...the saga continues!

So now the teenager girl has decided she has free reign of the neighborhood. Today was the second time that she just headed out the door without calling her father or I to tell us where she would be. She does not have a cell phone, so we can not call her at anytime to check in and see what she is doing. I know, I know...all 13 year old kids have cell phones, well ours do not! We are thinking of breaking this rule now that she is fluttering about the neighborhood with her friends. You know, if there weren't so many weirdos in the world today it would be fine for her to roam. And yes, for those of you with girls, it is different than with boys. You ARE more protective of your daughters than your sons!!

 

My son was not this way. He was and is very much a homebody. I didn't have to worry about him wondering around. His 2 best friends live ON our street. The biggest decision was whether to let him sit on the front porch and talk to his friends while we were working! 

I remember when we were kids, we got up, ate breakfast, left to play, came home, ate lunch and were gone again til dinner time. Then we went back out til somebody called for us to come in for bath and bedtime. We would be out catching lightning bugs every night and not worry about strangers driving around, people walking that we didn't know, etc.

Times they are a changing. Well, they have changed already! How do you let your kids be kids and not be hovering over them? How do you let them go with their friends while you are at work? How do you let them spend the night with the friends who you have met, but not the parents? When is it OK to let them be "free"? Do you HAVE to get them cell phones so you can have peace of mind when they are not at home? 

I need help in answering these questions!