would you let your child travel?

[Filth]

#2: I'd be totally good with my kid traveling, as long as I was there to teach the basics. Especially with a daughter. I like to think that if I raised a girl, she'd be pretty safe on the road. 'course, I'd have a hard time sleeping at night knowing that somewhere some drunk dumbass is trying to get in my daughter's pants and she might have to gut him. Really, with the right knowledge, it's as safe as any lifestyle.

or id get lazy and tell my child "ask your mother"

 

[Skitty]

i had one abortion.
it fucked me up for a good two or three years.
never again..and i don't suggest it to anyone else.

Same here, well i've actually had two. It's strange that it fucked with me emotionally so much because i'm severely pro-choice and always assumed I wouldn't be negatively affected by an abortion. I guess it's just different when you actually have one, then another within the same year, and while traveling...ugh. That's why all these laws that try to defer women from having abortions really fucking piss me off. Abortions are difficult enough without having to undergo counseling from pro-life centers, having to hear a heartbeat, see an ultrasound picture, hear a physical description of the fetus, or having to wait three days, and these laws are proposed under the guise of protecting a womens health, when really they're just about control.

Anways, if I ever have a I can't say i'd want them to travel, but I wouldn't be pissed or disappointed if they did. I just wouldn't want them to get stuck out here, or turn into a junkie. I would honestly be more worried if I had a daughterf traveling too. I know guys get creeped out on too, but I think it's more common for girls.

 

[falcon91]

well i dont have a child, but i would not let my child travel before they're. what they do when there an adult is no real business of mine. just like my parents, when i turned 18 i left, and they couldnt do anything about it. although hitch hiking and train hopping is very dangerous.but you could die at anytime, wether it be a heart attack, a car accident, poison gasses, falling objects, random unprompted manslaughter.

If my kid Really wanted to go out and travel, i would do it with them,either on foot or by car.

 

[wokofshame]

I'd probably worry less about a son travelling than a daughter. So many women close to me have been raped or almost raped I dont think I'd sleep at night if a daughter was travelling alone.
I think getting your kid fit to fight, like make em do 60 pushups before each meal every day, get em a couple quik draw knives and some mace, teach em how to use them, maybe teach them some martial arts and also conflict avoidance skills and knowing when to run or leave a situation is something Id do.
Ultimately you cant stop the kid so might as well prepare em for the thunderdome.

 

[finn]

Poison gases? Anyway I'd prepare my kid to travel regardless of what I want to happen, so my kid will have solid survival skills, as well as some secondhand wisdom.

 

[FigTree]

if i ever had kids i can't imagine having a problem with them travelling, but i would want them to finish high school so they have options unlike their dipshit dad. although to be honest i'd probably be more proud of a dropout.

 

[nadaynadie]

if i had kids i would want better for them than i had. i would want them to finish school so they can advance themselves so they don't have to work there asses off, eat out of dumpsters, squats, worry about getting robbed, beat up, going to jail, getting hit by a train, killed, raped, alcoholism, drug abuse.... and the other 1 million risks that go with life on the road. why in the fuck would i want that for my kid? crimethinc and some 'anarchists' might romanticize that shit but i don't. i want my kid to be able to take care of themselves and not have to worry about the things i have and still do.

Fact of life, a lot of people who live "normal" lives get raped, buglarized, or murdered, or they become alcoholics or drug abusers. And it sounds like you are romanticizing the normal life. There are a lot of drawbacks to having a regular, 9 to 5 job and working to pay off your 30-year mortgage, your 5-year car loan, your college student loans, etc.

Also, this is just a thought and not meant unkindly, but maybe you should study edible plants. I wouldn't want to eat out of a dumpster, either.

 

[RnJ]

Too all those people who simply answer, yes they'd want their children to travel. What if your child is 4? And to those who state that they'd just want to show them how to travel, what if they don't want you a part of their life?

I'm for giving kids choices. But there's a lot to be said for maturity. I'm glad my parents raised me and taught me--we were on welfare for several years, but dang did my mother ever love me. And the problem for me became that she hung on too much, wasn't ready for the last kid to leave the nest (of 6 children) to shirk the marriage-and-kid routine for world travel and moving to a different city, etc. My travel durations grew from 2 hrs, to 2 weeks, to 8 months. Looking back, the point of travel was to full escape the clutches of my parents, siblings, and even families to become who I needed to be. I was conscious that I needed the space and time and experiences to become true to myself, and then return. My mother didn't know it at the time, but it was best for both of us. I love her dearly, and she knows that -- but now she knows little me is independent.

So, what am I getting at? I think that we have a responsibility to raise children the way we honestly think will be best for them, at least until they're eighteen (or until another culturally appropriate rite of passage has been achieved by the child -- for example, in some tribes, a child as young as 14 can choose a wife and make some babies if he builds his own house). I think it is critically important to raise children supportively, vs. laying down the law -- use your parental power from beneath to uphold your children, instead of from above to hold them down. Might seem obvious and easy, but it's probably neither. I certainly can't see holding children down being a good things, because they will either resent you for inhibiting their search for independence, or they will just run away anyway. My mother still doesn't like me riding trains, and tells me that from time to time, but she doesn't nag like she used to because she knows it pushes me away.

So, I'm not sure how soon I would let my kid travel, and whether I would insist on teaching them how to do it even if they didn't want my advice. That's a hard question, because it involves deep, emotional bonds, love. And love is a doozy, because it makes life worth living and can also be destructive when it turns from genuine concern and support to control and selfishness.

I don't know. I certainly want my kids to have the opportunity to travel in any way they choose, riding dirty and thumbin' it or in a Greyhound if they really want to. Travel is a great learning experience. Who doesn't like it in some form? But if they travel to run away from home, I agree with another poster that it would make me wonder where I had gone wrong. They should be traveling to see great new places, not to escape from hell. Even if my kid is in trouble with the law, or is addicted to drugs or is straight up dirty, they are always welcome to come back whenever they want and to phone for help. If I raise a kid, it'll be implicit that I am prepared to provide support.

Oh, and NadayNadie, you might well be the only person on this forum that is not okay with eating out of dumpsters.

 

[RnJ]

And I just wanted to add that to put my comment into context: I am not a parent, but see adopting or having a child in my distant future. I'm not sure I want to give up adventures to raise children, and I'm not sure its even logical to do so. I think there's a lot of ways to be pretty badass with a family that aren't riding trains and hitching.

 

[nadaynadie]

Oh, and NadayNadie, you might well be the only person on this forum that is not okay with eating out of dumpsters.

Sounds like RideMoreTrains isn't crazy about it either.

if i had kids i would want better for them than i had...so they don't have to work there asses off, eat out of dumpsters

Just saying, the more plants you know, the less often you have to resort to eating out of dumpsters. But if you prefer eating out of dumpsters, obviously this doesn't apply to you, and more power to you.

 

[RnJ]

Yeah, I don't want my kid to HAVE to eat out of a dumpster. Nobody here in Canada HAS to eat out of a dumpster, but they may have to eat from a food bank. GOD FORBID.

 

[Nelco]

Yeah, I don't want my kid to HAVE to eat out of a dumpster. Nobody here in Canada HAS to eat out of a dumpster, but they may have to eat from a food bank. GOD FORBID.

My mom used to dumpster a lot when i was young.
it didn't suck at all for me.
i never got sick.
she'd still do it, but she's to lazy..she just picks up stuff off the side of the road sometimes now.
it's not as bad as your probably imaging..little kids in dumpsters..i never thought it was bad at all.

 

[RnJ]

Yeah, Nelco, I think it's fun. But that's because it is my choice. I want my kids to have that too. Interesting reflection you've got there. I guess I had a totally different experience, because I got harassed by a lot of other kids in school over the fact that my dad was a junk collector. Those kids successfully tricked me into believing I was at fault and ought to feel bad about it. Stupid, yes, but still pretty damaging. It might have been different if he was more present and we had a better relationship, but I blamed him a lot in my early years.

 

[Nelco]

Yeah, Nelco, I think it's fun. But that's because it is my choice. I want my kids to have that too. Interesting reflection you've got there. I guess I had a totally different experience, because I got harassed by a lot of other kids in school over the fact that my dad was a junk collector. Those kids successfully tricked me into believing I was at fault and ought to feel bad about it. Stupid, yes, but still pretty damaging. It might have been different if he was more present and we had a better relationship, but I blamed him a lot in my early years.

If we went to school together, i'd made sure the bully kids were afraid to mess with you.
I'm sorry you went through that.
My Moms definitley a junk collector..i'd like to burn her access junk..but it makes her happy, so I haven't attempted it.

 

[Poking Victim]

I want my hypothetical child to be the biggest oogle in the world. I'm droppin' 'em at Pioneer Square with a blue tarp and a crew change guide when they're 16.
There's a difference between traveling and wandering.
I can't tell you if I'd rather have a 19 year old child studying abroad in China or drinking under a bridge waiting for a train.
I want my child to be doing something challenging. Wandering is not challenging.
If they are riding a train to go do something cool, great; I wouldn't think less of them for riding a greyhound there.

 

[whaleofashrimp]

I can't tell you if I'd rather have a 19 year old child studying abroad in China or drinking under a bridge waiting for a train.

why not studying whilst drinking under a bridge in china waiting for a train

 

[whaleofashrimp]

Ok so appraintly my great grandfather hitchiked and rode the rails after highschool . 1918-1921 . He spent 3 years on the road. he went on and studied medicene and became a doctor after takeing the michigan state medical exam..this was b4 u had to go to medical school to take it..he was completly self educated...he died in 1966 after years of alcoholism and a morphine dependency he developed as a medic in ww2 france to deal with all the fuckerd up shit he saw...he lost most his friends and nearly his own life in market garden ( abridge to far). he also encurouged my grand uncle to do the same ...who lator became a lounge singer

my grandmother..great grand mother..grand uncle..great grand uncle..all said i reminded them of him

maybe i am him?
he didi die in the 60's after all..plenty time for reincarnation

 

[cheeses]

my kid is gonna party so hard so fast and badass

 

[Beegod Santana]

I don't know where this attitude that traveling HAS to be a life of begging, danger, drugs and dependency on shady people comes from. Sure, when I started out I made a bunch of dumb mistakes and hung out with some unsavory characters. I also didn't have anyone in my life who offered up a damn bit of advice or support. Now, however, I almost always have some place to be and I make good money as I go. I know how work a street corner, but after 8 years of traveling, I've made enough contacts in various towns and industries that I almost never need to these days. Like poking victim said, there's a difference between traveling and wandering. I've done plenty of both, and would probably encourage my kid to wander for a bit, but traveling for employment and experience is a different beast. One that's treated me quite well too, and I know I'm not the only one.

Funny story, an old tour friend of mine would always tell his daughter "don't make me drop you at Chicago greyhound station" when she was being difficult as a joke threat of abandonment (he had started his travels at said greyhound station) . Then one day on a shakedown in norcal she looks up at him and says "daddy, when are we going to the Chicago greyhound station?" I think she was about 8 at the time.

 

[Babo]

Well I think when they start getting around their teen years, you'll just be able to tell if this is something they would be prone to do. And if it is, there isn't really anything you could do to stop it.
But of course, you can educate them. Teach them skills and how to read people. Survival knowledge, vantage points etc.
There are worse things a kid could grow up to be.. Like a cop, or a politician. * shudders *