Question for the parents with the groping fears- do you let your 12 year old daughter go to other large, public events unsupervised with a group of her friends?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weird- my 8th grade daughter was asked earlier today to attend this concert with a friend who had an extra ticket in the pit seating. No one would be chaperoning. I gave her a very firm "no way".

You guys are mean. I did that kind of stuff in 8th grade. Are parents stricter or more scared these days? Me and my friends' parents were pretty typical and they let us go. Makes me sad for the kids today...

You sound like you're 20.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was always in the pit from about 15yo on, and groping (and pushing, kicking, etc.) was unavoidable. It just wasn't a big deal.

I'd be interested in whether the scarred-for-life contingent even did those things as teenagers.

When you say "groping," what do you mean? I think the concerns on this thread are that older smarmy guys will see an easy opportunity to take advantage of the young girls and touch them inappropriately and purposefully. Somebody could reach out and grab a breast or butt. You're saying that happened to you often? And that it wasn't a big deal?

2nd pp here, and I wanted to add that yes I went to many concerts from about age 14; pushing and shoving were the norm in General Admission seating (standing), but groping wasn't nearly as common as you're making it out to be. If it had happened to me, it would have been a big deal to me. Something like that happened to me when I was about 21, at a bar. I still remember it, and it still makes me cringe to think of it. And I was an adult.

Anonymous wrote:I was always in the pit from about 15yo on, and groping (and pushing, kicking, etc.) was unavoidable. It just wasn't a big deal.

I'd be interested in whether the scarred-for-life contingent even did those things as teenagers.

When you say "groping," what do you mean? I think the concerns on this thread are that older smarmy guys will see an easy opportunity to take advantage of the young girls and touch them inappropriately and purposefully. Somebody could reach out and grab a breast or butt. You're saying that happened to you often? And that it wasn't a big deal?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:the concert is over, people

This won't be the only concert ever. The thread is still relevant to parents facing a similar choice in the future.

Agreed. It depends on how independently the 12 year old navigates the world before the concert. If she's never gone to the mall or a movie unsupervised, then the concert is probably too much. But if you let her roam with a gaggle of friends (i.e. at a fair) then I think its fine to drop them off for an all-ages concert. Assuming she has a phone, you go over some basic rules/expectations/concerns, and she's generally mature- why not?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weird- my 8th grade daughter was asked earlier today to attend this concert with a friend who had an extra ticket in the pit seating. No one would be chaperoning. I gave her a very firm "no way".

You guys are mean. I did that kind of stuff in 8th grade. Are parents stricter or more scared these days? Me and my friends' parents were pretty typical and they let us go. Makes me sad for the kids today...

Maybe you should google about the creeps who grope women/girls in concert pits.

I don't remember that happening so much back in the day.

Anonymous wrote:the concert is over, people

This won't be the only concert ever. The thread is still relevant to parents facing a similar choice in the future.

the concert is over, people

No way

I'd say 14 with parent waiting nearby.

no

Absolutely not. I grew up in Germany and am very open and pro letting kids experiment, explore, be independent etc. but a concert alone at 12? No way. Never ever.

Anonymous wrote:I'm pretty lenient but I say no. Too much potential for bad situations that two 12 year olds can't properly handle.

Yeah, I have to agree- I think even 2 years of maturity here would make a difference 14 vs. 12- too big a jump. 15 would be a no brainer for me (yes)

Anonymous wrote:Weird- my 8th grade daughter was asked earlier today to attend this concert with a friend who had an extra ticket in the pit seating. No one would be chaperoning. I gave her a very firm "no way".

You guys are mean. I did that kind of stuff in 8th grade. Are parents stricter or more scared these days? Me and my friends' parents were pretty typical and they let us go. Makes me sad for the kids today...

No way! Not only would the concert itself be too much for kids that age but Chinatown around the Verizon Center is way too busy when there's a concert.