When I was in Kindergarten I used to take the bus every morning to school and from school. My mom gave me a talk before riding the bus pertaining to proper behavior and what to do if no one was at the bus stop t get me. On Fridays my mom often had to stay at work a little later and would mean that she may not be able to get home in time to let me in the house. My dad worked until late so there was no one able to let me in some times. My mom told me the first thing I do if no one comes was to knock on the door in case she just hadn’t made it outside yet. If no one answered I was to knock on our neighbors door and tell them the situation. My mom previously spoke to them about this. Lastly if they didn’t answer, I was to stay in the backyard until my mom came home.

While my mom not being home in time wasn’t a common occurance the few times it happened I was able to handle the situation and follow the instructions my mom gave me. On one Friday my mom wasn’t at the bus stop as I assumed she got caught up with work. Being five years old I thought it would be the greatest thing in the world if our door was unlocked and I could be in the house all by myself. However, when I checked our front door it was locked and no one answered my knock. While I was disappointed to not be able to have the house to myself I walked to our next door neighbors house and knocked on the door. They didn’t answer the door either. Since I was only left with one option I trudged to my backyard where I decided to play in my neighbors gazebo as they often let me play in it when I was younger.

Eventually my mom came home barely twenty minutes later. She saw me playing in the backyard and seemed happy and excited that I followed all of her instructions.

Leaving children unattended can be a dangerous thing to do but, if given the opportunity they could surprise you. I listened to my mom because I always understood that she knew best and in our situation her trust and instructions helped a situation that could have been potentially dangerous. Kids being left unattended can lead to kids running away, starting trouble in the neighborhood, or cause issues in the house.  However, a little trust can go a long way. While it is important to watch your kids, kids just might surprise you with their maturity and listening skills. Some of my friends had similar experiences growing up and that same trust was shown to them and they followed their parents instruction as well. While I would have rather been inside with my mom coming home from school I’m glad that my mom was able to trust me to stay safe when she couldn’t watch me.