[bane]

We used to have the notion of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latchkey_kid

I grew up with both parents working long hours, and I was definitely a Latchkey kid. From the time I got home until right before dinner I was usually alone to do what I wanted.

I think for a few years, when I was 6 or 7, my mother required I call her every hour as a check-in, but even that relaxed by the time I was 8 or 9. My only requirement was to be home by dark, regardless of the time of year and if parents were home.

Curiously, my parents would also occasionally hire a babysitter, but I never quite understood why and what for. It was pretty random.