would you let your teen daughter do this?
My eldest sister is 22 and is in Phuket, Thailand teaching English. In june my daughter, who will be 16 at the time; is dying to go visit her and see the beautiful beaches. My question is, she would fly from PHL to Bangkok and have to take a plane to Phuket, which is only an hour but thats not what worries me. Do you think its safe? I feel like if the plane is delayed, than she'll miss her fly to phuket and she'll be in Bangkok all by herself, I mean its a long flight. Would you allow your teenager to do this? She'd be in Bangkok all by herself and than have to fly to Phuket...i just dont know.Shes not nervous, shes flown before but I'm not sure if it sounds like a good idea.
Parenting - 13 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Your oldest sister is 22 and you have a 16 year old? That mathmatically doesnt make any sense. This is a once in a life time oppurtunity. I had the oppurtunity to go to Europe, my dream, when I was 17 and my parents would not allow me for the same reasons you are discussing. I still wish I had went. I will never have the oppurtunity to travel like that ever again. I think that if you even remotly trust your daughter, you should let her go. If you really are that concerned with her flying by herself, perhaps you could go with her? Or hire someone to make sure she gets where she needs to be (like hire someone to be at the airport to help her with the lay over, and make sure the person she is going to see will be at the air port when she arrives).
2 :
if shes responsible id let her go... tell her to thank me
3 :
You can talk to the airlines and oftentimes they can have someone assist underage passengers to make sure they get to where they are going safely. I guess it depends on how mature she is, especially in potentially stressful situations, flying to a foreign country and the potential layover and all.
4 :
Hey there. My family is from England and my eldest sister lives there. And when I was 13 years old my parents flew me from America to England with a stop in 2 different airports. She's sixteen and if she's able to ask for help then I'm sure she'll be perfectly fine! I know you're worried that she'll get lost or she'll freak out or something but she won't. If she's not nervous, try not to be. : )
5 :
Personally, I would not let a minor anywhere near Bangkok on their own. Too much can go wrong when compared to what is being gained. I would let her choose to do this on her own when she is 18. Inform her as to why you are doing this with some serious facts about the sex trade industry in Bangkok.
6 :
AS a mother, I too would be nervous, but it would come down to how much I trust my daughter to handle any potential situations that would come up. Would she be flying as an unaccompanied minor? If so, I'm sure airline staff would be of great assistance. I'm thinking of my 14 year old daughter & I would have to say that I know she is mature, and would probably stay in close contact with flight attendants, etc, anyway. It's such an incredible opportunity - almost too good to miss. I think I would have to say yes.
7 :
The only way I would do this is if there was someone to meet her as soon as she got off the plane in Bangkok or i went with her. For safety reasons this would be the only way I would allow this, especially, if she's unfamiliar with Thailand and doesn't know the language.
8 :
uh....hold up. 16 yrs ago your sister was 6 yrs old and she's OLDER than you? riiiiiight, sure you have a 16 yr old.
9 :
Does she speak the language? There is a big difference between sending your 16YO daughter into England or Thailand alone. If she does not speak the language, then she should not be allowed to go. Perhaps if it is only an hour flight, you could purchase a ticket for your 22YO to fly to Bankok to meet your 16YO when she gets off the plane and also to put her on the plane when it is time to leave. Also, as others have suggested, contract with the airline agency to keep an eye on her. The problem is not her maturity level, it is the criminal activities of others. If she goes, have her look as unappealing as she is willing to look so she does not look like desirable target for an attack or abduction. When discussing this trip, make sure to emphasize your lack of trust of others and that you trust her completely. You just want to keep her safe.
10 :
F@ck it! Sorry couldn't help it :-)
11 :
Well seeing as how a month ago you were worried about going on your first date and talking about seeing him class makes me know that you arenot the mother. And then you asked a question as to if your 22 yr old sis could take you to get a peircing without your parents being there so NO I would NOT let you go bc obviously not only are not responsible, your sis doesn't seem to be either or she wouldn't take you somewhere at 15 to get a peircing w.o your parents knowing. And if your mom is so uptight on cash that she won't even spend $100 to go to the hospital then how are you affording your plane tickets?
12 :
No. Do you know much about Bangkok? Perhaps you should read up before making your decision.
13 :
Bangkok can be a dangerous place, especially with the sex trade, and more especially for a 16-year-old girl all on her own. My answer would be absolutely not - if it was a layover in some place like Chicago or Denver it wouldn't be such a problem. Plus, being a minor, there might be some snags with her traveling alone, but I'm not exactly sure there.