It was a time to celebrate! My youngest son was graduating high school, and he asked for an early graduation gift–a spring break trip to Florida with his buddies.
“Yeah, right,” I thought. There was no way I was going to let my son spend spring break on the beach in Florida with his friends. Hello!? Did he think I didn’t know what happened on spring break?
But then I found out that two of his friends’ mothers were going to chaperone. I knew the mothers well, and that changed my mind because I knew these two women would be watching the boys’ every move.
He experienced his first spring break with four of his friends and two mothers. He had a wonderful time even under watchful eyes.
But many times, teens don’t have chaperones when they experience their first spring break away from watchful eyes. Is your daughter pleading with you to let her spend a week with her friends? Is she going alone or with chaperones?
Here are a few suggestions.
1) Find out who will be chaperoning the trip. Coordinate plans with the chaperones and exchange contact and emergency information. Take time to meet them.
2) Set rules. Even though there will be supervision, there will be times when your daughter will want to explore and meet new friends. Talk to her about the risks of drinking alcohol and the ability of others to spike unattended drinks that could lead to other risky behaviors, such as sex and drugs.
3) Encourage the buddy system. If your daughter is traveling with a group of teens, stress the importance of accountability. Picking a friend to stick around with her when others want to do other things will keep everyone safe.
4) Know where your daughter is staying and her daily plans. Talk with her often via phone calls instead of text messages. Hearing your daughter’s voice will give you assurance that all is going well.
Let’s keep our teens safe as they celebrate the end of another school year and the beginning of new adventures.
Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety. (Proverbs 11:14, NKJV)
