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It’s Summer – Are Your Kids Home Alone?

As children rejoice with the start of summer, parents everywhere begin to experience terror.  How can parents concentrate at work with visions of their kids home alone fighting and setting kitchen fires?  And how can they enjoy the simple pleasures of summer when they are in a constant state of fear?

For every physical danger that children can experience at home, there are additional troubles lurking on the Internet on popular sites like Facebook.com.

Kaiser Family Foundation found that among teens online, 70 percent have accidentally come across pornography on the Web. 

Listed below are 10 simple tips for keeping tabs on your children when home alone

1. Make time for your kids during the work day. 

Use your break times to meet your kids for lunch, Face Time, Skype, or call them to check in at a scheduled time.

2. Don’t take work home. 

When you take work home, you are not available for your children. The summer will rush by so savor this precious time with your children.

3. Ask your employer about flex time. 

Many companies offer flexible working hours for employees, especially during summer months. Ask to take some hours off or set up an office from home and work from home

4. Help your kids “make their own fun” during the day. 

Each week help your children plan specific goals and projects they want to accomplish. Books to read, languages to learn.

5. Enlist your children to help plan a family vacation. 

It is a great project to have your children plan and research your family vacation.

6. Recruit a friend to take your kids out during the day. 

Find a friend, relative or neighbor to check in with your children and maybe get out of the house during the day.

7. Neighbors.

Are any of your neighbors retired from work, home from college for the summer or unemployed? Make arrangements for your children to spend some time with a person whether they bake, cook, do crafts, play games or go to a movie. Your children get social support and supervision and the other person gets companionship or income they need.

8. Bring your kids to work. 

Check with your company and ask if your children can accompany you to work some days this summer.

9. Sign your children up for a structured activity.

Many local organizations such as Parks and Recreation Departments offer summer programs in all sports. High schools and colleges offer summer science camps, mathematics camps, language camps.

10. Tap into your children’s emotions. 

Place a concern and worry box on a table in your home and where your children can place their worries and discuss them at a family meeting once a week.

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