Teenagers travelling alone

missbiggles1

gettingtheresometime wrote: »

Why do people always quote this - currently about the eu vote.

People can only get married with their parent's permission and if you join the forces,again you have to have parent's permission as well and aren't sent into a combat zone until you are 18

Not sure what parental permission has to do with it, the fact is that they can do it at 16. You may not be sent to a combat zone at 16 in the army but I bet they let you travel on your own.;)

(And no, I don't approve of 16 year olds marrying or joining the forces, but then they seem to me to be more life changing events than catching the 1830 to Birmingham on your own!)

Jagraf

missbiggles1 wrote: »

In my experience, young people who are strangers to independent travel by public transport have little experience of other typs of independence.

I'm sure there are loads of stats backing at statement up

Jagraf

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Not sure what parental permission has to do with it, the fact is that they can do it at 16. You may not be sent to a combat zone at 16 in the army but I bet they let you travel on your own.;)

(And no, I don't approve of 16 year olds marrying or joining the forces, but then they seem to me to be more life changing events than catching the 1830 to Birmingham on your own!)

Exactly, there are more life changing events than pubic transport.

missbiggles1

Jagraf wrote: »

I'm sure there are loads of stats backing at statement up

I don't have statistics backing up my personal experience - not many people do.;)

missbiggles1

Jagraf wrote: »

Exactly, there are more life changing events than pubic transport.

Freudian slip?:)

Jagraf

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Freudian slip?:)

Sorry I tend to miss words out because I didn't catch trains very often as a child.

gettingtheresometime

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Not sure what parental permission has to do with it, the fact is that they can do it at 16. Y

well without that permission they can't do it -whilst all you need to travel on public transport is the fare (as well as a passport if you want to fly) so I would say it has everything to do with it

duchy

At sixteen I was working in my first job commuting from Surrey to central London -it was a pretty social job with evening work functions to attend that often involved late night journeys home. My first work trip solo was to Cyprus at the age of seventeen .

My brother won a scholarship at eleven to a school that needed a train journey to London every day-sometimes after school he would go and visit my aunts in Clapham that required a bus -then another bus back to the station and a train home.

My son (who has Aspergers) used to meet his Dad in London from the age of thirteen - we started with me travelling with him , then I'd walk to the station with him - then he did it solo. Dad was a hopeless timekeeper but he'd just hang around in WH Smiths reading the magazines til he showed up. He never used to bother telling me if the train was affected by weekend maintenance- he'd just get on with it and hop on the replacement bus for part of the journey. So long as he didn't have to talk to anyone he was happy to just get on with it. He had the train website on his phone and used to check for delays etc..

I seem to remember Scotland you can get married at sixteen without parental permission btw

As for the other comments I do remember in my teens thinking that people who regarded a simple trip up to London as akin to a trip to Mars a bit limited and boring -and with hindsight- they were the ones who didn't get on in life and had little ambition . I remember them turning down jobs and college places less than half an hour away by train as "too far"

Armchair23

Lily-Rose wrote: »

And THIS is the kind of comment I am talking about?!

REALLY?!

Incompetent and deadly dull? If a child has little or no experience of using long haul public transport at 16, they are incompetent?! What an absurd and insulting sweeping generalisation.

If you think that sending a child off on a train on their own on a long journey, is the way to make them competent adults, then I fear for humanity. There is a LOT more to being smart and competent and mature and independent than being able to travel from London to Hull and back on your own at 14!

Good grief. I can't believe what some of the people on this thread are coming out with!

I'm outta here!

Well you know the thing is we all have different opinions and mine might not be 'correct' but it is mine and understandably is one that others don't hold.
The OP will get a chance to look at a wide range of thoughts and views and come to a decision they're happy with.
It'd be a bit dull and pointless if we all just responded and went ' yup you're absolutely right I agree with everything you say".
Debate and argument are really good ways of working out how you feel about things and it's as important to disagree with other peoples views as it is to have your own confirmed.

jackyann

It seems to me that the main thing is to gradually introduce your child to new experiences & responsibilities.

It's not so much age, but has this young person begun with short bus journeys, gone on to longer journeys where they have been met, then maybe making their own way to a trusted person's house ...etc.etc.

This should really begin very early: at say 7 or 8, allowing them to walk to the next bus stop & get on the bus you are travelling on, or get off one stop early & walk home... and gradually build up.