| The 'feminism' movement that advocated the | | | | and makes her self doubly sure that the school |
| rights of women of full citizenship aimed at | | | | going kid(s) wakes up and finishes with his/her |
| breaking male barriers to derive the sense of | | | | unending session in the bathroom. It is not many |
| identity/security and worth from their abilities to | | | | minutes before the harried mommy thunders at |
| earn and get the equal power. With all the vigour | | | | the top of her voice, and drags the little brat out |
| as women started taking up employment in | | | | of the bathroom to catch the school bus on time. |
| government offices, hospitals, banks, private | | | | As she assures herself of the contents of the |
| companies and the like, and in its wake was born | | | | school bag her child, the career mother harangues |
| the latch key kid. Who is the 'Latch key kid'? The | | | | the kid before he leaves for school. Some people |
| child that wears or carries house keys with so | | | | argue that the dual career parents, with little |
| that he can let himself into his home when he | | | | knowledge as to how to really cope and love, |
| returns from school. The child is at home without | | | | would compensate it all with the material gifts and |
| adult supervision until his parents return from | | | | spoil their children in the process. The kids as a |
| work, school, or other occupations away from | | | | result according to them would inherit little |
| home. Currently, the term 'self care' is used to | | | | negotiating power as required for their effective |
| refer to elementary and middle school children | | | | development. Besides the illusions of the helicopter |
| who are without adult supervision during the | | | | parents about coddling and protecting their children |
| after-school hours whether they are at home, at | | | | threaten the abilities of these children later in their |
| friends' houses, or in public places. Preschool | | | | life to strike off on their own and form a healthy |
| children usually are not included; because it is | | | | relationship and proper job skills. Children in |
| considered inappropriate for preschool children to | | | | settings like this, they would say, do not get the |
| be unsupervised for any amount of time (less | | | | optimal brain growth and the activity that |
| than 1 % of the preschool population spends | | | | establishes the cognitive pathways. |
| some time in self care). Adolescents attending | | | | In the present day liberal world however despite |
| high school also are not included, because it is | | | | all these arguments, the latch-key-kids constitute |
| developmentally appropriate for high school | | | | the 30-40something segment of our 'demographic |
| students to care for themselves after school | | | | dividend'. They are our knowledge/media workers, |
| without direct adult supervision. | | | | designers, management/financial whiz kids, |
| When he is a neonatal, still in the swaddling | | | | doctors, chartered/financial accountants and all |
| clothes, his young upwardly mobile mommy | | | | that jazz. A large number of people agree that |
| (yummy) would always be under active gun, | | | | the employment status of the mother does have |
| 'Tinkies' with two incomes, nanny and kids, would | | | | effects on families and children, but few of these |
| leave him with nanny for his/her day care. If the | | | | effects are negative ones. Indeed, most seem |
| nanny is not alive or is in poor health, unable to | | | | positive -- the higher academic outcomes for |
| look after the baby, the maternal granny would | | | | children, benefits in their behavioral conduct and |
| take over the charge of baby-minder, while the | | | | social adjustment, and the higher sense of |
| mommy and papa are out at work. Some | | | | competence and effectiveness in daughters. On |
| yuppies would even permanently send kids to | | | | the whole, experts suggest that majority of the |
| their 'nani-hal', the house of the maternal | | | | families accommodate to the employment of the |
| grandfather. In some cases the dual career | | | | mother and in doing so provide a family |
| families also hire services of an 'aaya' or male | | | | environment that works well. In two-parent |
| servant to take care of the kid. Alternately dual | | | | families, the fathers take on a larger share of the |
| career parents look forcrèche and baby | | | | household tasks and child care and this seems to |
| sitters, or else either of the parents stays home | | | | have benefits for the children. In the working |
| to play/swap the role of baby sitter. But then as | | | | class, employed mothers indicate a higher level of |
| the little fellow goes to school and gets home | | | | well-being than full-time homemakers and this, in |
| from school, the 'latch key kid' collects keys from | | | | turn, affects their parenting in positive ways. Even |
| the hiding place or from his/her neck or even | | | | in the middle-class, where employed mothers do |
| from the neighbours and lets him/herself in to his | | | | not show a higher level of well-being, neither do |
| her house/flat to be looked after by he/she, him | | | | they show a lower one. While the quality and |
| herself. With or without changing school uniform, | | | | stability of non-maternal care for infants and |
| the kid heads for the hot case/refrigerator to get | | | | young children is considered important, the |
| rice and vegetable (cooked) left for lunch. While | | | | employment of the mother itself does not seem |
| doing so he/she would settle down to couch | | | | to have the negative effects often proclaimed. |
| potato in front of TV or play with his/her indoor | | | | The developmental impact of self care is thought |
| games or busies him/herself in the homework. He | | | | to depend on the circumstances. The child |
| she may even settle down at the house of the | | | | characteristics, type and amount of self care, and |
| neighbor till either of the dual career parents | | | | family circumstances are factors in the outcomes |
| returns from the office. In the event neighbours | | | | of self care. Younger children and children, who |
| are not home the 'latch key kid' waits at the | | | | were experiencing behaviour problems before self |
| roadside (at times even finishing his/her | | | | care, begin appear to be more adversely affected |
| homework) till the working mommy returns from | | | | by it. Children and young adolescents, who hang |
| office. | | | | out with peers and who spend long amounts of |
| In a typical upwardly mobile dual career family | | | | time unsupervised, also seem to experience more |
| with a (latch-key)kid or two, the woes of the | | | | negative outcomes than other children. Children |
| yummy (young upwardly mobile mommy) begin | | | | from low-income urban families also appear to be |
| early in the morning when she tumbles out of her | | | | at greater risk from self care. Nevertheless |
| bed with the nightmarish thought that she has; | | | | keeping in view the broader visions of the |
| got the floor to mop, the food to chop; the | | | | educated working women, the latch key kids |
| chicken to fry, the baby to dry; got company to | | | | reared up in these families invariably emerge as |
| feed, the garden to weed; got shirts to press, the | | | | independent (minded), though aggressive and |
| tops to dress; the beans to cut, and clean up the | | | | robotically successful in their career graph. |
| hut. She fixes the breakfast (and lunch as well) | | | | |