My wife and I both put in long and demanding hours at our jobs.
Unfortunately, we can’t be at home when the kids get off the bus after school.
When the kids were younger, we arranged for them to go to daycare. Now that they are fourteen, twelve and ten, we have started to allow them to be at the house on their own for a few hours. My wife and I took some extra precautions to optimize their safety. My wife and I had a complete home security system installed. We now have automated door locks that are keyless. The kids can simply punch a code into the system and get inside. There’s no worry over them forgetting their keys, and my wife and I know that they’ve arrived safely because we get an alert on our smartphones. We know exactly what time they enter the house and can verify that the doors and windows are locked. The addition of motion activated surveillance cameras gives us a view of the front door and the backyard at all times. Whether we’re at home or at work, we can watch real time footage on our laptop or phones and know who is entering or exiting the house. This gives us peace of mind. Our kids are protected and we also can be sure they are following the rules. Our kids aren’t permitted to invite friends over when my wife and I aren’t home. If they attempt to sneak anybody in, we’ll be aware of it. If they don’t arrive home from school on time, we’re aware of it. Plus, this security system links a smoke and carbon monoxide detector to our phones as well. There’s also a moisture sensor that notifies us in the event of a plumbing problem. The security system has been extremely helpful.