Locked Out: How a Lilburn Family Stepped in to Protect a Latchkey Child

Not long ago, on a very cold and wintry day, my husband went out to run an errand and saw a middle-school age boy in front of his house in our neighborhood. 

He stopped to inquire whether the boy was okay. The boy said he was locked out of the house because school had released early that day . . . and his family, who were unaware of the early release, had not come home from work yet.

When asked, the boy said he was hungry and my husband brought him some food when he returned from his errand. He told the child to come to our house if he got too cold and reminded him of where we live. After he arrived home, we talked about it and returned with a cell phone for the boy to try to reach his parents. 

Unfortunately, he didn’t know their work numbers. In spite of concerns about the interpretation of our actions, we invited him to walk back to our house where he ate a little lunch and relaxed while waiting for his family. We put a note on the front door to tell the family where he was and how to reach us.  When members of the family arrived home they contacted us and came to pick up the boy.

This incident is a reminder that neighborhoods need to make some provision for the safety of the children of the neighborhood in case of such an emergency. There are not very many stay-at-home parents in this day and time, and such things do happen, leaving children with no very clear idea what to do in these kinds of situations.

Encourage your neighborhood families with children to make sure their children know where they might go in case of an emergency situation. It can be a trusted neighbor who has contact information for the parents or has access to a key if the child is old enough to stay at home alone.

Some neighborhoods, with the help of local police, are creating “safe houses” for children to go to in an emergency. These homes mark their status with a specific symbol that children will recognize as a place to go for assistance. Whatever is the solution in your neighborhood, there should be a plan in place for children so they know where to turn for help in an unexpected situation.  

It would also be well to encourage the parents to make sure that children know how to reach them if it becomes necessary. In our case, it would have been much more comfortable for us to have been able to reach a parent to tell them the situation and receive permission to take the child home with us.

One of the advantages of a strong neighborhood watch is that as neighbors get to know each other they can safely make plans for emergencies and not leave it up to chance that a neighbor will happen upon a child in need and be available to assist.

Note: Local libraries, Kroger stores and QT gas stations are designated safe places for children – when they are able to get there safely.  Safe Kids Gwinnett offers Safe Sitter Classes for kids aged 11 and older to help with learning decision making, as well as business skills. The next scheduled class is April 12. 

For more information, contact SafetySmart Lilburn at info.sslinc@yahoo.com