When your kids are 15 or 16 years old, they are old enough to stay alone for a day or two if you need to go away. Since they are teenagers, chances are you won't be as trusting as you would like to be. This is why there are several things that you should do before you leave to make sure that your teen will be safe while you are away.
Let Your Teens Know What You Expect
Before you leave for your trip, you should let your teen know exactly what you expect from them. If you don't want them to have any friends in the house, you should make sure that they are aware of it. Make sure that they understand that their curfews are still in effect and the same rules of the house apply when you are not home. Let them know that there will be consequences if they break any of the rules.
Discuss Safety Planning
You should sit down and talk to your teen about what they would do in the case of an emergency. Ask them how they would handle a blown fuse, a small kitchen fire, a power outage, or any type of injury that occurs in the home. If your teen answers any of the questions wrong, you should go over everything with them so that they know exactly what to do. You should also keep a list of emergency phone numbers on the refrigerator, along with the numbers where they can reach you.
Assign a Friend or Family Member to Be a Contact Person
Before you leave for your trip, you should select a friend or family member that you trust to be your teen's contact person while you are away. If any type of emergency happens in the home or if they need medical treatment, they can call the contact person. You should also ask this person to visit your home from time to time. If your teen knows that your contact person can show up any time, they will likely be more responsible.
Schedule a Time For Your Teen to Check-In
You should set up a time for your teen to call you and let you know that they are home for the night. If you have a landline in your home, you should have them call you on that phone so you can be sure that they are in the house. Make sure your teen knows that they have to be available at the designated time. You should also let your teen know that if they don't answer the phone when you call that you will send the contact person to the house to check in on them.
Remove Any Temptations From the Home
Before you leave for your trip, you should take anything that will tempt your teen. If you have any beer, wine, or alcohol in the house, you should lock it up where your teen will not find it. You should also lock up or remove any tobacco products and prescription drugs. If you have a gun, it should be always be locked up. Before you leave, you should double check the lock. You should make sure that you take the key to the safe and the spare key with you on your trip. You don't want your teen to find the key and take the gun from the safe. Any temptation should be locked up.
Stock the Fridge and Cabinets
Before you leave for your trip, you should stock your fridge and cabinets with food that they like and that are easy to prepare. Canned foods and frozen foods are your best choices. You don't want your kids to be hungry while you are gone.
Clean and Organize the House
Before you leave for your trip, clean the entire house. You should contact a waste disposal Sydney specialist to get rid of any trash in the home. You should vacuum, do the laundry, and make sure that the house is spotless when you leave. Before you leave, let your kids know that you expect the home to look the same way when you get home. This will be a good time to teach them responsibility and how to clean up on their own when they don't have you there to do it for them.
If you are going to leave your teens home for a day or two, you should prepare them first.
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