Ariana Grande dilemma

Some women (and men) of all ages are shit at parenting.

I've not encountered very many who would not be able to accompany a 15 yo on a short flight to a concert.

Lots of gun crime maybe?

And some of them are utterly shit at parenting.

Have you heard of air conditioning ? Why are you pissing on their chips ?

Regarding the question I would probably go with them. It's only going to be an extra air fare.

I am mystified why Atlanta is different from London. I am genuinely curious.

@Besafeeatcake could you elaborate on the sorts of situations where lack of cultural awareness" could get a 15/19 year old into hot soup?

@mindutopia, what do you mean "personal safety is a whole different planet"?

For me it would entirely depend on whether I could absolutely rely on the 15 yr old to do what he/she was told by the 19 yo whether they like it or not.

I don't know the logistics of getting from Atlanta airport to the venue, to a hotel and back again but given you are out there for the whole summer and presumably able to work while they see AG I see no reason not to give myself the comfort of travelling with them.

See, it's the opposite for me, I wouldn't have the slightest hesitation about a 15 year old taking a two hour flight alone, let alone with a 19 year old.

I wouldn't be worried about them getting an Uber to the hotel or the concert either.

But, I would be concerned about them walking around in Atlanta at night. Even if I was sure I'd found a hotel in a nice area, I'd feel happier going with them to make sure they were okay. If it was a city they had been to before and knew their way around, I might feel differently.

You know I've just been there and I didn't see one person dragged to the ground in Customs or any of the airports. 🙄

Oh dear, summer in Florida - you’ll all be dripping sweat by ten in the morning. The last time I went to Florida, it was in February and everyone was in bikinis at the beach.

I think flying with the girls is a good idea. They would probably be okay on their own, but they’re in a foreign country and it won’t hurt to have you along in case something unexpected happens.

My kids flew to Bangladesh at 14 and 17 and changed in Dubai. Sure they would be fine.

If you were in the UK and it was say, a train journey that took 2 hours from home to the music venue in a different city - would you let them go alone? I'm not sure what the difference is - just that it's on a plane rather than a different mode of transport?

I'd say you're being OTT. My DD went travelling fora month with her 18 yo friend to Asia and Aus. It was all planned and they were fine.

then that will be a good time to learn. Not that I am clear what exactly are these "lessons" she need to learn

It's not unreasonable to warn her about the areas she really has to avoid in the city if it makes parents feel safer.

19 is an adult, they might be married (or not) and have made a choice to start a family young. A 19 yo can be a nanny or a childminder too. The point is that (unlike a 15 yo) there are no safeguarding concerns about an adult woman looking after a child and unless she's very immature there shouldn't be.

My son was 15 when he took a flight from Stockholm to Manchester, then a train from Manchester Airport to Leeds. On his own from his dad dropping him at the airport. He was fine and perfectly capable of reading signs.

This is batshit. Of course a 19 year old can cope.

It could also be problematic with permission forms etc, something to check!

I wouldn't be happy with this arrangement

I meant the 19 year old might not want to.

I think these things are very personal to the children and young adults involved, some are adventurous and are up to travel and do new things early and some are not at all and would require more lead-up to doing things independently.

I think either is fine, the key thing is to get them independent at some point, not if it happens dead on 15.

That's why university is very handy, it makes them leave home and it makes us let go of them, I think it's harder when they don't go to uni in some ways.

In Trump's America no way. ICE are paid by results, they don't need a reason, just an excuse so no, I'd certainly not let two young people travel alone in the US

Yeah but 15 is old enough to fly on your own and she is flying with another adult.

I don’t understand the comments saying a 19yo is too young to be flying with a 15yo. I was 19yo and flew two long hauls back to back with my 8 week old baby.

I had been flying solo internationally since I was 12.

This is a small hop like from London to Edinburgh. There’s no language barrier. A 15yo isn’t hard work either, they’re mostly self sufficient.

I raised my kids to fly in pairs and then solo from a young age too. At the time, once they were 14 the airline no longer provided a staff person to ensure they made it to a connecting flight in a foreign airport.

I think you’re being a bit over protective.

Some 19 yos have babies of their own.

Not with someone else’s child though!

How much solo travelling has your niece done? Yes, some young people go off and travel the world at this age but if your niece hasn't done this type of thing she won't have learnt the lessons that come with it.

I personally don't think it is unreasonable to go with them. While everything would probably be fine, Atlanta has a much higher crime rate than London or other big cities in the UK.