To take my child's house key away when

[avenueq]

... yes, when?
When they go to uni? When they set up in their own home?
Never?
I still have a key to my mother's house, but because I live in another country and only go for extended visits it's not like I ever go unannounced - does that make a difference?

We have keys for my parents and inlaws (country 1), and keys for my grandmother-in-laws (country 2).
We live in country 3.
Mum had keys for our house when we lived in country 1.

.y mum took my key at 18, she has OCD so I think knowing I couldn't drop in helps.

@PregnantSea you've made me wonder why I still have got my parent's house key! I live on the other side of the world from them! But I do take it with me when I visit Am now thinking I should just give it back...

I still have the key to my parents house (and they've changed the locks since I moved out so they had to give me a new one and they have a key to mine.

In usual circumstances I'd expect them to drop me a message before they came over and vice versa.

We have keys because we might be going round for dinner and arrive before the other one is back. Or someone might have borrowed or need to borrow something and drop off or pick up when the others aren't in. Or my parents might want somewhere to stop off for a cup of tea and a sit down if they've come into town and I might be at work.

We're all close, and probably see each other once a week or more, so we just view most things as shared family resources, with a primary owner.

I have a front door and back door key to my mum and dads. I've had them since I was 11.

I still have a key to my mums house. She died 5 years ago, I sold the house nearly 4 years ago 😳. It’s on my key ring, next to my car key. I have no intention of removing it.
Disclaimer: I also have no intention of travelling 4 hours and letting myself into the old family home (although I have dreamed of it and my mum being in her chair watching Take The High Road with a cuppa 😥).

Dh's parents asked for his key back when he moved in with me

My Mum could not understand why a parent would do that. So hurtful.

We do now have a key, our relationship with them at the beginning was difficult, it is great now though.

Although I would always just let myself into my Mum and Dad's house we always ring the doorbell for PIL.

My children have keys to mine and I to theirs, I can’t see that changing in the future.

My parents changed their front door a few years ago and gave me a new key for it, at that point I’d been living in my own home for around 10 years.
I also have a key for my GP house.

53 and I still have one. I have had to use it several times as the elderlies sometimes do silly things like going out and leaving a window wide open, or just opening the door for them if we have been somewhere and mum can’t find her key at the bottom of her handbag (due to all the crap she carries around).

They are in their 80s, if they need me I can be there in five minutes and let myself in.

I won’t ask for my DCs keys back when they leave, one is leaving for good in a few weeks and the other has beeen living away for four at uni then her first grad job.

My children all gave their key back when they left home.

I still have a key and I also have a key to mil but I’d never turn up unexpected and let myself in; when I go there I tend to knock anyway which I’d probably expect from them at my house too.

My two will always have keys to my house, unless they temporarily lose them; which as they're both teens is still quite likely .

I'm 40 and when I moved out to go to uni my parents said that I'd always have a home with them if I ever needed it, so I still have a key and they've had a new front door since I lived there.

I think I still have my parents door key however they moved last year 120 miles away. I now have no idea what to do with said key. It's on my key ring as more of a moment of my childhood home but I also feel very weird for having it in the first place because they don't live there anymore.
How do people dispose of keys? I don't like the idea of just chucking it in a bin.

I never had a key to my parent's house. But they don't carry house keys either: the house key was left in an outbuilding and the car key was in the ignition. Small island mentality.

DH's DF insisted he return his key at some point in our 30s.

My mother asked for mine in my 30s and it was a very damaging moment in our already fairly shit relationship.

I'd never abused it. After I moved out I never turned up unannounced, never let myself in, always rang the bell. So I suppose I didn't really need it. But nor did she, she already had a spare. And now no one else had one if she ever locked herself out, or had an accident. It was a statement on how unwelcome I was.

I live 300 miles away from my parents - and I haven’t had a key to either of their houses since I last lived with my Mum in my early 20s - I don’t think I’ve ever had a key to my Dad’s house. But my Mum sold the house I had grown up in when I was 20, and whilst I lived in the new house for a few months, it was never my home. She has now moved in with her Partner. They have a key safe - if I needed to get in then I could!

My dds are long grown up and have their own homes, but still have keys. Why ever not? It will always be their other home, too. They don't live close by, and it might occasionally be convenient for them to use the house when we're away.

We have keys to their houses, too.
Luckily we don't suspect each other of being likely to trash them, or sell/rent them out while we're on holiday!

I have keys to Mum's and to my Inlaw's, they both have keys to our place.

My boys can keep their keys forever and will always be welcome to let themselves in at any time, just like I am at my Mum's and DH is at his (though he would need to ask me for the key )

Everybody rings before just showing up though.

We all still have keys to my parents house (4 of us) and they have keys to ours. Visits are normally prearranged but I went up to use their printer yesterday and they are happy for me to use their house as my own if I need. It's lovely, I hope my kids always have a key to my house too.

I have never thought about this. Both DC have said on going to uni "I'll leave my keys mum, won't need them until I'm home again".

33 live 250 miles away mam still got me a key to her new house she makes it clear wherever she is is my home too. I hope that I'm the same with all my DCs.

My three adult DCs have keys to our house still. They can keep them. They also know that they’re welcome to come back here, even live here if they need, to anytime they like.
I can’t imagine why I’d ask them to give them back.

we still all have our own keys.my sister has about 5 sets as she takes a new on every time she comes.and will still forget it and still wake me up at 4am to let her in.why me!
I love thtat we have our own keys.
my mum has her own to grans aswell.