Unaccompanied child on a train journey..

tanith

Would you allow a nearly 12yr old boy on an hour long British Rail train journey unaccompanied? I need input on this to tell me if I am being overprotective when I said I absolutely wouldn't allow this.. :eek: I know kids used to do this type of journey but I feel nowadays is different.. so I thought I would ask for opinions...

The boy has done this journey accompanied many times but who knows what could go wrong and I just wouldn't risk it.. occasionally a change of trains is necessary sometimes not...

galvanizersbaby

tanith wrote: »

Would you allow a nearly 12yr old boy on an hour long British Rail train journey unaccompanied? I need input on this to tell me if I am being overprotective when I said I absolutely wouldn't allow this.. :eek: I know kids used to do this type of journey but I feel nowadays is different.. so I thought I would ask for opinions...

The boy has done this journey accompanied many times but who knows what could go wrong and I just wouldn't risk it.. occasionally a change of trains is necessary sometimes not...

Depends on the 12 year old boy - also is it travelling in day or night? - I assume day.
I think if this is your son then you should go with your first instincts on the matter.

Glamazon

I guess there are a few factors - is he a mature or immature 12 year old?
Would someone be putting him on the train and then meeting him again?
Are there many stops within that hour?

Personally IMO 12 seems a bit young, however my sister ran away from home at 13 and got from West Wales to Essex evading all the police and British Transport Police. She negotiated the tube and everything because she had done it accompanied so knew where she was going.

Just realised - nearly 11. Probably not to be honest!

SSB

Hi
If the child feels confident, I would allow it. There is no reason to assume that something awful would happen and should there be a change of train etc. the staff would make sure that he is looked after.
My daughter (13 this Sunday) will be travelling to London on her own (2hrs) next month and I have no reservations about it all. Young people need to learn to cope in various situations (within reason) and I do not think that there is anything particularly worrying about independent travel.

tanith

galvanizersbaby wrote: »

Depends on the 12 year old boy - also is it travelling in day or night? - I assume day.
I think if this is your son then you should go with your first instincts on the matter.

Thanks for the quick reply , this is actually my grandson and it would be 4/5pm on a Friday evening..:eek: He is quite confidant on buses and does travel short distances on the bus alone but never on the train.. he would be met at the other end by his Dad who usually comes down on the train meets him at the station and they travel together to spend the weekend at his Dads.... but he has just lost his job and thinks its ok to send his son a ticket and meet him at the other end saving his own fare which we can see his logic.. , my daughter and I both think its too much to ask frankly.. but it means he can't see his Dad and we both know that boy and father will both kick up when they realise my daughter is not going to let him go.. we just wanted some confirmation or not that its too risky...

thanks

jack*tigger

If he's a confident enough child then I'd allow it.

You can put him on the train and make sure its one where he doesn't need to change.
If you call his Dad so he knows exactly which train the boy is on then he can be there to meet him at the other end (unless of course you don't trust Dad to do this!!)
And if you give him a mobile phone for the journey you can call him or get him to call / text you, to make sure he is ok.

If he's done the journey before with his Dad then he knows the route and the station that he is going to.

You have to loosen the apron strings sometime.

Paparika

I was nervous when DS started the big school, it meant a bus ride..

i had to let him do it, he didn't need me hanging around, 3 1/2 years later he is fine and he is glad i gave him some Independence

jackomdj

Does the train have other stops enroute? If not I would say he will be fine.... if it does have other stops I would be a bit more worried. Have a chat at the station, do they do anything special for unacompanied children, I know they used to.

Nicky

Janepig

tanith wrote: »

Would you allow a nearly 12yr old boy on an hour long British Rail train journey unaccompanied? I need input on this to tell me if I am being overprotective when I said I absolutely wouldn't allow this.. :eek: I know kids used to do this type of journey but I feel nowadays is different.. so I thought I would ask for opinions...

Why do you feel nowadays is different? Is it all those bogey men on every corner or the axe murderers in every doorway? He's at no more risk now than 30+ odd years ago, it's just we're more aware of what risks there may be. Presumably he'll have a mobile phone with him and he knows his dads number, he's done the journey on many occasions although not unaccompanied so he should be confident enough. Especially if he can do bus journeys unaccompanied.

If you're that bothered that he must be accompanied, in the spirit of wanting to do what's best for your grandson (ie having time with his dad), why don't you or your daughter go with him on the train, drop him off at the other end and come straight back?

Jxx

jha

In the 80's i was put on train young - those days you were literally handed to the guard who kept an eye on you untill the named person took you off the train (the person putting you on told the guard who was collecting you) - i dont suppose this happens now I had a 2 1/2 hour journey and had to change at crewe but i was always handed from one guard to another.

pavlovs_dog

personally i agree with jack*tigger - a train that does not require him to change is the best compromise in this situation. it's not as if he has never done the trip before. if he can be put on the train at one end and met at the other (with a quick courtesy call by father or son to mum to confirm that he has arrived safely) then I don't see any major problems.

out of interest, is it the child that you don't 'trust' (be that due to him being young for his age, a lack of maturity etc) or other people and what they may do to him?