love their ingenuity.
I was a latchkey kid too, and it blew chunks. My parents would have likely let me melt in the heat. Plus their offices were so far from home that there’s no way they’d make it home to save me. Yet another reason I work from home.
Comment by Erin
| April 25th, 2009
I love this story! I love how you said “Knight in a shining hybrid” What color is your Prius? Mine is blue, and yes I am extremely proud of it!
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Comment by krn
| April 25th, 2009
Cute, cute story~
Ninety-seven degrees sounds really good right now. Joining your kids in the water sounds like great fun!
Comment by Emily@remodelingthislife
| April 25th, 2009
Hey, thanks for stopping by today. Glad to have found you. Looks like a fun blog you have here. Love this story.
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Comment by Jennifer
| April 25th, 2009
Great post! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone running to the aid of my kids w/ all kinds of worst-case scenarios going through my head.
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Comment by Edgar
| April 26th, 2009
David – maybe my schedule is a little more constrained than yours is, although I have rearranged it at the last moment when a kid’s been sick or needed to get home from school. This situation reminds me of the reason that there is always a key under the geranium on the deck in back. However, the playing with the hose does sound like a great way to save them from the heat.
Comment by Sandra
| April 26th, 2009
Your children are lucky that you would come over to rescue them.
As a child, if I had locked myself out of the house, no one would’ve come to my rescue. I think I lost them once, and it sucked not being able to get what I needed. I had to sit with the neighbors for hours.
Which is why I almost never lost them.
Sandra´s last blog post..Other things I forgot to mention
Comment by dadshouse
| April 26th, 2009
When I was a kid, I used to forget my keys all the time. I’d break into my house, either through the garage or a bathroom window. A few times, that ended up with broken glass (unintenionally!) and my dad put the kabosh on me breaking in. After that, I’d just sit on the porch waiting… Not sure why we didn’t have a hidden key. Probably the same reason I don’t have one now!
Comment by The Exception
| April 27th, 2009
This is fabulous!!! First, I love that you were ready to save the day… mostly I love that they didn’t need saving… just goes to show, on both counts, what a fabulous dad you are (they turned lemons into lemonade!)
The Exception´s last blog post..Dreams