would you let your child go? (party, parents, girl, appropriate)
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My child is 10 years old and is going to a birthday party in May where the parents will be driving all the kids to an event 30 min away and then back to their house. I have met the mother once who seemed nice and never met the father.
Typically I would drop off and pick up my child as I wouldn't feel comfortable with them in a car with people I don't really know. However, my child has had a hard time finding a good group of friends since moving her a few years ago and I don't want my paranoia about all the bad things that could happen to ruin it. The child whose party it is is a really nice kid.
Would you let your child in a car with people you don't really know? All the kids will be riding together and it's not exactly an easy event for me to drop him off at etc.
Be cool mommy! My daughter is one year younger than your child. She is participating all her friends birthday parties. I see those kids parents in the morning and the word we exchange is "good morning" or " bad weather is it" sort of few words. your child will be fine. You don't need to know entire history of the parents to send your child to a party. But take the phone number that is always handy as well offer your number in case if they need to you to call. Let your child to enjoy. My daughter even gone to Germany too with her school friend and her family. Basically it is their responsibility so I say Relax.
I would probably take a peek and try to take notice of their car safety habits ahead of time. There are some friends of my daughter's who I know she won't ride with because I see them get in the car with too many kids piled in and not enough seatbelts or no carseats for kids who should be in them, etc. I also make sure that my daughter knows that our car rules apply to her in other people's cars too - meaning she needs to be in the back seat and buckled properly with a shoulder and lap belt. She is a pretty good self-advocate in those kinds of situations, so I generally think she would be fine.
Unless I had some reason to worry about the parents I would let her go.
You could always contact the mom ahead of time and tell her this would be the first time you'll be letting your son do something like this so you're a little nervous. You could ask her to send a quick text when they arrive and also right before they leave so you know everything is okay.
Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable with this. If I knew the parents well, that would be one thing. But you don't. I'm not suggesting that they will do anything inappropriate, because I think that's highly unlikely. But you don't know their driving habits, or how they are at supervising kids under their control, or . . . well, anything really.
If you want your kid to attend the party, I would flat-out tell the parents that you've never let them ride in cars with people you don't know well. Say it in a self-mocking kind of way, so that it makes you sound a bit unreasonable; that way, you're letting them see you blaming your own insecurities instead of casting aspersions upon the other parents. Then drive your kid to the party in your own car, and either attend the function or go somewhere nearby and wait it out; then drive your child back home.
I don't know. My daughter's only 7, so I might feel differently at 10, but the idea of sending her off with strangers to go far from home would make me nervous.
My parents never would have let me travel far from home with people they didn't know until I was in high school. In fact, they didn't even let me go in the home of a friend if they didn't know the parents until I was about 12. Have American parents changed that much?
I live in Japan now, and can't imagine Japanese parents allowing it either. They let their children walk to and from school alone from 1st grade, even if the school is an hour walk from home. They leave their little kids at home alone for hours to go shopping. But mothers accompany kids on play dates, and they don't let strangers take the kids far from home.
I guess people have different opinions on what counts as overprotective in different cultures and time periods.
They can't be worse than most taxi drivers, and I know nothing about their driving records.
And how does "knowing someone" mean you are aware of their driving records? My husband got a DUI when he was 20 yrs old. He is 52 now and hasn't had a ticket or accident since then. My childrens' friends don't know about the DUI, but would they care?
I know this generation feels like the more overprotective they are, the better parents they are. But you seriously are doing damage to your kids.
I would probably take a peek and try to take notice of their car safety habits ahead of time. There are some friends of my daughter's who I know she won't ride with because I see them get in the car with too many kids piled in and not enough seatbelts or no carseats for kids who should be in them, etc. I also make sure that my daughter knows that our car rules apply to her in other people's cars too - meaning she needs to be in the back seat and buckled properly with a shoulder and lap belt. She is a pretty good self-advocate in those kinds of situations, so I generally think she would be fine.
^^This. Even in Girl Scouts and such, I found parents who didn't think seat belts were necessary. I recall one time when my DD's GS troop was going to Washington, DC (they were in 9th grade at the time) and they were going to rent a van from the airport to the place where they were staying. The leader was planning to rent a van that didn't have enough seat belts. I called to express my concerns, and they did rent a bigger one. I told a friend I didn't feel good about being "that mom" to which she replied, "I think we all thank you".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Book Lover 21
They can't be worse than most taxi drivers, and I know nothing about their driving records.
And how does "knowing someone" mean you are aware of their driving records? My husband got a DUI when he was 20 yrs old. He is 52 now and hasn't had a ticket or accident since then. My childrens' friends don't know about the DUI, but would they care?
I know this generation feels like the more overprotective they are, the better parents they are. But you seriously are doing damage to your kids.
It's not so much the driving as the seat belt issue.
I would. I don't think its something that it would even occur to me to worry about.
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