Children Catching the Bus

Person_one

Dunroamin wrote: »

There's another thread on here about a 14 year old having sex with her boyfriend and everybody seems fine about it and most people are saying it's up to her, her choice etc. At the same time, people are worrying about kids of much the same age getting the bus on their own.

Funny old world.

Are they the same people? If not, its a bit irrelevant, isn't it?

jellyhead

Dunroamin wrote: »

There's another thread on here about a 14 year old having sex with her boyfriend and everybody seems fine about it and most people are saying it's up to her, her choice etc. At the same time, people are worrying about kids of much the same age getting the bus on their own.

Funny old world.

He's only 11 though, and might still be at primary school. It's a world away from being 14.

I don't think many people thought it was okay anyway, just that if she was going to do it she should use contraception. It's a really tricky situation for the parent to be in, I think.

Walking to school is always an odd thread though, you get people who will drive their kids to high school because they think they are too young to get the bus. I'd understand it if school was too far to walk with inadequate bus service, but there are usually school buses. Although my eldest had to be prised off my arm in year 6 I wouldn't have dreamed of going anywhere near his high school :eek:

Dunroamin

Person_one wrote: »

Are they the same people? If not, its a bit irrelevant, isn't it?

I think it's indirectly relevant and I found it an interesting point - sorry.

Dunroamin

jellyhead wrote: »

He's only 11 though, and might still be at primary school. It's a world away from being 14.

I'd gone off at a bit of a tangent because several people mentioned 15 year olds not being allowed to go on the bus on their own. I tend to make connections which confuse some people.:o

jellyhead

Dunroamin wrote: »

I'd gone off at a bit of a tangent because several people mentioned 15 year olds not being allowed to go on the bus on their own. I tend to make connections which confuse some people.:o

That's really odd at 15 years old, but I remember my mum wouldn't let me go to a gig when I was 15. It was around a 30 minute drive or train ride away, but the record shop (showing my age here!) used to run coach trips to gigs, so I wouldn't have been using public transport. I think she was worried about me associating with undesirables :rotfl: I still had a 9:30 curfew at age 17 even at weekends.

At 14 my eldest went to gigs on the train. He printed out a map with directions from the station to the gig and approximate walking times, and worked out what time he'd have to leave the gig to catch the last train home. I made sure he knew how to find which platform he needed, by knowing the train's final destination. He can manage to change trains, etc. and he knows our home number which he could call if he got mugged and lost his phone,wallet and return ticket. I know it's highly unlikely, but it's best to be prepared

fluffnutter

Mojisola wrote: »

I didn't say it was the norm - that it happens to every woman all the time - but that most women who regularly use public transport, especially at busy, commuting times, have experienced it.

Never even got to see a willy on the No. 9 Alverstoke circular. I think you might be talking about the Underground. But even so, 'most' women? Really? Have they all told you this?

ciderwithrosie_2

delain wrote: »

I must be frighteningly unattractive then, because I catch several buses a day (have done for years) and have never been accosted on one, not even once :rotfl: :rotfl:

I use the bus everyday and have travelled round the country on trains so I was thinking the same about me :rotfl:

Oh hang on, I did get propositioned by a bloke on Basingstoke station once, does that count?

Person_one

fluffnutter wrote: »

Never even got to see a willy on the No. 9 Alverstoke circular. I think you might be talking about the Underground. But even so, 'most' women? Really? Have they all told you this?

Most of the sexual harassment I've received on public transport has been night buses or last trains, which aren't really representative. It has happened quite a lot though, and there have been a few broad daylight incidents.

I would have said 'most women' too, but maybe some of the things I'm thinking of wouldn't be classed as harassment by every woman.

mumps

I am nearly 60, have used public transport all my life and grew up in a rough inner city area and I have never had a problem on public transport. I did have a rather strange man sit next to me in the Odeon once, I was 14 and I couldn't quite work out what he was doing but it did make me feel uncomfortable. Then the penny dropped and I moved rather quickly!!!!!!!!!!!

I also got corned in the stationery cupboard at work once, but managed to talk my way out of a rather embarrassing proposition.

I travelled to school by bus, one bus into the city centre, walked across main shopping area and got a bus out of town in opposite direction. I think my dad did the journey with me the first morning but to be honest it isn't hard to work out where to get off the bus, I just followed 50 other kids in the same bottle green uniform.

Savvy_Sue

nfollows1982 wrote: »

It's a route he will have travelled plenty of times with his mum, although I'm not sure if he's ever done it on his own.

I'd say he does need to do it at least once 'clocking' all the bus stops, or at least all the ones past half way.

I say this, because at the tender age of 8 we moved house, and I was getting the bus back to our old area for music lessons. One day I panicked because I thought I'd missed my stop, was too shy to check with the driver, and got off. Phoned my dad (from a call box, 2d in the slot, press button A model, I believe!) and said "I'm lost!" He asked me to describe what I could see, then started laughing because a) I'd got off two stops early and b) I knew perfectly well how to get home as I was near our local train station (only a 20 minute walk from home) and should have recognised the fish and chip shop.

My dad never let me forget this incident! And to this day I can 'panic' that I've gone too far if I've been reading or dozing and can't immediately work out where I am.

Also I needed DS2 to walk to my work from school once, a route which he'd done multiple times with me and / or his dad, but without us drawing any attention to it. He got completely lost, and ended up going in utterly the wrong direction. Even though I'd gone through it on a map with him.

tyllwyd wrote: »

You are allowing a 16 year old girl to travel to Nice by train by herself? (or with friends a similar age?) That's quite a difference from a bus ride to the next town! My biggest practical worry would be what would happen if things went wrong - her money got stolen or she lost her passport. She's still officially a minor, so would she have trouble sorting things out, even if she is a very capable person?

We have a 15 year old coming to us for two weeks in the summer: she is flying solo from the USA and getting the coach from Heathrow to our city. We're away until the day she arrives, so hopefully we can get someone to meet her from the coach and give her lunch / somewhere to recover until we get home.

At the end of her stay it's the coach back to Heathrow and another flight to her home in France, but she'll be 16 by then.

DS flew solo to this girl's home when he was 15, and home again, she at least has the advantage of speaking both French and English.