Children travelling by train alone

claire16c

If theres one reason to do it, its to prevent them turning in to someone who is a grown adult and finds train journeys scary as demonstrated by a couple of posters on this thread :eek:

Admittedly though, Id probably wait til they were both secondary school age, just so they were used to making journeys on their own. So perhaps in 1 year.

lorne57

Sorry duchy but I find attitudes like yours really grating:mad:

I can fully sympathise with how Puppypants would have felt. If you are not a regular train/tube user it can seem a very daunting experience.

I would love to go to the NEC with my daughter to see things I know my hubby doesn't want to be dragged to, I could drive (but don't have much experience of motorway driving either) but catching the train sounds an easier option, it's direct from a local station, but don't know if I will ever pluck up the courage to do it! Bear in mind I'm 54...not stupid...class myself as reasonably intelligent and have a tongue in my head.....I also see problems before they happen;)

Last went to London on the train a couple of years ago with hubby for his work.....he's used to it and knows his way around....it's just a blur to me...just glad we all caught a taxi to the hotel instead of having to get the tube (the tube is a whole other story:eek:).
As for the kids we are discussing.....mum and dad know whether they are suitable to be allowed to do it.

People shouldn't assume that because they find something easy to do everyone else will also.

ticktack_2

lorne57 wrote: »

People shouldn't assume that because they find something easy to do everyone else will also.

There's a line, though, between not finding something easy to do, and being so terrified of something perfectly normal, like train travel, that it limits your ability to participate in life. There are steps you can take to try to overcome such problems. It's not really relevant to this thread, though, which is more about deciding whether children can safely travel unaccompanied. Maybe you should start a new thread to ask for advice about your problem. Or, maybe better, go to your GP and see if you can get referred for counselling.

Spendless

There should be nothing complex about catching a train. It's often easier than catching a bus.

Look up destination either on-line, in timetable or ask at station office when buying your ticket. The departure time of train from your station and the platform you depart from should be on the bill-board. If you don't understand ask the staff. Go to correct platform, wait for train, there should be a platform board that tells you details of the next train to pull in to that platform, It should give the final destination of train, time it leaves the station you are at (which will correspond with time you found out in 1st step) and all stops in between. Get on train. It will pull into all the stations it mentioned doing so on the platform board you checked before boarding. All stations will display the name of where you are pulling into. They are also announced over the loudspeak on-board. When you reach the correct station, get off. Continue with same procedure if changing trains. When you want to come home you do the same thing.

lorne57

Blimey didn't know I'd got a "problem":rotfl: and needed counselling!

Spendless made it all seem so easy and probably is...and when you've done it a few times it would become normal.

But....when you havn't done it before or regularly enough (no matter what subject we are talking about) some people are still very apprehensive about things and shouldn't be patronised.

My workplace is probably going to move sometime this year....to me this isn't going to cause any problem whatsoever as I travel in this direction regularly, I know the roads. But two of the people I work with are seriously considering looking for new jobs as they will now have to either travel on a very busy (and I mean really busy lane changing watch yourself dual carriageway) or a much longer keep to the side roads route! they are just not used to it. The thought petrifies them....to me its 2nd nature....do they have a problem and need counselling also:o

Anyway tea and bottle of red calling:T have a good evening all.

ticktack_2

lorne57 wrote: »

Blimey didn't know I'd got a "problem":rotfl: and needed counselling!

Spendless made it all seem so easy and probably is...and when you've done it a few times it would become normal.

Exactly. That's the kind of step you could take to get over your fear.

My workplace is probably going to move sometime this year....to me this isn't going to cause any problem whatsoever as I travel in this direction regularly, I know the roads. But two of the people I work with are seriously considering looking for new jobs as they will now have to either travel on a very busy (and I mean really busy lane changing watch yourself dual carriageway) or a much longer keep to the side roads route! they are just not used to it. The thought petrifies them....to me its 2nd nature....do they have a problem and need counselling also:o

That's rather different. That really is a potentially dangerous situation, and it's not so easy to acclimatise to gradually. An advanced driving course might help.

Nothing wrong with having a problem and seeking counselling to help with it, by the way. It doesn't mean you "need" counselling, but sometimes it's the most effective way to address a problem.

duchy

Sorry if it grates you but honestly it just sounds silly a woman of our age not able to even consider doing something fun that they'd like to do (like going to the NEC) because they find something so everyday as a simple train journey so intimidating.

It's only a "problem" however if it bothers you or stops you doing things you'd really like to do- I have to wonder though-have you instilled this same fear into your children ? It's one thing to choose to miss out for yourself (there's no law that says anyone HAS to get a train after all) but if you're perpetuating it onto the next generation -that to me would be the point I'd personally consider it a problem if it was impacting on my children and limiting them.

I can understand London feeling daunting as you don't just have to use the train but then work out how to get from the station to wherever-bus, train , cab even riverboat -although if you plan your route ahead of time it's a lot less daunting -there's a site traveline which is so detailed it even gives you the actual bus-stops you need. The NEC however is a doddle -the station is adjacent -you can't get lost -honestly . No messing about with parking either-just get off the train and go in-a lot easier on the nerves than driving ! Could you not try it once with a friend -I suspect you'd be pleasently surprised.

Humphrey10

lol @ the idea that the risk of train travel is in any way comparable to the risk of driving. rofl. pmsl.

SomersetSaver wrote: »

it can be a bit tricky for people of ANY age (and I count myself in that category) to kick someone out of your seat if they're sat there.

"Excuse me, that's my reserved seat, see here is my ticket, could you move please?" if they say yes, then great. If they say no, you go and find a member of train staff and say "there's someone sitting in my reserved seat and they won't move" and the member of train staff will kick them out of your seat. Simples.

aliasojo

This is one of those 'doesn't matter what we'd do' situations, it just all about the kids involved.

I recently took my 12 year old on the train into Edinburgh. She spent the whole journey anxious that we'd miss the stop (the end stop was Waverley which is where we were going so that wasn't going to happen) and she was really uncomfortable walking through the crowds at the station.

She's just one of those 'wimpy' kids and I wouldn't trust her on her own to travel, at this age.

On the other hand, my pal and I used to get on the train from Edinburgh to Glasgow some nights when we were just supposed to be out playing. We'd get a coke at the station machine then get the next train home. Our parents never knew until one night we phoned them from a Glasgow phone box to say we'd run away. (We were very bad at winding our folks up...yes I feel bad.)

Point is, all kids are different. Only you know your own and what they are capable of.

Had you thought about spying on them during a practice run? By that I mean get on the train after them without them seeing you and watch what they do from another carriage?

ticktack_2

aliasojo wrote: »

Point is, all kids are different. Only you know your own and what they are capable of.

Had you thought about spying on them during a practice run? By that I mean get on the train after them without them seeing you and watch what they do from another carriage?

But if it was me I would be concerned not so much about what the kids might or not do, but what unexpected events might occur.

It's less of a concern now, though, than it used to be before mobile phones.