The 1990 box office comedy Home Alone remains a family favourite over the festive season. It’s about the adventures of Kevin McCallister (played by Macaulay Culkin), an eight-year-old boy who is inadvertently left behind when his parents go to France and who ends up having to fend for himself against a pair of bungling burglars.
What unfolds is a series of hilarious antics as Kevin rigs the house with handmade booby traps and carries out all sorts of other plans to fool the burglars.
While the movie makes for great comic relief, many children will find themselves home alone at this time of the year as schools close and mom and dad are still working.
Any child in this situation could also be confronted with burglars or strangers at the gate. Parents must take all precautions to ensure the safety of their children this festive season, says Charnel Hattingh, Fidelity ADT’s Group Head of Marketing and Communications.
“Apart from a criminal element, there are other dangers that lurk around the home, like a fire breaking out or a medical emergency. If children are entirely alone at home parents must cover all possible scenarios and have some form of all-day security monitoring to make sure they stay safe.
“If a domestic worker or au pair is responsible for the children, they need to be on the same page when it comes to security protocols and know how to administer immediate care and first aid, for example.”
The basics of home security, Hattingh elaborates, includes things like remote security monitoring through a reputable security company, secure access solutions and fire detection systems.
Children and their caregivers must be schooled in the use of the home’s security system and know what to do and who to contact in an emergency.
“One of the most important things to reiterate is not opening the gate for strangers, no matter who they say they are. If your child is going to have food or anything else delivered, bear in mind these delivery bikers are often targeted by criminals. A gate opening to accept the delivery is just the gap criminals need to get onto your property,” Hattingh warns.
“A proper access control system allows parents to see who is at the gate and home security solutions today also have the capacity for you to see everything going on in and around your home 24/7, which is great peace of mind for parents.”
7 other safety tips to communicate to children:
- Don’t walk in the street or mall with your phone out and especially not with headphones on. Be alert at all times!
- Go out in groups and always make secure arrangements when it comes to being dropped off and getting home again.
- Don’t engage with strangers. A common modus operandi involves a woman asking a child walking home from school if she can use their phone for an emergency call and then jumping into a waiting car and speeding off, phone in hand.
- Security gates must be locked at home at all times and the key removed.
- Know how to activate the alarm in areas of the house you’re not using, and also activate garden beams when alone at home.
- Have emergency numbers saved on speed dial.
- Tell mom or dad if you see a suspicious car or people in your street. They can phone your security company to come and investigate.
“Another big factor regarding children’s safety at home is swimming pools. Drowning is a leading cause of accidental death in young children.
“We should teach young children that water can be dangerous, just like cars. Tell them not to go near the water without a grown-up, just like you don’t cross the street without a grown-up. It is dangerous. You should regularly reinforce this message the way you do all other household rules,” says Hattingh.
She reminds parents that their children are precious gifts and that while everyone wants to relax over the festive season, you should never relax personal safety and security routines.
