At what age do you think it appropriate for a child to walk around (with 3 other children of the same age) an amusement park by themselves? Imagine that there will be adults there that the children will be required to check in with at predetermined intervals of time.
When my son was 14, I felt he had the savvy and skepticism necessary to go off with his friends in places like the mall and Walt Disney World. Of course, he had me on speed dial and had to report at regular intervals. Some friends were more trustworthy than others...and it wasn't necessarily the ones who knew how to suck up to adults.
ReplyDeleteInvolvement in soccer, karate, and other well supervised activities used up a lot of his time and energy, and established a strong bond with likeminded kids.
At 16 1/2 independence comes with having a license. At that point a parent does a lot of praying because you know that peer pressure and curiosity will invite them to do a lot of things we did as kids.