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Aside from going to the movies, what are other places pre-driving teens can go with friends...and feel safe?
Northlake is okay during early Saturday hours for groups, but not at night.
The White Water Center? Not sure if that has enough kid friendly activities that they can do without a parent? And, is it safe?
How do you give, in this city, your child who is well behaved and needing to cut the apron strings a bit, an outlet other than the aforementioned and going to friends' homes?
Not sure they NEED any other outlet, but if so, what would they be in an around Charlotte? One friend she use to drop her 13 and 15 year old in Davidson. They would do homework at the library, go for lunch at the little cafe across the street. They loved it.
Any thoughts on this? Especially with a suburban kid who has been quite sheltered, not in CMS schools and really not worldly...at all.
What about have a Saturday afternoon "fun party" everyone can come and bob for apples/ play twister and have some cool aid with homemade cookies. Maybe even get wild and listen to some old Pat Boone records....
Aside from going to the movies, what are other places pre-driving teens can go with friends...and feel safe?
Northlake is okay during early Saturday hours for groups, but not at night.
The White Water Center? Not sure if that has enough kid friendly activities that they can do without a parent? And, is it safe?
How do you give, in this city, your child who is well behaved and needing to cut the apron strings a bit, an outlet other than the aforementioned and going to friends' homes?
Not sure they NEED any other outlet, but if so, what would they be in an around Charlotte? One friend she use to drop her 13 and 15 year old in Davidson. They would do homework at the library, go for lunch at the little cafe across the street. They loved it.
Any thoughts on this? Especially with a suburban kid who has been quite sheltered, not in CMS schools and really not worldly...at all.
Taben
I have no good suggestions except to get him/her some exposure to the world befure they're forced to deal with it on their own. I know people who were ill prepared to handle even the college world, and it affected them greatly.
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Originally Posted by superk
Birkdale?
Birkdale had problems with groups of teens, not necessarily causing problems, but just being en masse to the point it affected the businesses.
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Originally Posted by Nativechief
What about have a Saturday afternoon "fun party" everyone can come and bob for apples/ play twister and have some cool aid with homemade cookies. Maybe even get wild and listen to some old Pat Boone records....
Now they can sit around a table texting each other and saying "OMG" and "like" in every sentence.
Concord Mills has the Nascar Speedpark, Dave and Busters, the food court, movie theatre and a starbucks - as well as some other restaurants.
Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trail is very nicely put together. Laser Quest on Independence could entertain for awhile.
For something a little different, the Evening Muse in NODA has live performances with some very good music and welcomes all ages to most concerts -usually very reasonably priced ($5-$15). It's a cool little place - my daughters went when a friend was singing on "open mike" night.
Don't know where you live, but the fountain at Stonecrest has music during the warmer months and lots of shops around. Some of the YMCA's have " middle school madness" nights where kids can dance, and play games.
If your child is not in public schools, is she/he home schooled by chance? My sister home schools and has her daughter enrolled in a home school co-op where they design activites for the kids to do together specifically for the socialization aspect of it. Ie: dances (even proms, etc.), meeting up for outdoor adventures, movies, skating, sleep-overs, themed gatherings at holidays... It's been WONDERFUL for her previously very sheltered/shy child. The co-op she belongs to is not in your area, but no doubt there are some in your area that you could find easily enough. Good luck!
Aside from going to the movies, what are other places pre-driving teens can go with friends...and feel safe?
Northlake is okay during early Saturday hours for groups, but not at night.
The White Water Center? Not sure if that has enough kid friendly activities that they can do without a parent? And, is it safe?
How do you give, in this city, your child who is well behaved and needing to cut the apron strings a bit, an outlet other than the aforementioned and going to friends' homes?
Not sure they NEED any other outlet, but if so, what would they be in an around Charlotte? One friend she use to drop her 13 and 15 year old in Davidson. They would do homework at the library, go for lunch at the little cafe across the street. They loved it.
Any thoughts on this? Especially with a suburban kid who has been quite sheltered, not in CMS schools and really not worldly...at all.
Taben
Many of the YMCA's offer Middle School Madness (dances) during the school year on Saturday nights. The Jewish Community Center does their own version, open to everyone, called Jammin' At the Jay. Kids from all different schools attend these dances, so you don't expect to know a lot of people going. As long as you have one friend to go with you, you can have a lot of fun. My son always ended up meeting new people there.
I don't believe in dropping kids off at the mall - too risky for the young teen set. When my son was that age (pre-driving) a group of us moms would bring them to Stonecrest to meet their friends. They could eat and then walk to the movies while we moms hung out nearby at another eatery having a night out ourselves.
I don't believe in dropping kids off at the mall - too risky for the young teen set. When my son was that age (pre-driving) a group of us moms would bring them to Stonecrest to meet their friends. They could eat and then walk to the movies while we moms hung out nearby at another eatery having a night out ourselves.
I agree with the outside type mall/plaza idea. My daughter did this a couple of weekends ago, her and a couple of friends all walked around, looked at the rescue dogs they had outside, bought frozen yogurt, etc and had a cell in case of anything. We were in the vicinity. They had a great time and never felt like we were there.
I think the dances sound like a great idea too, I'll have to ask the kids if they heard about them.
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