Anyone else’s teens not carry their bloody keys?!

[JMSA]

It drives me mad. To be fair, my 19 year old is very considerate with remembering to take her keys on nights out. Not once has she disturbed my sleep in the wee small hours.
But at any other time of day, she and my 16 year old will ring the bell. It’s no big deal, of course, but still annoying if I’m in the toilet or garden.
Thankfully I’m a homebody (when not at work), so chances are I’ll be in!
Are your teens good at remembering to take their keys out with them? It’s a habit that mine have simply never mastered.

Get a key safe!

i came on to say keysafe too

We got a keysafe at this stage. Still have it 15 years later. Still use it fairly regularly 😳

Another suggestion for a keysafe. Ours has been invaluable for accidental lock outs as well as teenagers with no keys on them.

We as a family (as in dh) have been locked out and had to get in via a ladder through an upstairs window on more than one occasion.
we now have a key safe.

Keysafe is your friend. So handy

Key safes are very easy to break into.

Make them wait- they won't forget next time.

And they need to be listed on your home insurance

We have a key safe. The kids don't return the keys to it, hence still have no keys. About 5 different neighbours have keys to our house as well! 🤣

Yeah admittedly it’s not a perfect system when kids are involved! Our key safe has one in there about 90% of the time versus one DC who never had a key, so still a winner!

We have a keysafe to the side door. Which i check the key has been returned to 🫠

Don't answer the door.... they will learn. My 11yr old got drenched today as he didn't bother taking his key and I had nipped to the shop when he tried to get home....

This. If I’m at work and DH is at work, he either has to walk or bus to one of our workplaces, or just sit getting wet in the garden.

I have a key safe, works for my 14 & 18 year old

My eldest is fine, as generally he goes out in his car and his keys are all attached.

16 year old DS? Nope, he’s a pain in the arse.

Possibly not a solution to the actual remembering a physical key thing, but after buying a new car with keyless entry, I've now been looking at keyless door locks. A door fob is probably smaller so easier to put in a purse/wallet than a key.

Thanks everyone!

Key safe with a chain was our solution for a while (the chain reached the door but reminded them to put the key back).

Then after the chain broke and the key went missing twice because they took it inside I went down the tough shit route.

Amazing how being sat outside for an hour a couple of times makes them much better with their keys!

I stopped answering the door, and after two rings and a 10-minute wait, my son got these keys out from his backpack and opened the door himself. This happened twice before he realised it was easier for him to use the key he already had on him. I mean, who does that?!

Just make them wait 5 minutes every time. "Oh sorry I was in the garden/shower/had headphones on and didn't hear you."

Once they've stood there awkwardly once or twice they'll remember next time.

If you're going to martyr yourself and run to the door each time they they're just going to keep prioritising their convenience over yours. You're helping them in the long run, when they move out and get places of their own or with flatmates nobody is going to be rushing around to let them in if they've forgotten their keys.

My DS rarely takes his door key. Especially annoying as he drives everywhere so has his car keys at all times but refuses to attach his house keys.

He's spent a night in his car more than once as nobody was at home to let him in. Idiot.

Exactly.
Actions have consequences.
Forget keys. Have to stand at the door. Waiting. Bored.
Maybe remember your keys next time.

Id ignore the bell for at least 20mins and say “I was next to tge washing machine on spin and didn’t hear you”, only just got your text/saw you through the glass/went out to the car and saw you were sat at the door.

Stop answering the door.

During the day I'd just have the door unlocked anyway.

DH changed our lock to a fingerprint recognition one. Since then, nobody has forgotten their key.