New kid bday wwyd

[DualvansMommy]

I think if the kids were more of established friends, i.e. Played together numerous times, been over to each other's house countless times vs having just had 2 play dates, I wouldn't send him on his own. This would be in addition of the car anxiety issue. Absent of those factors, it's pretty common around here for 8-10 years old to have select friends to go with them into NYC for a birthday show or activity.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Simon]

I think it comes down to your personal comfort level. I let my 9 yo go overnight on a trip that distance with another family he knows through school. We've met parents/talked on the phone about logistics, but aren't close at all. Personally, without specific evidence of bad vibes (and I don't consider a quick drop off at a birthday party cause for concern), I would let my child go, but it might not be the right decision for yours.

[AnnieW625]

I would ask him if he wants to go and go from there. I would have no problem with my 10 yr. going on a car trip somewhere for a birthday party.

[div_0305]

Nope, no way. I'm not a huge risk taker when it comes to my kids and extended time with near strangers (outside of camps with lots of adults/supervisors). I don't know how the parents drive, how safe the car is, if they drive while tired or after a couple glasses of wine (common in western European countries at least), do they require seatbelts, how well they supervise at an amusement park--if that's where they are going. Do they carry a loaded weapon on them, in the car....not sure which state and the rules where you are.....Too many unknowns, and why can't they do something more safe but fun nearby? Anyway, you asked for opinions, and that's mine

[jenmcadams]

I think this is an age where it's likely to become more likely we won't know the families of our kids.

This is how I feel - at about that age, I wasn't always friends with my kids' friends' families. I have an older DD (freshman) and an 11 year old DS and maybe I would have been nervous with my first, but DS was definitely doing things like this even with people I didn't know as well. I definitely try to trust my gut and wouldn't let the kids go if I was nervous about the parents, but I also want my kids to be confident and comfortable in lots of different situations with different people. The fact that the mom was willing to include you or your DH (which I know sounds like it doesn't work from a work perspective) would make me more comfortable that they're responsible and thoughtful and sensitive to your concerns

[gatorsmom]

Nope, no way. I'm not a huge risk taker when it comes to my kids and extended time with near strangers (outside of camps with lots of adults/supervisors). I don't know how the parents drive, how safe the car is, if they drive while tired or after a couple glasses of wine (common in western European countries at least), do they require seatbelts, how well they supervise at an amusement park--if that's where they are going. Do they carry a loaded weapon on them, in the car....not sure which state and the rules where you are.....Too many unknowns, and why can't they do something more safe but fun nearby? Anyway, you asked for opinions, and that's mine

This. Just yesterday a close friend of mine was lamenting how regularly she is surprised at th choices people make, particularly at birthday parties. She told me a friend that we both know well and think we'll of, threw a small birthday party for her youngest child and a few of his friends at a local aquatic center. Most of the kids were dropped off but my friend stayed because her son has some special needs. The hostess didn't offer to pay the entrance fee for the invited kids. She paid for her children and was waiting in the park for them to come in. Since they were dropped off, my friend said the kids were looking around for someone to pay for them. These were first-grade age kids! Then the hostess called her kids in for snack time and bought her kids snacks but NOT THE INVITED KIDS. My friend paid the entrance fees and for the snacks of the other invited kids because she felt bad for them to see the birthday boy getting ice cream but no one else. I happen to know the hostess mom very well and she is very kind. My friend and I know she didn't mean it maliciously- she's just incapable. But she is a bit scattered sometimes and we think it didn't occur to her that she should pay for the kids she invited. You just never know how people will behave.

I also found out recently that some close friends of ours like to mix up cocktails on long drives with their kids because, they said, long drives can be so stressful!!! They have a system that the person not driving mixes them up for the others. These are successful professionals who I have known for years and who are not big drinkers (or at least I didn't think so. Now I'm starting to wonder). These are the stories I think of when I read threads like this. You just never know.

[Corie]

Nope, no way. I'm not a huge risk taker when it comes to my kids and extended time with near strangers (outside of camps with lots of adults/supervisors). I don't know how the parents drive, how safe the car is, if they drive while tired or after a couple glasses of wine (common in western European countries at least), do they require seatbelts, how well they supervise at an amusement park--if that's where they are going. Do they carry a loaded weapon on them, in the car....not sure which state and the rules where you are.....Too many unknowns, and why can't they do something more safe but fun nearby? Anyway, you asked for opinions, and that's mine

Yes, I agree. There is no way that we would allow our son to go.

[trcy]

Nope, no way. I'm not a huge risk taker when it comes to my kids and extended time with near strangers (outside of camps with lots of adults/supervisors). I don't know how the parents drive, how safe the car is, if they drive while tired or after a couple glasses of wine (common in western European countries at least), do they require seatbelts, how well they supervise at an amusement park--if that's where they are going. Do they carry a loaded weapon on them, in the car....not sure which state and the rules where you are.....Too many unknowns, and why can't they do something more safe but fun nearby? Anyway, you asked for opinions, and that's mine

ITA!


Sent from my iPhone using Baby Bargains mobile app

[mmommy]

For those who wouldn't let your child go at this point - at what age would you feel comfortable letting your child go on an excursion like this?

[twowhat?]

For those who wouldn't let your child go at this point - at what age would you feel comfortable letting your child go on an excursion like this?

For me it's not a matter of age but whether I trust the adults in charge enough...though I imagine that regardless of what I think of the parents, this kind of thing will be harder and harder to deal with as they get older and want their independence. I don't exactly look forward to all that