Today many parents have Difficulty reconciling your work schedule and your children's education. Some working days are totally incompatible with school hours.
Many families do not have the help of relatives to take care of their children while they work. They also can't afford babysitting or extracurricular activities. Despite having a job, their salaries are insufficient.
More and more children, especially between 8 and 14 years old, that they are alone when they get home. They are children who spend many hours without the company of an adult.
Many of these kids suffer from hanging key syndrome.. This syndrome receives this name because these children usually carry the key around their neck to avoid losing it.
They are in no rush to get home because they know that nobody is waiting for them. They can eat in front of the TV and delay their homework to play all afternoon with the console. At night when their parents arrive, they are so tired that they hardly ask for explanations.
Some even have to take care of their younger siblings and assume responsibilities that do not correspond to them because of their age. (Take them to school, heat food, prepare a snack, etc.)
This situation it gets worse when the Christmas or summer holidays arrive. The scarcity of economic resources does not allow them to attend any type of organized activity such as houses, camps, etc. In these dates considerably increases the time they must be alone at home.
Consequences of Hanging Key Syndrome
The «key» children gradually get used to it to do what they want and see they are coming back more disobedient and reluctant to authority .
By not having an adult in charge, you have no one to tell your problems and / or concerns. Hence They progressively lose the ability to communicate what is important to them.
Friends become your "family." Some hang out with their colleagues, many times older than them, and start smoking or trying certain alcoholic beverages forgetting his "responsibilities" to his younger siblings. Parents are often unaware of these types of company and behavior.
Generally, children with hanging key syndrome do not perform any type of physical activity and there is usually an abuse of junk food. For this reason, this syndrome is related to poor eating habits and weight gain.
In key children under 12 years of age, feelings of loneliness and not being loved by their parents they are directly related to some psychological problems. The main ones are: low self-esteem, avoidance anxiety (isolation and avoidance of anything that can cause stress), panic attacks and adjustment disorders.
Somatizations are quite common. (Loss of appetite, gastrointestinal disorders, weight loss or sleep disturbances, etc.).
In boys over 12 years old, affective-emotional instability manifests itself in the form of rejection of social norms, addiction to new technologies, aggressive behaviors, and drug and / or alcohol use.
Among adolescent key girls, the most frequent pathologies are depressive states and / or eating disorders.
How can parents avoid hanging key syndrome?
It is important to note that the responsibility of the children's education rests with the parents.
Communication with our children is essential regardless of our hours or work obligations. Must show them our affection and interest in them and spend time with them.
It is not enough to love them very much if we do not tell them or do not show them. It is vital that they feel that we care about their day-to-day things and their problems and feelings..
As parents we must strive to make plans together and share time and experiences with our children.
The responsibilities that a child can assume must be in accordance with your age and maturity level.
We all need to feel loved. In key periods of physical and emotional development, such as childhood and adolescence, this need is vital.