What age would let..

[golfgal]

Not offended. Sorry if you thought so. I see that expression and it gets my haunches up.



Uh, no. It wouldn't be legal for them to drive at 14 and I certainly don't encourage kids to do anything that's illegal.

In some states it IS legal for a 14 year old to drive-alone, with a license even

 

[JerseyJanice]

Here, it's 16 1/2 to get a learner's permit, 17 for a provisional driver's license and 18 for a "real" one. Provisional means that they have a 12 midnight driving curfew and can't have more than one kid in the car at a time with an adult. The roads are very crowded here, so it makes sense to do it that way. I imagine it's rural areas that allow kids to drive at 14.

When I was 13, I babysat for 3 little girls who lived up the street from me. I had that job for a couple of years, and I had a lot of responsibilities for them. I really wanted/needed the money so that was my incentive to act maturely.

My son is 13 and he's been going to the movies for couple of years with his friends. They do a lot of things with each other and no parents along--school events, movies, bowling alley, golf center, mall, local carnivals, etc.

 

[NikitaZee]

You people who are saying 14 do realize that in only 4 years, your child will be a legal adult?

You know that, right? (Just making sure... )

Absolutely. You are exactly right.

 

[golfgal]

Here, it's 16 1/2 to get a learner's permit, 17 for a provisional driver's license and 18 for a "real" one. Provisional means that they have a 12 midnight driving curfew and can't have more than one kid in the car at a time with an adult. The roads are very crowded here, so it makes sense to do it that way. I imagine it's rural areas that allow kids to drive at 14.

When I was 13, I babysat for 3 little girls who lived up the street from me. I had that job for a couple of years, and I had a lot of responsibilities for them. I really wanted/needed the money so that was my incentive to act maturely.

My son is 13 and he's been going to the movies for couple of years with his friends. They do a lot of things with each other and no parents along--school events, movies, bowling alley, golf center, mall, local carnivals, etc.

In South Dakota you can get a license at 14 (provisional-driving from dawn to dusk only, etc.) but it is still a 14 year old operating a car on his/her own. Many rural areas allow farm permits at 14 but you are supposed to only drive for farm business-running into town to pick something up, etc. but it isn't usually enforced very often. Here you can get a permit at 15, provisional license at 16 and full license at 18.

 

[happygirl]

13 or 14

Who cares if that only 4 years away from 18??

 

[kawing123]

At seventenn and eighteen the later movie at nine or ten would let out around midnight. Alot of bar drinkers bar hopping,and driving curfews for states where it exists happen at that hour. The late show should respectfully be for those adults who want a night out without alot of fifteen or sixteen year olds without supervision ruining it. If they attend the seven show they could stop for a bite to eat after. But that late show is for the older crowd and I personally would not want my sixteen year old subject to a older colllege kid trying to pick her up etc.. Alot of things happen at movie theatres and you are ignorant if you cannot think of at least ten.

 

[Pembo]

Op here - 10? 8? Wow I'm very surprised at that young age. What if there was a fire or a bomb scare at the theater, would your child know what to do?

How old is your child when you let them stay home alone??

 

[luvsJack]

DD is 11 and she and her bff started going to the movies alone this year. Our theater is free standing--not in a mall. We drop them off before the movie starts and pick them up when its over.

This summer they will be allowed to do the same thing at the skating rink and at the mall. Well, at the mall I will actually be IN the mall just not with them.

In junior high (next school year) she will be allowed to go to school football games and such, with groups of friends.

 

[luvsJack]

Op here - 10? 8? Wow I'm very surprised at that young age. What if there was a fire or a bomb scare at the theater, would your child know what to do?

How old is your child when you let them stay home alone??

Mine is 11 but she would know to do exactly what the employees of the theater told her to do, just as she does at school.

I do not allow her to stay home alone, but at home there are no adults at all if I am not there. At the theater there are employees and managers that she can go to in an emergency. Besides, we live way back off the road; neighbors cannot even see our house--just too "alone".

 

[mjkacmom]

Dd13 started when she was 12. It really depends upon the time of day, and the theater, though. She can go to AMC with her friends during the day, but never at night (for some reason, the fact that they have a cop in the theater, and one patrolling outside, makes me uneasy...). There is another local, smaller theater she can go to with her friends at night.

 

[luvsJack]

At seventenn and eighteen the later movie at nine or ten would let out around midnight. Alot of bar drinkers bar hopping,and driving curfews for states where it exists happen at that hour. The late show should respectfully be for those adults who want a night out without alot of fifteen or sixteen year olds without supervision ruining it. If they attend the seven show they could stop for a bite to eat after. But that late show is for the older crowd and I personally would not want my sixteen year old subject to a older colllege kid trying to pick her up etc.. Alot of things happen at movie theatres and you are ignorant if you cannot think of at least ten.

If you really think that the only time your 17 or 18 year old is going to be subject to bar hoppers is after a late movie, you are fooling yourself.

Yes, things happen in theaters. They happen at malls, at schools and while walking down the sidewalk too. You just do the best you can to teach your child how to handle themselves in these situations and what they should do.

Dd will have the usual midnight curfew when she is that age, so probably won't make many of the movies that late (unless its some special showing), but I will be secure in the knowledge that she will be able to handle it if she does.

 

[englishteacha]

I went to the movies and skating with female friends with no parents in 7th-8th grade, and guys occasionally joined our group (but if you tell my mother....). As a 9-10th grader my parents relaxed their rules a bit and I could go with a mixed gender group, and at age 16 I could go on dates. I don't have kids, but I'm a teacher, an aunt, and a youth group leader, and I think my parents had it right. There's strength in numbers.

 

[golfgal]

At seventenn and eighteen the later movie at nine or ten would let out around midnight. Alot of bar drinkers bar hopping,and driving curfews for states where it exists happen at that hour. The late show should respectfully be for those adults who want a night out without alot of fifteen or sixteen year olds without supervision ruining it. If they attend the seven show they could stop for a bite to eat after. But that late show is for the older crowd and I personally would not want my sixteen year old subject to a older colllege kid trying to pick her up etc.. Alot of things happen at movie theatres and you are ignorant if you cannot think of at least ten.

Ok, I agree with the curfew issue-kids under 18 here can't be out past midnight unless they are coming home from a school event or work. We don't have college kids around to worry about but when I was in college we went to the early move and out the bars after that. No one showed up to the bars before 9:00 and nothing that can happen at a 9:00 movie can't happen at a 7:00 movie. That line of thinking is actually quite ridiculous. If kids want to have sex or do something like that, they will do it at 2:00 in the afternoon if the opportunity presents itself. We have gone to plenty of matinees where teenagers have been unruly, the time of day has no bearing on that.

Op here - 10? 8? Wow I'm very surprised at that young age. What if there was a fire or a bomb scare at the theater, would your child know what to do?

How old is your child when you let them stay home alone??

Our kids would do what they were told to do just like in school. They have had fire drills and bomb drills since preschool and probably would know more what to do then I would .

We stared letting our kids stay home for short periods of time around 3rd grade and longer times as they got more comfortable. Heck, they were babysitting other families in 5th grade.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Op here - 10? 8? Wow I'm very surprised at that young age. What if there was a fire or a bomb scare at the theater, would your child know what to do?

He and his friends would absolutely know what to do. They have evacuations drills a lot at school. They all have cell phones, too, and know to call their parents if something out of the ordinary happens.

How old is your child when you let them stay home alone??

I started at 9 by leaving him alone to go on quick errands like the ATM or the drug store. I let him come home from school by himself when he was 11, as I took a full time job that year. (It helps that we have a big scary dog and cell phones.) Last summer, he was 12 going on 13, and it was his first year home alone. He did town basketball camp or swim club most days so he wasn't left without anything to do.

Anyway, now at 13, he's as independent as his father and I were at his age, and he's got lots of friends who just as autonomous.

 

[kerstfan1]

i was 16 when i went on my first solo vacation

i went to bulgaria and it was a gradution present from my parents

 

[JerseyJanice]

At 15, I went to my first rock concert in Madison Square Garden with a group of kids. We took the bus into the City and walked there.

 

[aprilgail2]

At seventenn and eighteen the later movie at nine or ten would let out around midnight. Alot of bar drinkers bar hopping,and driving curfews for states where it exists happen at that hour. .

Here you START going out around 10 or 11pm to bars--some places dont even OPEN until 9pm.

Op here - 10? 8? Wow I'm very surprised at that young age. What if there was a fire or a bomb scare at the theater, would your child know what to do?

How old is your child when you let them stay home alone??

My daughter was staying home for short periods at about 8...she is 10 now and stays home for as long as needed.

Ok, I agree with the curfew issue-kids under 18 here can't be out past midnight unless they are coming home from a school event or work.

.

What do they do about "kids" who are in college that are less than 18 years old? Do they also have to be in at midnight even if living on campus or in their own apartment off campus??
Is that something in your town or is it Statewide thing??

 

[aprilgail2]

At 15, I went to my first rock concert in Madison Square Garden with a group of kids. We took the bus into the City and walked there.

That was about when I went to my first concert in NYC too--me and my friends took the LIRR in though, no bus. At 13 and 14 one kids parents would drop off at the Nassau Collisium and another would pick up. There was one kids parents we would always arrange NOT to pick us up...the ONE time that he did the father brought a ladder--set it up in the area you come out of the concert and stood on there looking for us!! We walked out and he was waving and yelling "over here" I remember we just about wanted to die LOL!! From then on if that parent drove it was to drop off!!
In 6th grade one of the parents drove us to the city to a concert venue there and dropped us off and picked us up--it was to a Bay City Roller concert though so not exactly a "tough crowd" LOL...

 

[golfgal]

Here you START going out around 10 or 11pm to bars--some places dont even OPEN until 9pm.



My daughter was staying home for short periods at about 8...she is 10 now and stays home for as long as needed.




What do they do about "kids" who are in college that are less than 18 years old? Do they also have to be in at midnight even if living on campus or in their own apartment off campus??
Is that something in your town or is it Statewide thing??

This is for our town. It is HIGHLY unusual for a college student to be under 18 in our state with the minimum starting age for kindergarten at age 5. We don't have a college campus in town. Many towns around our state have the same curfew, some enforce it, others don't. Our town does though. There may be something in there about being a college student, I am not sure though. I don't pay that much attention to it other then I remind DS that he needs to have the car in the garage by midnight if he is going out.

 

[golfgal]

That was about when I went to my first concert in NYC too--me and my friends took the LIRR in though, no bus. At 13 and 14 one kids parents would drop off at the Nassau Collisium and another would pick up. There was one kids parents we would always arrange NOT to pick us up...the ONE time that he did the father brought a ladder--set it up in the area you come out of the concert and stood on there looking for us!! We walked out and he was waving and yelling "over here" I remember we just about wanted to die LOL!! From then on if that parent drove it was to drop off!!
In 6th grade one of the parents drove us to the city to a concert venue there and dropped us off and picked us up--it was to a Bay City Roller concert though so not exactly a "tough crowd" LOL...

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y NIGHT!!!! We spent a lot of time listening to the Bay City Rollers on our 8 track . Man we are getting old.