Teenagers travelling alone

LilElvis

Jagraf wrote: »

Next year I will be asking whether I should chaperone DD during her driving lessons 😜

Did you really need to ask? Surely it's a given? In fact, any reasonable parent should surely be prepared to impersonate their child and sit their test for them. Imagine the psychological trauma if they were to fail!

thorsoak

mama4321 wrote: »

"Didn't know that (so I've learnt something today lol!) but the point stands....the 16/17 year old still needs permission"



Not in Scotland - no consent required to leave home or get married at 16

In 1963, I got married aged 20 - and had to have a letter signed by both parents, to say that they agreed to the marriage! Couldn't vote until after I was 21, as well. Think that it was only about 1969 that it came down to 18.

Gloomendoom

Peter333 wrote: »

Makes me wonder why they are being so rude and sarcastic and demeaning? Trying to convince yourself of something?

I'm on the edge of my seat... what?

duchy

LilElvis wrote: »

Half of our children today go on to higher education at age 18, which usually entails living independently. How are they supposed to be prepared for this if they aren't even capable of taking a simple bus or train journey by themselves?

I've just taken some uni courses at our local university.
About a month into the course I was talking to one of the other students who was asking me where the nearest Argos was.
I told her it was in the high street of the nearest town -and she could see it from the bus station.
She looked at me blankly -it turned out that she had not left campus except to get a cab in the other direction to get a train home at weekends.
She had no clue where to get the bus (public buses run through the campus with two well marked bus stops that she actually walked past to get to class. I ended up taking her into town.
Understandable if she was a shy girl from a rural area but she was an out going lively nineteen year old- from Wembley !! She was thrilled and amazed the high street had so many good shops so close.

I couldn't imagine not going and exploring a new area especially when I knew I'd be living there for the next three years.

missbiggles1

Jagraf wrote: »

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

I thought it was a letter you left out not a whole word.;)

By the way, why are you arguing with people when you've asked for opinions generally? If you'd only wanted views that confirmed your own conclusions it would've been simpler if you'd said so at the start.:D

Jagraf

Thanks everyone.

Peter333

Jagraf wrote: »

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

:rotfl: Brilliant Jagraf!!!

Buzzybee90

Jagraf wrote: »

At what age would you / do you let your teen:

Travel by national express on their own to visit a relative
Travel by train up and down the country
Travel by tube across London
Travel on a plane on their own (if dropped off and met the other end).

Bearing in mind legal requirements, would you let a relatively sensible 15/16 year old do all of the above.

I've only done two of these things alone and I was over 18 :rotfl:

I had no need to do them before and would have been very nervous in London alone as I wasn't used to big places or public transport until I was at least 18.

Where are all these 15 year olds going by themselves?

missbiggles1

Buzzybee90 wrote: »

I've only done two of these things alone and I was over 18 :rotfl:

I had no need to do them before and would have been very nervous in London alone as I wasn't used to big places or public transport until I was at least 18.

Where are all these 15 year olds going by themselves?

With the increasing break up of families, many young people find themselves with parents living some distance apart, even without this there'll be occasions for visiting relatives independently from parents, perhaps in school holidays.

On a slightly more local level, there'll often be opportunities to go to gigs, festivals, theatre etc with friends.

rinabean

Gloomendoom wrote: »

A 16 year old is regarded as responsible enough to have a child of their own but not to change trains at a railway station without holding his/her mummy's hand?

Who on earth believes that 16 year olds are responsible enough to be parents (apart from some short-sighted 16 year olds)? If they have children their own parents should help them raise it if there's going to be success, so it's not a very good example, is it

Is this the next one? "If you don't make your 16 year olds have children you're stunting them and they'll never be normal adults."