My parents divorced when I was 8-years-old. I am an only child, so naturally it wasn't the easiest experience. After the first few months of my parents trying to make me feel comfortable, life with divorced parents became the norm and we went on with life. I went to an after-school program until fifth grade. Throughout middle school and until I could drive, I took the bus home, and was home alone until my dad got off of work.
After those few hours, I would either be headed to soccer practice, my dad took me to my mom's house when she got home from a 12-hour shift, or it was dinner time. On average, I was home alone for maybe 2-3 hours a day. From then to this day, my parents and I call it my "me time". I still need about 2-3 hours of "me time" in my twenties, if I'm being honest. I took this time to play in the backyard, go to a friend's house down the street, catch up on Full House, or do homework. Yes, I did homework voluntarily. But, I never saw it as an opportunity to get into crime or drugs.
Growing up, I took advantage of this time to do my own thing. I never saw it as an opportunity to hangout with the wrong kids that could get me into drugs, stealing, or just wasting time. Granted, there was the opportunity. However, something inside me knew that it wasn't right. About 75% of my friends from my childhood and the same area of town, come from single-parent households; none of us have ever been arrested. We all knew the difference between right and wrong.
I didn't know that this time alone was ever considered an issue until I got to college. In my Introduction to Education class, I studied the term "latchkey child." A latchkey child is one who is left alone for an extended period of time, usually in poverty, because parents are at work. My parents worked over full time throughout my young adult life and they still do. I understood why they were working, and I was grateful and still am.
The stigma of latchkey children should not coin a negative connotation just because the parents are working. Most of the time, the parents are doing what they have to do to get food on the dinner table or to pay for their child's new cleats or notebooks. The issue is that the child was not taught right from wrong in the beginning to keep them out of trouble.
I had no problem growing up independent. During my "me time", I learned how to make pristine toaster strudels and perfected the art of skipping between channels to avoid commercials. As a latchkey child, I speak from my heart when I say: I am not a statistic. I graduated high school with honors, went to college with scholarships, and have long term goals set for myself. I did not grow up with money. I did not have as many opportunities as my friends did for field trips and extra curricular activities, but I did what I had to do to succeed.
I know not all situations are like mine. I know I was lucky in many circumstances, but I turned out okay. As I look back, I am very grateful for my mom and dad's hard work and being such a good example of how to prosper while living alone.
We all have the chance to change the statistic.
