Compared to other messages on this board my 'problem' is tiny, but so far I have not managed to resolve it.
My son is fifteen, and he's a good, easy, mature boy.
When he goes away - like to a friend, to his father, to the games workshop- I ask him to let me know that he has arrived safely, so I don't have to worry. All I want him to do is send me a text. I bought him a phone for that purpose, but he doesn't do it.
I've had many talks with him about this already. He thinks I'm exaggerating, because nothing will happen to him anyway. Of course he has a point; it is unlikely that anything will happen, but he also has dyspraxia and is consequently not very good at crossing roads, so I do worry when he is out on his own. I reckon that it is a tiny effort to send a text and put my mind at ease, but he probably forgets all about that as soon as I am out of his sight...
Do other parents expect their teenagers to let them know that they are okay and safe? Or do others let their teens go out all day without any contact?
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Teenagers
Son does not text/call when he is out.
Tau · 21/12/2012 15:17
SecretSantaSquirrels: Tell him he has to do it for your benefit whether he likes it or not. 
I did tell him exactly that. Really frustrated that it doesn't work though; my mother said the same to me and it did work (mostly) -even though we had no mobile phones at the time.
I don't want to limit my son's freedom, but neither do I want to spend hours as a bundle of nerves, imagining all sorts of horrible scenarios...
He's 15 so he needs freedom and needs to learn to take care of himself. He also needs to learn consideration for his mother .
Mrsrudolphduvall -My mobile is rarely on anyway I understand the point you are making but surely a 13 year old should be able to contact you in an emergency?
I have a 16yr old ds and a 14 yr old dd and I don't expect either of them to report in throughout the day - I'd be looking like this --> at any teenager that did that. It really is not something to ask a teen to do.
Both mine finished school at 12 today. I haven't seen either of them so far. I can't see what difference it would make to me to know if they are at friend A's or Friend B's. If I need them for something, I could text them, but I don't. They are not little children, they are on the journey towards independence. They need to learn to text if they are not going to be back for a meal, or if they are going to be later than you would expect, but not everytime they move from one building to another.
Well, son returned after a jolly time (for him.. not for me).
I put on my grim face and he knew instantly what it was about. He apologized; he'd forgotten (yeah, I suspected that...) and his phone had been in his bag, so he did not hear it when I texted.
Oh well, at least he is genuinely remorseful, he accepts that his mother is neurotic, and he is perfectly willing to text to put my mind at ease... now all that remains to be done to get him to remember my existence when he doesn't actually see me!
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