General Chat

In a word...............NO

My 18 year old son is driving down to Newquay with 7 friends on sunday and as they are 'fairly' sensible about drinking etc, I wasn't too worried about it until I started reading these latest reports. To be honest I'm more worried about him driving all that way in the (probable) rain, wouldn't have let him go at 16 though, and I really don't know how they can afford to go away on their own at that age, they can't have been working for very long (apart from paper-rounds etc) having only just finished GCSEs.

Carolyn

Our daughter was 18 when she set of by herself, at 18, for Europe.
I'm sure some of you will remember my fretting.

After the European leg, she was in the UK for another four months.

One of the places that she went to was Newquay (she met up with a friend from here).

Apart from a brawl on the street in front of her B&B and the landlord getting beat up, she had a great time. My ignorance was bliss :)

Deb

It depends on the individual. We let ours go away at that age with no regrets, all three are well adjusted, mature and in their twenties but to be fair it would depend on how well you knew their friends, whether you thought they could look after each other or not, and your relationship with said teenager.

Depends on the maturity/sense/streetwiseness of the child!
My parents move abroad when I was 15 - making my 19 year old sister my legal guardian!
True, they bought us a small house to live in, but I was still, to all intents and purpose doing what I wanted.
After a year I moved out of the house - too noisy - too many visitors - too much loud music!!!
Nothing particularly untoward happened to me - but then, I wasn't one for getting into trouble!

I was working at 15 (full time, I had a Saturday and holiday job from 13) engaged at 16, married at 17, first baby at 18.

I think that in many ways we have not allowed our kids to grow up and mature as we did. We had to take responsibility..... now kids are encouraged by the state to stay at school until 18... but to dress much older from about 5... by the media, and the market place (just tried to get a dress for my 4 year old granddaughter, and was astounded that the 4 to 5 ranges have so many off the shoulder and downright provocotive styles in the ranges!!) Our kids are being given mixed messages, and many parents are left feeling pretty helpless.

So my answer is, it would depend entirely on the 16 year old... some are very mature, and sensible, and able to prevent themselves getting into situations where they are vulnerable.

Others... well, they wouldn't have a clue if the bank of mum and dad, the freebie taxi service etc, wasn't available!

There are some 18 and 20 year old youngsters out there who have less nous than most 16 year olds.!!

Love

Daff xxxx

Only just let my daughter at 18 go away with her friends and then it was total worry on our part lol - cost a fortune in daily phone calls to check she was ok ( Majorca ) and the girls she went with are very sensible and in there mid 20's - but no way would we have let her at 16 not even in this country

x

PR 16 is too young in some ways ...but you are allowed to marry at that age I did



edit to say no I was 17

Rose at 16 I left home ( as such ) and went near Newquay with parental consent.

As a parent now ( I am not ) I would worry

I think we've all heard about the tragedies in Newquay recently.

In my mind, 16 is too young to be a holiday with friends without any responsible adults. Especially with the reputation Newquay has.

I have a few years before I have to deal with this with my toddlers, but I wouldn't let my kids do this, no matter how responsible they are.

Rose