Sending your kid to Europe

Attn SportsJournalists.com parents:

My 13-year-old daughter just brought home one of those information sheets for the school trip to Europe in the summer. It's 14 days (including the two days crossing the ocean) and takes kids from Madrid to Barcelona, the French Riviera and into Italy where they end up flying back from Rome.

We're leaning toward letting her go.

Any thoughts, concerns, horror stories or great stories to help us make this decision?

We're expecting her to go over, get mistaken for an international pop star, get swept off her feet by the male half of the teenage international pop star duo and then save the day when it turns out the dude is a lame lip-synching fraud trying to ruin my daughter's look-alike diva.

 

Do they need chaperones? If the Plain-Dealer doesn't call by then, I'm free.

Sounds like a great trip if you can swing it.

 

Schools trips for 13 year olds to Europe?

A little much. I'd wait about 3-4 years.

 

Not to rain on your parade, but didn't someone on here post about their sister of cousin being raped by a taxi driver on a European trip?

 

I went to Paris and London on a school trip when I was in 10th grade and about to turn 16. I think about 20 of us went on the trip and there were 3 teachers and the college-age older sister of one of the girls on the trip. Granted this was 20+ years ago, but it was a great trip and we were very well supervised (to our disappointment, of course).

The next summer, I went on month-long group exchange trip to the Champagne-Ardennes region of France. I lived with families in 5 different towns. Our group was made up of kids from all around Europe. I think I was the youngest of the group (I turned 17 while I was over there). That trip was one of the best experiences of my life. I made great friends, became fluent in French and it really boosted my confidence. This trip was a little less supervised -- lots of drinking -- and the other American and I were the only non-smokers in the group.

You're the best judge of your own child. If you think she's mature enough to handle a big trip and strong enough to not give into peer pressure to drink or do whatever b/c her parents aren't around, then I would say let her go.

 

JR and I find common ground again!

A trip like this, I think, probably works better for a junior or senior in high school. When I was 13, we went to Washington for a school trip, and that might have been a bit much (the only chaperones were a couple of teachers, and they were outnumbered substantially).

There's a big difference between the maturity levels of 13-year-olds and 16-or-17-year-olds. Not necessarily your kid, but the other kids in the group, which almost is more important.

 

Maybe the whole family can go?

 

I did this right before my senior year of high school and had a blast. As long as they have good chaperones I say go for it if you can afford it.

 

She'll actually turn 14 during the trip. I just got more info from the teacher and it will be a group from her school only -- none of those godless, fornicating, pot smoking, mouthbreathing east coasters. and no canadians!

three teachers (and a couple spouses) from the school and possibly another parent or three as chaperones.

I think I'd much rather send a 14 year old than a 17 year old.

Neither my wife nor I ever had a chance to do something like this because we were pretty much poor kids in poor families going to poor school districts.

It's something I know I would have loved. I'm leaning more toward as I think about it.

As Lizzie sang, this is what dreams are made of.

 

I'm sure she'll love the nightlife in Barcelona...

 

I took my daughter to Europe when she was 14. We had a great time. She got to do most of the talking in France (and helped the French people make fun of me for my bad accent).

I say, go for it!

 

Taking a kid to Europe doesn't worry me. It's sending one there that creates the pause.