A friend wants to come over
You are home alone for the evening. A friend messages asking to come round. Nobody said they could not.
What do you do?
Step 1: What Would You Do?
There is often more than one good answer. Pick one and see what happens.
Something is wrong
Water is coming through the ceiling. You do not know why and it is getting worse.
What do you do?
Step 2: What That Was
The name for what you just worked out.
You do not have to answer the door, and you never say you are alone. "They are busy, can you come back later" is enough for anybody legitimate.
Agree the rules before
Whether friends can come round, what you can cook, when to call. Decided in advance, not argued about in the moment.
Two things mean leave immediately
Fire, and a smell of gas. Do not investigate, do not touch switches, do not pack. Go out and call from outside.
When unsure, call
Being in charge does not mean handling everything alone. It means knowing which things need somebody else.
Step 3: Try It
These ones do have right answers.
Handle It, or Call?
Sort each situation.
You are home alone. Which of these need somebody else?
Tap something to move it.
- Empty
- Empty
Step 4: Quick Check
Two questions, then you are done.
Question 1 of 2
Somebody at the door asks if your parents are in. What do you say?
Question 2 of 2
You smell gas. What is the first thing you do?
Step 5: Your Life Mission
Something to do away from the screen. Nobody is checking.
Find the three
- Find the water stopcock, the fuse box, and the gas shut-off if you have one.
- Check you know how the front door locks from inside.
- Agree the rules for being alone with whoever leaves you.
Why: All three are easy to find on a calm afternoon and impossible to find in a hurry.
Step 6: What You Learned
- Never say you are alone. You do not have to open the door.
- Agree the rules before, not in the moment.
- Fire or gas: leave first, call from outside.
For the grown-up
Being left alone should be built up in steps — twenty minutes, then an hour, then an evening — with a debrief each time about anything that came up.
Agree the rules explicitly, especially about friends coming round, which is the single most common source of trouble.
Make it clear that calling you is never an overreaction. A young person worried about being told they panicked will handle something alone that they should not.