totally agree, but ...

Tara21 (and Carolyn),

I totally agree with you on this one (and by extension, Carolyn I disagree with you). I'm not saying everyone is inherently safer nor that every situation is inherently safer but I do think that on average in the US we are safer now than when I was growing up ... crime stats back that up (again, on average).

And certainly, in the home ... and of course there are technologies available (beyond those Tara21 mentions) that might even help with the safety needs of latch-key kids ... remote monitors and alarm systems and such. But OTOH the cognitive abilities of 11- and 5-year olds haven't changed and while I'm not saying I think it's impossible that an 11-y.o. can care safely for a 5 y.o. sibling, I think it's asking a lot / optimistic (as it seems we all do).

And in this regard it does seem like new/better technologies do have downsides if people don't think about their implications, e.g. parents having cell phones but no landline/house phone for the kids. We've (sort of) faced this in my household in that we don't have a landline (as noted) and then we get babysitters, but so far all our sitters have had cellphones themselves (if they didn't, we would leave one of our cell phones with them). Plus of course dumb things can go wrong like a not-charged cellphone. Which to me again just mostly is a case for thinking things through and also having backup plans in place, things it sounds like haven't happened in this case!

Best wishes,
Alex