To not want 13 year old to spend evening hanging out at O2 Finchley?

[waterfallrainbow]

Still learning to parent a teenager! His friends wanted to spend someone's birthday hanging out at the O2 centre. I'm a country girl - the idea of hanging out at a shopping centre all evening is totally alien to me! We're in Islington, where there's a serious knife crime issue. I realise O2 is a different scene, but I can't help thinking unsupervised teenagers in a mall for 2 hours could go horribly wrong?

The little Waitrose hasn't been open that long and it ran out of pretzels a few weeks ago, without vandalism. I hate to say it but I think the olive oil might have been a myth. I definitely remember the cucumber incident though.

And I think the post office has been robbed a few times, but I don't know if it was the one inside of the church or not. It's a pretty safe place over all though.

'Hanging out' makes the activity sound somehow interesting, as it's an American phrase. In my day it was 'hanging around' and by definition it can lead to trouble, as they have nothing specific to do.

If your son and his pals idea of hanging out is having something planned e.g. pizza, cinema, and a mooch around the shops then that's fine. Just hanging around is a recipe for trouble and they'll probably either get thrown out or bored.

What time are you expecting him home?

The O2 is fine for a few teenagers to hang out for a couple of hours. It's hardly in a rough area. I'm very protective of my twelve year old and I would be fine with I'm going there with some sensible pals providing his phone was full charged!

13 y old stabbed every week

You'd think he would be sick of it by now.

This is hilarious. I can't imagine a safer, duller place than the O2 Centre but am now picturing Sharks and Jets-style violence-with-pirouettes in Habitat.

Relax OP. The only knife crime going on in the O2 centre is people asking for cutlery in Yo Sushi.

YOu live in Islington? Do you let your children out in Islington? Honestly, they're very unlikely to get stabbed. It's usually gang related. Do you let your ds go to school on his own? My teens are very autonomous and all of their friends are too. Honestly it'll be fine. Stop reading the N London news.

(I live in Islington too by the way). I think the O2 centre is fine, although extremely dull. (what on earth will they do for 2 hours?)

My 12 year old regularly hangs out in Camden. It'll be fine.

Finchley Road, the crime hotspot of North London.

Me4You
The only knife crime going on in the O2 centre is people asking for cutlery in Yo Sushi.
😂🤣😂

As someone who lives very local to the O2 centre, this is the funniest thing I have read all week: The only knife crime going on in the O2 centre is people asking for cutlery in Yo Sushi. :) Seriously might have to start saying that every time we go there.

Do you think you should move OP?

looks safe [[http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-42089670.html]]

Link fail. Here:
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-42089670.html

well I think this one posted on another thread earlier looks good.

No knife crime here.

Seriously the O2 couldn't be less of a knife crime hotspot. It's 10th the size of Brent Cross, there are about half a dozen shops: Oliver Bonas, Bo Concept, Habitat, Tiger. A Sainsbury's and Starbucks, a few naice chain restaurants Such as GBK, Nando's and Wagamama plus an overpriced cinema complex. He's more likely to be embarrassed by one of his friends mum's coming up to air kiss him hello than he is being confronted by a knife.