In high school, I had to come straight home after school and wasn't allowed guests over when my parents weren't home or after dark and had to be home when they weren't so they animals weren't locked up all day (they were both gone 7am-7pm Monday-Friday all year round. ) My bus ride was an hour and a bit long, so I'd get home around 4:30 and would have to let the animals out and feed them, then I'd do the chore list on the counter, start dinner, finish any homework at the table, eat dinner with the family, clean up, and then head to my room (around 8pm.) I'd have to make sure I was awake until 10:30 so i could lock the animals back up before bed and my mom would often text me to bring her food after I locked them up. I had a TV in my room and I was always a quiet reader occupy myself kind of kid and I didn't really have many friends at school so it only really sucked during the summer when I didn't have school eating up half my day. I had the occasional sleepover at a friends house on weekends when my parents would be home to watch the animals but I spent the entire summer between grade eight and nine and half of the summer between grade nine and ten (I was sent to my grandma's house because I was depressed) home alone everyday. The dial up Internet bored me so I would just climb trees, find a little branch to perch on, and read until my parents came home (once all the chores were done of course.) It was nice and relaxing but it's really hard, mentally, being alone like that.