DEAR ABBY: As a child protective social worker and parent-education instructor, I would like to add to your advice to "Concerned Knoxville Mom" whose 10-year-old daughter answers the door when she shouldn't and leaves the door unlocked. None of this is unusual for a 10-year-old left unsupervised for even short periods.
"Concerned Mom's" daughter is saying by her behavior that she is not ready to handle the responsibility of supervising herself for even a short time. A 10-year-old child should not be left unsupervised. It's often too tempting for a child that age to take advantage of his or her "freedom" and try to get away with things they wouldn't get away with when a parent is around.
You should have advised "Concerned Mom" to ask a trusted relative, a friend or neighbor to allow the child to stay at his or her home for the brief period before "Concerned Mom" comes home from work. She should also check with her local welfare department or child protective services about financial assistance for child care. These agencies can direct her to after-school care programs or, if necessary, can even certify a relative, friend or neighbor, after completing a background check and evaluating his or her home, making this alternative caregiver eligible to receive compensation through state child-care funds.
If "Concerned Mom" looks hard enough, she can find alternatives to leaving her 10-year-old daughter at home alone. -- CHILD PROTECTIVE SOCIAL WORKER IN CALIFORNIA
DEAR SOCIAL WORKER: What a helpful letter. I'm sure it will interest many parents of latchkey children from coast to coast who are unaware of the potential help that is available to them.