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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Why do they need to do anything?  At 13 they are old enough to stay home alone, I assume in this day and age they have a phone and we have a good public transit system.  They can go hang out with friends or hang out at home.  [/quote]

Because at 13 many kids don't want to stay home alone all day for 8-10 hours/5 days a week for weeks on end. 
Their friends are either on vacation or at summer camp.  And if they are not, no parent wants their kid coming over to a house where there are no parents for more than an afternoon.[/quote]

I didn't mean they had to stay alone all day, just meant they don't require an adult at home. They can come and go as they please, depending on transportation. I spent most of my 13-14 year old summers at my friends' houses, sometimes there were parents sometimes not, we biked up to shopping centers, parks, the beach, etc. and hung out.  I'm assuming they are in the DC metro area so there's transportation options for most of the area or they can bike to things, that's how I got around my town before I had a car (my hometown had little public transit).  I understand the issue of 'all their friends' are away, but I can't imagine EVERY single kid they know are away at the same time for the entire summer.  Plus, it's probably not a bad thing for a kid to learn how to be idle and how to pass time without being governed by a schedule or camp or their parents.  [/quote]

It may be true that you did all that at 13 and 14 and so did I but now that I am actually a parent of a teen I see that times have changed and changed quite a bit.

I thought my child would get a summer job at 15.  Now most retail around us state 18 and over to apply for jobs.  I worked at the mall. The malls are dying and again they want those 18 and over and it's pretty easy in this area to get those applicants.

I thought my child could babysit in the summer like I did.  Parents have nannies or they get college students who can drive.

I thought my child would hang out with friends at the pool. Actually all her friends are away in the summer at the same time.   And if they are around, their parents only want them to come over when another parent is around.

I thought my child would be able to go to the pool alone by 13. Nope. Our pool raised the age to 14 last year and this year it will be 16.

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