Parents who have older teens or kids in their 20s, may I ask you a question?

Question

I am 14 years old and I'll be turning 15 on August 21st. I was wondering, when did you let your kids bike a mile or two alone? I want to go to the store while my parents are vacationing, but they probably won't let me. Is 15 old enough to ride your bike to the store and back? (bringing cell phone, extra money, and wearing a helmet of course)

Answer 1

Yeah, sounds fine to me. I was at a bar by 15, so you're way ahead of the game in terms of your safety. Not my parent's fault though...

You should be just fine but I'd say that you should do it while someone's home or available or else that cell phone won't do much good.

Answer 2

I have kids your age and they have jobs, so they have responsibility.  I am not sure what kind of neighborhood you live in or where the store is.  Your parents are the ones to make the decisions.  Show them you are responsible enough to do this.  

Answer 3

In third grade I would walk half a mile to elementary school with my cousin.

I walked & biked to high school which was 2 miles away. Freshman year of high school on I would take the bus 20 miles away to the mall with friends or to dance classes.

Let your mom know that you are fearful of kidnappers, bad guys, etc, & that you wouldn't go with anyone you don't know.

Every hour & every time I went someplace new, I had to call my mom & let her know what was going on.

The few times my phone died or I took to long, she would call the police & have them look for me. I always knew to call. . .

I would always tell her the names of every single person I was with, even if she hadn't met them first hand.

Soon she knew everyone I knew by name, which made her feel more secure.

Your mom's just scared. My mom is worried about everything & doesn't trust anyone. I told her she can't keep me in her nest because I need to have experiences to learn.

Maybe come up with an exact plan ahead of time so she knows exactly where you are & when.

Tell her you understand that she is trying to keep you safe, but that you want her to trust you. It's a matter of trust.

If she catches you in a lie about where you are though, it'll hurt her trust for a long time. Be honest!!

Write up some basic rules with her:

always call

don't get in someone's car

Start slowly. Ask if you can go once with a friend. When you do, constantly call, check in, & tell her your plans ahead of time. This way she'll know you are responsible.

Print out some of the answers to this to show your mom. Let her know she's not the only mom letting her kid go out alone.

I took a self defense class to make my mom feel better

Answer 4

Never not in todays world. Im 15 and dont want to.

Answer 5

Well, I'm 21 but my mom started lettin' me ride my bike around when I was about 11 I could go to store. But never alone. I had to have a friend or one of my younger sibilings with me.  

Answer 6

We lived in a pretty remote area and we were hesitant about letting her do anything alone.

She was 12 when she went bike riding with friends. They were a group and went everywhere together.....I felt comfortable with that.

I don't think she ever rode her bike alone....sorry if this doesn't help you.

You sound as though you're pretty mature...but they would have a horrible time on their vacation thinking of you out riding your bike alone.

Answer 7

I live in a low crime town so I think that has a lot to do with it.    I have 2 boys and they biked that far alone at age 11.

Answer 8

Yeah your same age as me and I'll be turning 15 august 18 so

but anyways your old enough