<p>^ ^</p>
<p>It wasn’t anything special back in the '80s as I was part of the “latchkey kid” generation back then. </p>
<p>Most of the kids in my old NYC neighborhood were also expected to lock the apt door behind them before leaving for school or to let themselves in after school while parents were still busy at work. If anything, we’d find it a bit odd if a kid around 7+ was still being escorted to/from school by a parent. </p>