Darah has been asking me recently why the sun isn’t awake yet when she is getting ready for school. There’s no denying that the sun is coming up later and later every day. It’s just that time of year! And once daylight saving hits in a few weeks, it will be dark SO EARLY! Fall and Winter are on their way!
It is important for us grownups to remember that we are also heading into the two biggest seasons for burglaries. I know the topic isn’t tons of fun to think about, but trust me, it is so much better to think about your family safety and security plan and to beef it up in a few areas now, than to play Monday-morning quarterback after your things have already been stolen. It’s also important to make sure that every family member is on the same page about expectations for things like children’s weeknight and weekend curfews, and if your children are old enough to ever be home alone, what processes your child might need to go through when they get home (locking the doors right away, sending mom/dad a text message that they arrived, not answering the door, etc.).
While the weather outside is still nice, take a bit of time to do any home improvement projects that can help with overall safety matters. Make sure your front and back porch lights are in good working order, and note if they provide sufficient lighting. Think about if additional lighting might help deter would-be intruders from targeting your home. Also be sure to prune your hedges and make sure that your house number can very clearly be seen.
If you haven’t already put your outdoor grill and any other outdoor pieces that could theoretically be picked up and moved on lock down, I can’t stress enough how important this is (remember my post about how our weed eater was stolen? ). Master Lock has a 3 pack of red, blue and green cable locks that we are definitely loving and that we would recommend to anyone. I especially like that they are keyed alike for easier access (on the part of the owner, NOT on the part of the person who wishes they could steal it!). I love that there are several ties to go around, so every child, for example, could have their own secure bike lock, and can get in the habit of locking it up every day. Should a key get lost during this learning process, it is also not as big of a deal, since the remaining keys will also work.
Finally, take a moment to write down some ICE (in case of emergency) information for you kids to keep in their backpacks or wallets. Most people do not have phone numbers memorized since our phones do that for us. If your child ever needs to get in touch with you and doesn’t have his or her cell phone on hand, this could be a problem! This simple step will only take a minute or two but could make it so much easier for your child to reach you when needed.
What are you doing this season to make your home and its contents more secure?
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I am a member of the Master Lock Live Secure Safety Squad, and as such, I receive complimentary products as a thank you for my time. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own, however.
