Yesterday I was gone from the house when my 12 year old son came home from school. This is no big deal for him, as our neighbors are close and he has a house key. Yesterday he calls me when he gets home and says he changed backpacks and his house key was in his other 
backpack that was in his bedroom. He went to look for our “hidden spare key” and he had used it a few days earlier and hadn’t put it back. I was at an after school activity and my husband was still at work, so Travis had to sit on the back porch with his dog for an hour until anyone could get home to let him inside. The weather was nice, and he had a cell phone to keep him company, but he also had homework and needed to get to his computer to get started on it. Since he was locked out and his computer was in his room, he also wasted valuable study time because he didn’t have a key to get in the house.
I felt bad for him, but at the same time, I knew that he needed to learn this lesson and that he would be fine. When I got home he was in the driveway dribbling his basketball and ready to get inside to start on his homework as he also had basketball practice later that night. This morning, before he went to school, he made sure to get his key and place it in his current backpack. I was very proud of him since I didn’t have to ask or remind him about his house key. This was the best lesson for him, one that I’m sure he won’t forget the next time he uses our spare key. Have you ever been locked out of the house? What is the longest amount of time you have ever had to wait for someone to let you back in?