ABSTRACT
The term latchkey originated during the eighteenth century and referred to lifting the door latch in order to gain access into the home. The term reemerged during the 1940s to describe children who took care of themselves while their fathers were away at war and their mothers entered the labor market. Latchkey children exist today and are responsible for their own self-care during those hours of the day when they are not at school and adult supervision is unavailable.
