To be too worried to let my 15 yr old go to London

[Bunnyfuller]

….with her friend the same age?

They want to go skating in Trafalgar Sq and then for a wander in Covent garden. 40 minute journey into London on one train, then obvs the Tube.

My DD has been to London with us lots, but never on her own. She’s always had lifts to places, even if they then go around on their own.

DH is working the next 2 weekends, and my other daughter has to work and needs lifts there and back (no buses in the area). She’s only recently started at her job so doesn’t know anyone to ask for a lift.

I guess it’s a WWYD.

There’s no ice skating in Trafalgar square but a lot of teens do skateboarding, roller skating and blading there. Up by National Gallery, I see them a few times a week in the evening. Is that what she’s wanting to do?

Can’t give much advice as I grew up here and so did my DC but I let my teens go off to other UK cities and pre-COVID to Paris without me for the day.

Any idiot can workout how to use the tube or buses, as long as they can speak they can ask someone. I see kids travelling across town to school at 11/12 and when lines are down they’re having to navigate or ask for help. I really can’t see the problem if she’s with a friend. Nowadays with phones too, really not much to worry about.

I would be really concerned about a 14 or 15 year old who could not use an escalator or cross roads reliably.

DD is 15 and her school was shut today so she got the tube to Westfield with some friends, had lunch, looked round the shops and saw a film - then they all got themselves home. She is recently 15 not nearly 16 and has been perfectly able to do this sort of thing since about 13 (though obviously there were a few periods when shopping etc wasn't available). She has been able to manage an escalator independently since she was about 7/8 and able to cross roads reliably since she was 10 when she started taking herself to school.

She is actually a bit of a scaredy cat about some stuff so I would imagine these ages are at the higher end of normal.

A few open "what would you do if...?" questions are a good idea.

"What would you do if your money and phone were stolen (pick pocketed) and you weren't sure how to get home?"

If they can answer that they'll be absolutely fine, and to be honest they should be able to at 15.

I dropped my youngest off for an activity at a local sports hall when he was 8 and was astonished to get a phonecall from a lovely young teen girl twenty minutes later. He'd approached her to call our landline because the activity had been cancelled and he'd seen her outside and selected her as a safe person to ask to call home - he didn't have a phone then. She was also proud to help. So children can be very resourceful!

No offence, but this is why we have a generation of snowflakes atm. Plenty of people are working apprenticeships at 16.

They will be fine. When I was that age I used to lie and say I was doing something else and actually go up to Camden and Carnaby St (it was the 90s). Nobody ever found out and we were totally fine. Better to trust them and actually know where they're going.

My DD is 15 she has been a handful of times to London on her own.
For her birthday , her and a friend went to an exhibition at an art gallery. The friend booked the gallery, she sorted out the travel. I gave them a lift to and from the station although they could have walked
The last time she went to London she said they got slightly lost but it was day time, they have Google maps and they are both sensible. They found their way back fairly easily.

She’s certainly old enough! Of course let her.

My niece came down from Scotland to visit roughly same age and she was allowed by my sister to go in alone .... I insisted I put her in my find my friend's tracking app and hide £20 somewhere too!

She will be fine just set rules and track her phone.

Best of luck!!!

Yes with a friend. No to going alone - I was approached a few times by men when I was by myself just doing completely normal tourist things, including being followed & getting police involved - even though I was a bit older than that, horrible.

You know your daughter. People can say whatever they want but you need to make sure yourself. Let’s not downplayed that London is less safe than before but still pretty safe if she takes sensible precautions.

I was commuting into London for work at the age of 15.

It will depend on the child and how mature they are but as long as she is sensible and has a phone, money and a curfew I’d say go for it. Has to happen at some point.

I think what you have to bear in mind is when you get the phone call from the coppers who say we have your daughter here you can leave at the drop of a hat to go to her. Mine went to loval city by train for markets and fair and we got that call last night - met her in the back of an ambulance at the hospital

Thankfully all Ok but at 16 she won't be doing anything like that for a while.

She is not a wild child by any stretch, very sensible job college etc. Just a few stupid decisions last night and too much alcohol and a fall. We could go and set off 45 min drive with 10 to go they put her in the ambulance to go elsewhere on her own. Very scary night as an example of what you have to pln for. It doesn't always go wrong but have back up.

My son went to school nearish to London and regularly visited friends there during the holidays (we are 250 miles away) from the age of 15 onwards. He was making his way to school at 14, which involved 4 trains and crossing London (I did it with him until I thought he was competent). He is my PFB, so I have barely noticed that his younger siblings (who are at school closer to home) have been to London to do goodness knows what. I'd be very happy with shopping and ice skating!

oh yeah phone - at 5% at time of incident
money yes cash and credit
curfew - 20 past fucking 9

I didn’t let Ds at that age but we are a 2 hour train journey away and his autism gives him extra challenges.

Dd who was 18 accompanied him instead.

If we were 40 mins away I’d have had no issue.

Let her go