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I agree with ZimboChick and NJGOAT that stranger danger/ pedaphiles should not be the major concern. I would instruct my child to sit near the front or near a family and to move (asking the driver for assistance if necessary) if they are seated next to someone who makes them feel uncomfortable in any way.
My major concerns would be the length of the ride, the number of stops and whether or not the child can remain on the bus the whole time. Find out these things and the bus line's policy on unaccompanied minors. 11 is a little young but if the ride is < 3 hours and the child can stay on the bus the whole time it might work out esp. if your child has taken the bus before.
My first step would be contacting the bus company to see what their policy is for minors traveling alone. That may be enough to make the rest of your concerns moot.
Here is one that cannot engender controversy! My 11 yo is going on a trip with G'ma. I live in New England (smallish states compared to say Montana...) He needs to get from us to one state over on a Wednesday evening. I have to work the next day.
Would you send an 11 yo boy on bus alone? I am worried that he won't get off the bus. If he is engrossed in his DS or a book, he is lost to the world.
DH says get him a phone and have it alarm at about the scheduled arrival time.
Thoughts?
wrong!
"one state away" tells me nothing. How many hours? How many stops along the way, or is it direct?
I think it depends on the kid. I have 11 year old twins who live across the street. They practically live at my house though. lol. One of them, I would trust to go on a bus to another state. The other one I wouldn't trust to cross our residential street by herself. There is a huge difference in kids.
I'm going to completely ignore the irrational responses about pedofiles.
Somebodynew --
I took the Greyhound all the time starting near that age. My mother would send me to the next state, West Virginia, to stay with my grandparents or my other relatives. She'd take me to station, see me onto the bus, wave goodbye, and I'd make the 3 hour journey, which involved stops along the way. There might have been a 15 layover for bathroom breaks and grabbing a soda. My relatives were always waiting on the other side of the journey to meet the bus.
I was one of the first parents who taught my children how to use public transportation. As the years went on, they taught their friends how to use it too. To this day, as young adults, some of their friends don't know how to ride a bus---have no clue where to go to catch it, don't understand the schedules, and don't know how much it costs and what currency is necessary. That's pathetic IMO.
Why did I chose to do that? My parents arranged for me to go to the dermatologist in the city when I was in 7th grade. Regularly, I'd catch the public bus from the suburbs and take it to downtown in the city, walk through the city to the doctor's appointments downtown. Sometimes I'd invite a friend to join me. After my doctor's appointment, I'd hang out downtown and then catch a ride home with my father at 5pm when he got off work.
My parents didn't make these arrangements (greyhound to West Virginia and doctor's appointments downtown) because they were lazy. They believed in learning self reliance. And I'm a firm believer in it too.
If you feel your child has the maturity and skills to take a long bus ride, call the bus company to find out the policy for minors. As for being concerned he/she wouldn't get off at the right stop, that solution is easy---simply ask your relatives to be waiting for the bus. They can go on and get him/her if he/she doesn't realize it's time to get off.
I'm going to completely ignore the irrational responses about pedofiles.
Somebodynew --
I took the Greyhound all the time starting near that age. My mother would send me to the next state, West Virginia, to stay with my grandparents or my other relatives. She'd take me to station, see me onto the bus, wave goodbye, and I'd make the 3 hour journey, which involved stops along the way. There might have been a 15 layover for bathroom breaks and grabbing a soda. My relatives were always waiting on the other side of the journey to meet the bus.
It it were three hours, I would do it. But with stops it is longer. The point winds up moot since the offered service is not appropriate to our needs.
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I was one of the first parents who taught my children how to use public transportation. As the years went on, they taught their friends how to use it too. To this day, as young adults, some of their friends don't know how to ride a bus---have no clue where to go to catch it, don't understand the schedules, and don't know how much it costs and what currency is necessary. That's pathetic IMO.
Why did I chose to do that? My parents arranged for me to go to the dermatologist in the city when I was in 7th grade. Regularly, I'd catch the public bus from the suburbs and take it to downtown in the city, walk through the city to the doctor's appointments downtown. Sometimes I'd invite a friend to join me. After my doctor's appointment, I'd hang out downtown and then catch a ride home with my father at 5pm when he got off work.
Holy cow we live in completely different demographics. We live in a farming community, a bedroom community to the city we work in now. But quite recently considered total hinterlands to the townies. There ARE no city buses here.
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My parents didn't make these arrangements (greyhound to West Virginia and doctor's appointments downtown) because they were lazy. They believed in learning self reliance. And I'm a firm believer in it too.
Me too.
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If you feel your child has the maturity and skills to take a long bus ride, call the bus company to find out the policy for minors. As for being concerned he/she wouldn't get off at the right stop, that solution is easy---simply ask your relatives to be waiting for the bus. They can go on and get him/her if he/she doesn't realize it's time to get off.
Yah maturity was never a concern. Even where pedophilia is concerned I can picture him telling the poor sod, hey my Mom told me about your kind. Get away from me. I would worry more about him getting so absorbed in his book or DS that time would have no meaning for him.
But as I say, the point turns up moot since we can't schedule it. DH will drive him down, a good deal faster without all the stops.
All for a several day trip to LegoLand with Grandma and his favorite cousin. WOOT!
Yeah, the stops add to the time. My relatives in West Virginia live 2 hours away. The ride was 3 hours with the stops.
Keep it in mind for when he's older. Sounds like a great trip when he's 13 or 14 perhaps.
Don't bedroom communities have public buses for commuters who work in the nearby city? We're not in the city. We're in the suburbs, not a distant bedroom community but we're definitely not in an urban area. We don't have buses for where we actually live. All of our buses to in/out of the city, not to points around our community.
Some of my children's friends lived along the bus line a few miles up the road. We started small with that. But they were taking the bus into the city by the time they were 15.
Yeah, the stops add to the time. My relatives in West Virginia live 2 hours away. The ride was 3 hours with the stops.
Keep it in mind for when he's older. Sounds like a great trip when he's 13 or 14 perhaps.
Don't bedroom communities have public buses for commuters who work in the nearby city?
We are only very recently a bed room community. When we moved here, the prices were LOW. It was full on farmville.
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We're not in the city. We're in the suburbs, not a distant bedroom community but we're definitely not in an urban area. We don't have buses for where we actually live. All of our buses to in/out of the city, not to points around our community.
Some of my children's friends lived along the bus line a few miles up the road. We started small with that. But they were taking the bus into the city by the time they were 15.
I would just like to add that while some here are making the point that children are at a low risk for crimes by a stranger, there are circumstances where those risks go up. In other words, most children are limited in their exposure to the outside world, spending their days with an immediate circle of family, friends, teachers, coaches, etc. Sadly, this is when most are preyed upon. But when you take a child out of that situation and into an unfamiliar one, without adult supervision, then the risk goes up exponentially IMO, and that's what I think some of the concerned parents where trying to say.
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