When I was in elementary school, I was a latch key ked. At least that's what they called it back then. My older sister and I would come home after school, let ourselves in and start our homework (at least that's what we told our mother) until one of our parents came home from work. Unfortunately, I can remember a few times when we forgot our key. Since this was well before cell phones, we'd have to go to a neighbor's house to call our mother or sit on the front porch for about an hour until someone came home. There were also a couple of times that we got tired of waiting and broke the basement window to get in. I look back and think its pretty funny, but I'd guess my parents probably didn't appreciate having to pay to fix the broken window.

Here's an innovation that I bet they would have really appreciated back then. Schlage is introducing a new product that would let parents unlock their door using their cell phone. It also sends text or email alerts when the kids enter the house, a feature I bet my parent's would have appreciated back then, too.

photo: courtesy of schlage.com