A key to the house...

Malia asked me the other day when she would be allowed to:

1. Have a key to the house, so
2. She can ride the bus home {by herself}

Her request caught me off guard because it is a subject that I'm not ready to discuss nor am I even ready to allow it.

I was a 'latch-key kid' growing up. I was in the 4th grade, it was the late 1980s and my sister {who was in 2nd grade} & I were home alone for MAYBE an hour before my mother came home from work. Things were different back then...WAY different.

That was then...this is certainly now.

I'm not ready for my children to assume gain such a responsibility. I like knowing where they are once 3pm comes -- in the gym participating in the Parks & Rec sponsored after-school program! I, as a parent, am not ready to give up that "peace of mind."

So, what was my response to her? No way, Jose.