What advice would you give your 23 year old

[JanetRose]

daughter wanting to go on a field trip by car by herself for a couple of days?

 

[abdmom]

What sort of field trip??

 

[Magic Mom]

I would ask her to make sure her car was in good running order, and tell her to call me if she needed anything... She's 23!

 

[scottishduffy]

Make sure you have cash.

Make sure you have the number for AAA or some sort of auto service if needed.

Get on Oil change and make sure the car is running well.

Plot out your route, make sure you know how to get there and where you will stay.

Call me when you arrive so I know you are safe, and have a great time!

 

[srferson]

I would ask her to make sure her car was in good running order, and tell her to call me if she needed anything... She's 23!

^^This

 

[lovesmurfs]

daughter wanting to go on a field trip by car by herself for a couple of days?

Umm. To go and have a good time? She'll figure out if she forgets something, and remember for the next time. She's a grown up.

At 21, I was driving from Indiana to Virginia once a month to visit my then boyfriend, leaving Friday morning, returning Sunday night. It'll be fine.

 

[mom2boys]

daughter wanting to go on a field trip by car by herself

I understand you are anxious - I live with two teenagers. Does she have AAA, a cell phone and a credit card? Tell her to make sure she knows how to get where she is going and has a map of the area - even if she has a GPS.

 

[dejr_8]

Are you kidding?

How about "Have fun and see you when you get back".

She's 23!

 

[golfgal]

"Have fun" At 23 I doubt my parents knew where I was 99% of the time.

 

[NMAmy]

DD is 19 and just drove across country by herself to go back to college. One issue that we hadn't thought about was that she was unable to rent a hotel room in Missouri except at a really crappy Super 8. All the hotels in the area had a rule that they wouldn't rent to anyone under the age of 21 due to parties. Luckily, she was able to stay with a relative in Oklahoma the next night.

Tell your dd to get her car checked, bring an atlas (sometimes GPS doesn't work), and have a great time.

 

[Sparx]

I hope your daughter has a great time!

 

[Christine]

As long as you feel she is mature and can handle herself, there's not much you can do except to double check that she has kept the car in good shape, knows what to do in an emergency, that sort of thing.

My DD is 18 and wanted to drive 4 hours to see her boyfriend next weekend. At this point, she is very immature and she freaks out when one little thing goes wrong with the car. She has called me twice in a panic because her steering wheel was locked and she couldn't get it unlocked (we've shown her numerous times). She also freaked out once when cleaning the car because she had put the seat all the forward and then couldn't get it back (it's electronic). My husband went out and did it right away.

The point is, she panics. So what happens if something serious goes wrong with the car? It does have 150,000 miles on it. So, I told her she couldn't take the car up there because I was not yet confident that she could handle an emergency in it. She is taking the train.

If you feel confident with your daughter, then you just have to tell her to have fun and be careful.

 

[MichelleVW]

At 23 I say have fun!!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Where is she going? That would depend on the advice I give.

My 19yodd is in China right now. I gave her all kinds of "advice" that she did not do or use for that matter.

I would think by 23, you pretty much have things figured out and you are just giving her the "mom advice", right?

 

[Acklander]

Have fun. That's about it. I figure by that age my kids know how to get a hold of me if there's a problem, so no need to harp on stuff. They'll figure it out (or not) themselves.

 

[minkydog]

daughter wanting to go on a field trip by car by herself for a couple of days?

The same thing I told my son when he decided to move to Key West on a whim: Change your oil, make sure you have your ATM card, and call me when you get there. She's 23--she's been a legal adult for 5 years now. When I was 23, I routinely drove 250 miles to visit my mom and once a year I drove almost 1000 miles to go visit my grandparents. And this was way before cell phones, too. I know my mom was worried, but I was a responsible adult. What could she say?

 

[staley7580]

Have fun? I dont know.. I was married with a toddler and a baby on the way at 23. Oh.. Fill up the tank before she hits a quarter tank. That was what my dad always told me!

 

[taylor3297]

DD is 19 and just drove across country by herself to go back to college. One issue that we hadn't thought about was that she was unable to rent a hotel room in Missouri except at a really crappy Super 8. All the hotels in the area had a rule that they wouldn't rent to anyone under the age of 21 due to parties. Luckily, she was able to stay with a relative in Oklahoma the next night.

Tell your dd to get her car checked, bring an atlas (sometimes GPS doesn't work), and have a great time.

Next time, when your dd stops at a motel and you have to be 21, call the hotel yourself, prepay the room and explain that your dd is driving alone on the way back to school. Since you have prepaid the room you shouldn't have a problem. In the old days my dad did this for me (granted I had to call from a pay phone to give him the number of the motel when I decided to stop for the night)

My sister has done this recently for her dd who is 18 and had to drive from IN to AZ. The Holiday Inn didn't mind since they had my sister's credit card number, room was prepaid and if any damages where done, my sister's card would be charged.

 

[NMAmy]

Next time, when your dd stops at a motel and you have to be 21, call the hotel yourself, prepay the room and explain that your dd is driving alone on the way back to school. Since you have prepaid the room you shouldn't have a problem. In the old days my dad did this for me (granted I had to call from a pay phone to give him the number of the motel when I decided to stop for the night)

My sister has done this recently for her dd who is 18 and had to drive from IN to AZ. The Holiday Inn didn't mind since they had my sister's credit card number, room was prepaid and if any damages where done, my sister's card would be charged.

I tried that and got some VERY uncooperative front desk agents--I even volunteered to pay an extra deposit or a higher price for a room but no dice. Part of the problem was that dd went fairly far past St Louis and was in an area with a lot of small towns. I think in a bigger town or near an airport, we'd have had better luck.

 

[redlight]

Are you kidding?

How about "Have fun and see you when you get back".

She's 23!

Exactly!