Locking Up At Night; What You Need To Know Right Now

Home Safety Tips For Families

If you are a parent, there comes a time in your life when your teenager(s) comes and goes without you – this often happens once they get their driver’s license and start driving themselves!

(If you have younger children – rejoice you’re not there, yet.)

Once teenagers get a taste of this independence, they come and go at odd times, often working after school, playing sports or meeting with friends for fun or schoolwork.

When the kids are younger, parents are in charge of locking up at night.

Locking up the home.

Setting the alarm.

Locking up the cars.

Locking the garage door.

However, when you add teenager(s) to the mix, and their ability to forget everything your tell them in about 5 seconds…

Now is a great time to set up a few safety rules for your family’s overall safety and security; call a family meeting!

Who Is Responsible For Locking Up At Night?

Who will lock up at night?

Before you can make that determination, you need a family meeting and a family calendar.

Once you know everyone’s schedule you will know who will come home last and should at least close and lock up the garage.

Don’t forget to include a discussion about locking up the house and setting the security alarm each time they come and go, during the day or night. Teenagers can and should shoulder that responsibility along with you. If they arrive home to an unarmed home, their security and safety is at risk. Always teach your children how to arm the home before leaving and how to disarm it once coming home. They should also know how to speak to the operator of the monitoring company in case they set off a false alarm.

Two more things to discuss with teens about home security.

1. Don’t leave your home key laying around anywhere. If you lose your key, it will cost a lot of money to change the locks.
2. Don’t give your alarm code to any friends. Never, under any circumstance.

How Should You Lock Up At Night?

For your family’s safety and security, you need to do a perimeter check every evening.

This includes checking all entry and exit points, making sure windows and doors are not just closed, but locked as well. Don’t forget your glass sliding doors, your porch doors and your garage doors.

We also recommend checking your children’s windows to make sure they are still locked as sometimes kids play with those locks and unless you check, you’d never know whether they have stayed locked, or have been unintentionally unlocked.

Once the indoor perimeter check is done, arm your home.

Even if not all your family members are home yet, it’s a great habit to get into; to arm the system even when you are home, and especially at night.

It Is Better To be Safe (at Home), Than Sorry (A Criminal Made It Into Your House).

If you’ve purchased an alarm system, have paid for installation and are paying a monthly monitoring fee, why NOT use the system to keep your loved ones safe and sound at home, right?

It’s just plain smart!

You’d be surprised how many homeowners fail to set their alarm systems on a daily basis.

Don’t be caught unaware!

Be safe and secure at home, always!