What age for First House Key?

[Lockdownbear]

Thinking about a thread by an employer suggesting parents WFH can not be keeping an eye on their school aged kids and they should have childcare in place which to me is just nuts. I'm thinking back to days of old and the 'latch key' generation.

I got my key when I was 10, I can't imagine giving my 10yo a key. However he is more than capable of entertaining himself while I work. I just wouldn't trust him completely alone.

How old were you when you got your key and how old were your kids?

Mine got one at 11, he walks home, and while I pick up dc2, we walk slower so he let's himself in. He was meeting a friend for a walk during lockdown recently and I didn't want to have to leave the front door on the latch, so made sense he could let himself back in without having to ring the bell.

Most year 6 children have housekeys and walk home as a group, even if their parents are picking up younger siblings, so they all have keys to stop them having to wait on the doorstep.

I wasn't given one until mid-teens, my DM used to leave us a key if she was out under the flowerpot or we used to 'break in' if a window was left open for us.
My parents thought because there was a table and chairs outside and cover if it rained it was fine to leave us outside after school (this didn't happen all the time, but often enough). My DM was a stay at home parent too!
My parents were really controlling and hated their children being in the house alone (we would have just watched TV and started cooking dinner if they wanted us to)
They were dicks