In Two Jobs, No Life: Learning to Balance Work and Home (Key Porter Books, 2001), Dr. Peter Marshall offers a practical approach to the work-home dilemma for two-job families. From setting priorities and renegotiating roles to cutting corners and "just saying no," Marshall offers strategies for coping with the challenges of day-to-day life. Here is an excerpt from the book on one of the trickiest problems two-job families have to cope with.
One of the issues for two-job families is who is minding the children? The latchkey or "self-care" child is not a recent phenomenon. How do you decide if you should allow your daughter or son to join the ranks of the latchkey kids? For some families, the decision may be forced by the lack of affordable alternatives. When there is greater choice, a number of questions can help reach an answer.
The Latchkey Checklist
•What is your child's age and maturity level? It would be hard to suggest an age below which selfcare is never feasible-older does not necessarily mean wiser. Your child's track record with respect to being responsible and trustworthy at home and in other situations is a valuable source of data.
•How long will your child be unsupervised?
•What is your neighborhood like? Are you concerned about the type of people hanging out on the streets, or is yours a relatively safe community? Is the population largely transient, or do you have the benefit of a reasonably close-knit community in which people typically look out for one another?
