Home Alone - Security tips for Kids

Written by Oladotun Togun
 

Jane is single parent, who works as a global client representative at an International Bank. She is always present at PTA meetings, going to extra-curricular activities, ensuring she is always on top of all activities concerning Niyi and Moji, her 7 and 5 year old children.

Jane has perfected her after school routine concerning her children. Driver and Nanny, pick them up from school and go home. They live in a block of 8 Flats. On this faithful day, Jane had gotten home, tired and exhausted, came home only to meet her children home alone. She called out for the nanny with no response, called her mobile phone and got the message stating that the number has been switched off. She made dinner for her children, and put them to bed. Going through the house, she carried out an immediate audit, and found out a few things were missing, and proceeded to call the Police and filed a report.

Going back to the 1980’s there was a movie called “Home Alone”, where a witty 7 year old had to protect his home against burglars, while his entire family was away in another country. But the question really is, what one does in a “Home Alone situation? The focus really is on the children to be taught what to do. Here are some tips if children should find themselves at Home Alone

• Lock the doors and close all windows.
• Never open the door to strangers. Always check before opening the door to anyone, looking out through a peephole or window first.
• Never open the door to delivery people or service representatives.
• Service representatives, such as a TV cable installer, should have an appointment when an adult is home.
• Never tell someone on the telephone that the parents are not at home.
• Do not talk about being home alone on social media web sites.
• Kids should be cautious about sharing information about their location when using chat rooms or posting on social networks.
• Never leave the house till an adult gets home.
• Put up Emergency Numbers on the fridge, rather than only the Pizza delivery number.
• Children should always know their parents numbers, because they know the numbers for the pizza and ice cream services.
• Do not go outside to check out an unusual noise. If the noise worries the child, they should call their parents, an adult, or the police.
• Don’t talk to anybody outside. You can peek through the window or peep hole and then describe the person to the parents when they get home.
• Do not have friends over
• Do not let anyone inside who is using drugs or alcohol, even if you know them.
• If the child smells smoke or hears a fire or smoke alarm, they should get outside and ask a neighbor to call the fire department.

About the writer

Oladotun Togun is a Security Professional with noteworthy security expertise spanning over 15 years. He has 10 years management level experience in various industries ranging from Telecoms to Finance and Manufacturing. Dotun writes for Sitrep Nigeria - a consortium of organizations who are keen to reawaken community policing and ensuring safety of lives and possessions. Through their online portal, they collect data as well as organize and disseminate useful information about the state of security in the nation. www.sitrepnigeria.com . For security consultation, email oladotun2008@gmail.com 

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