Reply to 14 yr old in Whitman: out-of-school behavior

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anon2023][quote=Anonymous]

Where are you coming from, OP?[/quote]

[b]Europe with great access to public transport round the clock, so kids of his age expect to come back home on their own at around 11pm at the weekend. I did it myself ages ago elsewhere after I became 14 (after being allowed to ride a moped), all my friends did...[/b]

Attempts to enforce a picking-up agreement instead of him taking the bus home have not been not well received by my son. From speaking to some of his friends' parents they stopped picking up their children a long time ago so I see why my attempts are not welcome by my son. I am just embarrassing him!

In Bethesda it seems to me that either children hang out very locally (going back home on foot) or get picked up by parents. I have not seen much moped- or scooter-riding by kids and I also see very few kids - if any at all - in the mall area after, say, 9pm at the weekend. I had the opportunity to visit quite often before the big move so I did some field research, I am not a stalker! In the place we live in Europe children hang out a lot on the streets, especially at the weekend. As the area is not very safe, that concerns me.

As a very liberal parent, I would want to give him as much freedom as possible while being safe. I am concerned that if I do not get the balance right, as a new kid to the area eager to make friends he could end up hanging out with the wrong crowd. That is why I am asking this perhaps silly-sounding question here..[/quote]

The public transport is not as great in the Whitman area so you're going to see very little of this. Most kids will rely on getting to and from places by cars driven by their parents or older siblings. Even if you live in an area where metro/bus access is great, I'm not sure I would recommend you allow your 14 year old to find their own way home by taking public transportation. While the metro in the DC area is still safe, it is not as safe as it used to be. [/quote]

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