Having second thoughts.....

[Abbie]

My daughter belongs to a campus leadership group that is getting buses to attend the inauguration. She says they have tickets (to what, I'm not sure ) and will be about 3/4 of the way back. Again, not sure what exactly that means.

Originally I was totally thrilled for her! I think it will be such an exciting thing to witness, especially since this was her first time voting and she was so excited to do it. But now my DH has me wondering and a little worried....it will be such a mob scene with thousands and it seems if someone had intentions of causing trouble, that might be a great place to do it! Is anyone else even a little worried about any terrorism possibilities or are we being totally paranoid? My DH had people working at the Pentagon on 9-11 and it's hard to forget the events and confusion of that day of course. There are still so many people unhappy with the country's choice of President that I wonder if it's really going to be a safe thing to attend. Would you give it a second thought?

She's kind of ambivalent about it, so I'm not sure what she'll decide to do.

 

[TimeforMe]

Ooooh, tough call. I wouldn't have thought twice about it until you mentioned it. I find that many times if I leave decisions like these up to my kids, they seem to always make the right ones. I guess you just got to trust them. Good luck.

 

[JoyLuck]

Inaugural Tickets will only be issued 2 weeks prior, and it is first come first served....so they cannot possibly be sure of where they will be. It is mainly SRO. The seated tickets are few and far between. They, as of right now are expecting upwards of 1 million people, which includes ticketed and non ticketed people. There will be BUSLOADS of young people, and it will be an event to remember. It is usually cold to frigid-so plan accordingly, but try to travel LIGHT. Oh, and as far as trouble goes....the Secret Service is on it (they are amazing!) they have stuff you can't even imagine----so I wouldn't worry about that. HTH

I am editing this to add, My daughter is 18 and a college freshman, and she is going. I will be worried too! It is going to be an uplifting day, I wish I could go.

 

[lovesmurfs]

What a great opportunity for your DD, and one that she will always remember and have memories of (my DFIL sang with the Fred Waring group for Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth -- and he talked about it, when given the chance, until the end of his days). If it were my child, I'd let her go in a heart beat, without a second thought.

Some things are just out of your control -- if you keep her home, she could get in some other kind of accident -- we don't know what's going to happen next. When DH was serving in Afghanistan, I gave the worry for his safety to the Lord, because it was just too big for me to worry about. The safety and security will undoubtedly be so massive at the inauguration that everything would be fine. Just my 2 cents.

 

[crazyforgoofy]

I've heard the words "one and half million people could be in D.C. for the Inauguration". That would freak me out a tad. How far would 'they' be traveling? Does she mind crowds? If I had a college-aged child I'd be thrilled for her/him to attend if she/he had an actual plan.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

I would agree this will be a wonderful memory for her.

Just go over all the safety rules. Stay with the group, have a buddy who is with you at all times, you know the same stuff we always tell our kids. Then maybe remind her to be aware of her surroundings.

I honestly think all will go smoothly with maybe the exception of too many people in too small a space. If crowds are not her thing then no way should she go though.

 

[FSUDisneyGirl]

How old is she? You said "campus leadership group," so I'm guessing college? If so, how amazing. I would have loved to experience something like that in college.

 

[LakeAriel]

The only thing to fear is fear itself!

IMHO the only people I would worry about are domestic haters and one must have faith they will be unable to succeed with any harmful act.

Let her go, I am hoping I am as fortunate!

 

[mamajoan]

Wow.. I wish I could go with her! Amazing opportunity for her. I am sure you will talk to her, tell her what she needs to be aware of, to maintain her safety, emergency tactics etc.

Way, Way, Cool!!! Can she say hello to Mr. Obama for me?

 

[Abbie]

How old is she? You said "campus leadership group," so I'm guessing college? If so, how amazing. I would have loved to experience something like that in college.

She's 19, so will make her own decision but she's been a little ambivalent so it wouldn't take much from me to sway her one way or the other and I don't really want to do that. I really was firmly in the "wow, how awesome" category until DH shook me a little. When I mentioned it to DD to see how she felt about it, she did say she was a little concerned about the crowds so I know she can go either way. I just hate the idea that we/she would allow fear of "possibilities" to affect what we do!

It may well come down to a simple dislike of teeming masses! As much as I'd love to be there in theory, my sofa and t.v. will work just fine for me!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My 17yodd is going with her High School. I can worry with you.

 

[Jennifer S]

I was in the same boat when deciding about going to the World Series parade in Philadelphia. At the last minute we decided not to go and it proved to be the right decision. The crowds were unbelivable, public transportation was a nightmare, etc.

I know there is a big difference between a parade and an inauguration - I doubt people will be drunk - but crowds scare me a little - plus you can see better at home.