Should I let my 16 year old go on this Spring Break trip?
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Anonymous
| It depends on the kids and the parents involved. At 16 the friends I had were almost all guys, all of them were just friends and we would sit up playing D&D. Hardly the kind of kids who would ever think to open anything other than a can of Sprite to drink and we never touched so much as a cigarette. Nor did we want to. So would we have been "safe" on a trip like the one you described? We would have had a great time and never caused anyone any trouble. Even at 18. Not all teens are wild. Obviously not all teens are like that, either. Know your teen and the other teens and the parents. Then make a decision. |
Anonymous
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Questions:
1. Are the kids all square? 2. Are the parents all square? Then yes, if the square parents agree that you'll call them pretty much daily to see how things are going and to talk with your child. This from the perspective of a square parent and formerly-square kid. |
Anonymous
| Not a chance. Too many kids, too few adults for much of the time. And yes, a week at the beach is very different than a week sightseeing in Europe. Obviously, kids who are determined to do so can engage in risky behavior anywhere and any time. But sending underage kids to the beach is asking for trouble. BTW I'd question the judgment of any parents willing to host or otherwise be responsible for a week-long coed beach party with 10 16yos. Even if they are dungeon and dragon playing nerds (sorry PP!) |
Anonymous
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Another vote for no. I highly doubt this is a group of nerdy kids just interested in playing Monopoly or Dungeons & Dragons. Why? Because planning a co-Ed spring break trip in early November would not be on their radar. Look at the level of planning that was in your daughter's pitch for this trip. These are kids that planning drinking and sex.
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Anonymous
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I'm laughing at many responses here. At age 16 I flew with a girlfriend to an island in Greece. No adults with us.
We were fine. No sex. It depends on your teenager. The trip has nothing to do with when she will have sex - that will depend entirely on your teenager's values and personality . |
Anonymous
But how do you know? I was a "good" kid in every way -- happy, close with my parents, good grades, tons of activities. But when I was alone with my friends I was drinking, smoking pot, going further with boys than I'd now want my 16-year-old to go. I say there's plenty of time for stuff like this in the future. |
Anonymous
| And your kid will go further than you want her to go. Don't be naive. You really can't shelter your kid. |
Anonymous
Thanks for sharing your tales of jet setting. Back here on Planet Earth, teenagers who are bombarded with all sorts of images and pressure to have sex, drink and experiment need a lot of supervision and support regardless of the values and their personality. Never ever underestimate the power and persuasion of peers when dealing with adolescents. You are a fool if you do. |
Anonymous
| +1000 |
Anonymous
| Two weeks ago I would have considered it, but after catching my "good" 15 daughter sneaking out of the house at night to meet up with other teens, I say definately no! Too many teens and too easy to get into trouble and too easy to dupe unsuspecting parents or chaparones. |
Anonymous
| NO! |
Anonymous
| I would say no. There will be drinking going on, boys, and not enough adults to go around. She will be fine to wait a couple of years. Even good kids need boundaries. |
Anonymous
Totally different story PP, all of those examples were in a structured environment. Two parents cannot supervise 10 kids that well- so there is likely to be a ton of time that they are unsupervised. |
Anonymous
| Another no vote. That's a college thing, and it is bad enough then. |
Anonymous
| No. not appropriate for a 16 yr. old to be at a sleepover with 4 guys. Sorry. |