Would you let your rising senior go on an unchaperoned trip to the Bahamas?

[Anonymous]

No

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can't "let" him do anything after his senior year if he'll be 18 and an adult so I don't know what that has to do with anything

Um, yea you can. He who controls the purse strings rules over all.

[Anonymous]

Compared to other DCUM parents I've realized that we are often more laid back with rules for our teens but I'm with everyone else on this. No way it would fly in our house. We begrudgingly agreed to a week at a local beach after graduation with parental supervision. An out of the country unsupervised trip for a kid who is not yet graduated has too many opportunities for serious problems.

Who owns the house? Could they go as an adult presence?

[Anonymous]

No. Several kids for 2 weeks in a foreign country with no supervision is a recipe for disaster. They'll be walking targets if they don't destroy themselves first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. Several kids for 2 weeks in a foreign country with no supervision is a recipe for disaster. They'll be walking targets if they don't destroy themselves first.

+1 I would have agreed to Italy WAY before the Bahamas.

[Anonymous]

No way!!!

[Anonymous]

There is no way! When you're 18 and can support yourself then go and have fun.

[Anonymous]

Italy, yes. Absolutely. I went to Europe alone as a teen, and it was an amazing experience. I was with a group of friends, and we were trying to see as much of Europe as possible during the two weeks we had: this meant we were not having wild drinking binges, but planning our shopping and sight-seeing schedules for the next day, and making sure we were on time for transportation.

Beach house in the Bahamas with no supervision? No way. absolutely not.

OP, I can't understand why you were so quick to dismiss Italy, yet you seem to somehow view a static vacation in a beach house as somehow safer? The beach house vacation will mean tons of drinking and partying because there will be nothing else to do. The kids will get wasted every night, then lie on the beach all afternoon, and repeat.

Italy. Let your kid go to Italy.

[Anonymous]

No reason for the kid to go to the Bahamas OR Italy before college! I'm sure there will be many opportunities for him to do study abroad and spring break trips once he's older and more mature (and hopefully contributing to them financially as well).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. Several kids for 2 weeks in a foreign country with no supervision is a recipe for disaster. They'll be walking targets if they don't destroy themselves first.

I completely agree. A group of unchaperoned minors in a foreign country is just asking for trouble.

[Anonymous]

HELL NO

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Italy, yes. Absolutely. I went to Europe alone as a teen, and it was an amazing experience. I was with a group of friends, and we were trying to see as much of Europe as possible during the two weeks we had: this meant we were not having wild drinking binges, but planning our shopping and sight-seeing schedules for the next day, and making sure we were on time for transportation.

Beach house in the Bahamas with no supervision? No way. absolutely not.

OP, I can't understand why you were so quick to dismiss Italy, yet you seem to somehow view a static vacation in a beach house as somehow safer? The beach house vacation will mean tons of drinking and partying because there will be nothing else to do. The kids will get wasted every night, then lie on the beach all afternoon, and repeat.

Italy. Let your kid go to Italy.

Agree with this. Let him go to Italy (and travel through Europe). Since that was his first choice, he should be happy with that, and it will be a much more enriching experience. Has he traveled internationally before? While I think Europe is a much better idea (if you can afford it), I wouldn't necessarily dismiss the Bahamas plan depending on his maturity level. What island? Some are quite tame and safe, and kids can get into trouble at home too (and certainly in college) as recent news stories show. By giving him experience now, you will be giving him a leg up at college, study abroad, etc. With American parents doing everything possible to shelter their children until the day they drop them off at college, is it any surprise we hear so many tragic stories (or kids who don't grow up until they're 30)? European parents do a much better job allowing their kids to grow up gradually.

[Anonymous]

Where in the Bahamas?
We visit Nassau often, and we stay on the "good" side of the island in a heavily guarded club. If you go a mile in either direction, it goes downhill quickly. Crime is frequent and corruption is huge. Most houses are entirely surrounded by 6 foot fences for a good reason. I wouldn't let my teens out of the gates on their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where in the Bahamas?
We visit Nassau often, and we stay on the "good" side of the island in a heavily guarded club. If you go a mile in either direction, it goes downhill quickly. Crime is frequent and corruption is huge. Most houses are entirely surrounded by 6 foot fences for a good reason. I wouldn't let my teens out of the gates on their own.

Why travel to another country if you're only interested in staying in a heavily guarded club?

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not. Many reasons:
If it causes me worry, it's "no"
They likely can't pay for it themselves, so "no"
If they were not being financially supported by us and were adults, then I might not like it and I might warn them if I knew of any dangers, but otherwise I wouldn't have any say-so.