would you let your child travel?

[Nelco]

Absolutely,
I am always encouraging my daughter who is now 23 to travel.

If she was younger I would be concerned, but I would want to teach her how to
keep safe.
I went onto the street when I was 14, and didn't know shit and just survived,
I had a mix of great times and horrific times.
I didn't have anyone to teach me - no older mentor, and I wouldnt of listened anyway!

If I had a little one now I would have NO problem being on the road - in a vehicle at least.
But it all depends on where you are and what the situation is with people trying to
report you to social services etc.
May daughter was raised very alternative in the punk, anarcho, traveller community
and public housing over in England. So she visited many squats, traveller camps, free festivals,
political actions.
I would do it all over again!

Wow. yours is 23 moma?
so, is it as hard as it looks to be?
this is my first child and i'm no spring chicken anymore.

 

[venusinpisces]

if i had a child id make sure he traveled at least from the clothes hanger to the food disposer or dumpster.

Why don't you take that to the abortion thread instead of saying it here to an actual mom? It's all about the context and this is not the right place for that.

 

[venusinpisces]

If I had a little one now I would have NO problem being on the road - in a vehicle at least.
But it all depends on where you are and what the situation is with people trying to
report you to social services etc.
May daughter was raised very alternative in the punk, anarcho, traveller community
and public housing over in England. So she visited many squats, traveller camps, free festivals,
political actions.
I would do it all over again!

That's great you were able to manage it. From everything I've heard, squatting is much more established in Europe so that's a bit different than most places I've been in the US where the buildings are only temporarily occupied. There is the potential to give kids a much greater perception of the world than they will get from sitting in one boring town for their whole childhood. It's all about having some resources so you can do it the right way. Unfortunately, I can tell people all about the wrong way since I've known a small handful that have had their kids snatched up.

Anyone who's serious about it can look into homeschooling organizations. That's the only way to get out of the legal requirement of putting your kids in public school.

 

[EphemeralStick]

if i had kids i think i might want to settle down. I can see how being on the road would expose them to all sorts of good experiences but i would want him/her to have friends and live a semi-normal childhood. when he/she gets older than ill encourage him/her to go out into the world but only after i know i raised them right. i think it would be a sort of passing of the torch thing for me.

 

[Nym]

Why don't you take that to the abortion thread instead of saying it here to an actual mom? It's all about the context and this is not the right place for that.

agreed

 

[Beegod Santana]

Not a parent, but do have some good friends who where raised on the road, and I gotta say they're some of the most solid people I know.

But seriously, fucking breeders.

I'm so sick of this attitude that having kids somehow brings wisdom. If you don't think you could stand seeing your kid live the lifestyle that you yourself take pride in living, then what the fuck are you doing having kids in the first place. Also having a kid gives you no right to tell me what I can and can't joke about. Your fuck up is not my problem.

If I ever have a kid I guarantee you that I won't sell them for any less than the cost of a case of four loko.

 

[Nym]

no one has really said that kids bring wisdom

and yeah we my take pride in this lifestyle but it does have some downfalls
so of course parents are gonna worry

and no one was saying that kids who are raised on the road are pieces of shits
i just personally wouldnt do it myself
more power to the ones who do

and go ahead and joke about whatever you please
no can really stop now can they?

 

[Beegod Santana]

and go ahead and joke about whatever you please
no can really stop now can they?

"dude come on..thats hella fucked up
some of us actually enjoy having kids...
and dont care about hearing about that kinda shit
personally i believe in adoption
im adopted myself....
so come on..none of that shit"

Sounds like you already tried to tell people what they can and can't joke about already. If you believe in adoption, why don't you, you know, like, adopt a kid. Oh wait, because its way easier to get knocked up and get on welfare than actually be competent enough to support a child independently. If you really love your kid, you won't deny or try to drive them away from one of the greatest experiences they can experience. It's easy to deny someone something based on your own insecurities, it takes real strength to let your kids do whats best for them and not what makes you feel the most comfortable.

 

[Nym]

the reason i posted that is because this was started to
get opinions about what people would do or say to there kids
not about how youd rip your unborn fetus out and throw in a dumpster

and your right
i dont have the right to tell people what not to joke about
and i probably shouldnt have posted that
but i did

i believe in adoption as another option to abortion
plus i still have my kid and i dont use welfare to support her
i actually work for my money in a respectable way

i dont want to deny my child a chance to experience this
its just a scary thought to think of her out there
and possibly going through some fucked up shit
but shes going to do what she wants when the times comes
and im going to support her the best i can

i apologize if i offended you in someway

 

[Diagaro]

Though posted elsewhere I think it belongs here more so than where its originally posted

But to answer the thread: Yes, I would strongly encourage my daughter to pickup out of HS graduation and tramp the world - Live free, Die young!

 

[Beegod Santana]

Nym, I'll admit I'm a bit of a jerk and I might be mis-judging you... But when I see a young person with SSI dots on their face with the signature "DIRTY KID" talking about how they couldn't bear to see their kid travel, it all screams hypocrite to me. I honestly believe one of the biggest problems with our society is people feeding kids mixed signals. You're kid will try to imitate you. Being all about the traveling life and at the same time telling your daughter that you'd kill her if she went traveling, what kinda message is that? Whatta ya gonna say when she asks why mommy has face tats? I wouldn't just "let" my kid travel, I'd do it with them from a young age and teach em how to do it right, so that when they do take off on their own they're gonna be one of the most badass kids out there. Although I have to say, based off your profile and attitude, its doesn't seem like you've quite figured out the traveling game yourself yet.

Hope this is a little more in-depth than my earlier drunken posts.

 

[hippychick]

hell yeah! my oldest daughter started travelin with me at 21 an loves the life!! my younger 2 can make their decision when they ready. lovin life!!!

 

[CXR1037]

I wouldn't have kids, but if I did for some reason and they wanted to travel, I'd sit them down and give them a long talk about it, then let them go.

 

[RideMoreTrains]

if i had kids they wouldn't be traveling if i had anything to do with it. its amazing i didn't put my parents in there grave when i was younger. i talk to them regularly now but when i was younger i'd go several months, years on the road with no contact. the shit that must of been going through there heads at the time. i was on the road at a very young age too.

it all screams hypocrite to me. I honestly believe one of the biggest problems with our society is people feeding kids mixed signals. You're kid will try to imitate you. Being all about the traveling life and at the same time telling your daughter that you'd kill her if she went traveling, what kinda message is that?

i don't got face tats (or any tats) and i'm no 'dirty kid'. just a regular person that rides trains and traveled out of necessity. i quit school and hit the road at a very young age. my parents were not wealthy and education was not a priority either. i probably put them through hell but i didn't really get a long with them for a number of years too. i lived this way out of necessity. i gotta keep living this way because its all i know. 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.

 

[venusinpisces]

Sounds like you already tried to tell people what they can and can't joke about already. If you believe in adoption, why don't you, you know, like, adopt a kid. Oh wait, because its way easier to get knocked up and get on welfare than actually be competent enough to support a child independently.

What is your problem? You don't know anything about this girl and whether or not she's on welfare. For all you know she could be holding down several jobs right now. She obviously started this thread because she's trying to do the right thing and be a supportive parent. And do you really think that being a welfare mom is such an easy thing to do? How would you even know, considering that you've obviously never been one? Actually, single moms in this country probably work harder than just about anyone else that I've ever seen. Being a mom in and of itself is basically a full time job.

As for somebody "telling you" what to talk about, nobody was even addressing you in the first place. And "kids bringing wisdom"? What the hell are you talking about??? Definitely not the conversation that's been going on in this thread. You're obviously bringing your own personal problems/prejudices here and expecting everyone else to deal with them.

 

[venusinpisces]

if i had kids they wouldn't be traveling if i had anything to do with it. its amazing i didn't put my parents in there grave when i was younger. i talk to them regularly now but when i was younger i'd go several months, years on the road with no contact. the shit that must of been going through there heads at the time. i was on the road at a very young age too.


i don't got face tats (or any tats) and i'm no 'dirty kid'. just a regular person that rides trains and traveled out of necessity. i quit school and hit the road at a very young age. my parents were not wealthy and education was not a priority either. i probably put them through hell but i didn't really get a long with them for a number of years too. i lived this way out of necessity. i gotta keep living this way because its all i know. 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.

Good points and this is obviously what the OP was getting at when she said she would think twice about letting her kid travel.
There are different ways to travel and if you have a stable middle class home to go back to when it gets cold out then it's a lot easier to think of it as an "exciting adventure". It can be an adventure anyways but there's no denying there are risks that any reasonably caring parent should be concerned about.

 

[Nym]

Nym, I'll admit I'm a bit of a jerk and I might be mis-judging you... But when I see a young person with SSI dots on their face with the signature "DIRTY KID" talking about how they couldn't bear to see their kid travel, it all screams hypocrite to me. I honestly believe one of the biggest problems with our society is people feeding kids mixed signals. You're kid will try to imitate you. Being all about the traveling life and at the same time telling your daughter that you'd kill her if she went traveling, what kinda message is that? Whatta ya gonna say when she asks why mommy has face tats? I wouldn't just "let" my kid travel, I'd do it with them from a young age and teach em how to do it right, so that when they do take off on their own they're gonna be one of the most badass kids out there. Although I have to say, based off your profile and attitude, its doesn't seem like you've quite figured out the traveling game yourself yet.

Hope this is a little more in-depth than my earlier drunken posts.

well i get what your saying
and i never told my child id kill her and that i couldnt bear to see her travel
it was just a thought i had run through my head
and made think about if id really want her too
because its not an easy life style to live sometimes
and she would understand what im saying anyways...shes only a month

i wouldnt tell my kid not to travelin but
i also wouldnt sit there romanticize about it in front her
i love this life style and i traveled for a while
and the only reason i stoped was beause i got prego
and the father didnt want to put her up for adoption
i love her to death and i do what i can for her when i see her
i do the best i can without collecting ssi
and having a tattoo on my face doesnt mean i cant work
theres plenty of jobs you can work were there ok to have

and when i comes down to it and she has those questions about my life and
my tatts and stuff
ill tell her the truth but ill also tell her that i wont her
to atleast finish school and to look in to other options for
then just traveling
i started it for my own reason and yeah i didnt really know shit when i started
but i learned and grew into a better traveler
so if she does decide to travel ill teah her everything i know

 

[Beegod Santana]

You're obviously bringing your own personal problems/prejudices here and expecting everyone else to deal with them.

Right... cause I'm totally the first person to do that on this thread.

Or in other words, I'm stimulating the conversation!!

 

[venusinpisces]

Right... cause I'm totally the first person to do that on this thread.

Or in other words, I'm stimulating the conversation!!

The main difference is that the OP was simply asking for advice whereas you were stooping to personal attacks for no particular reason whatsoever. And I'm sorry, but going after a newly single mom just because you feel like it is pretty pathetic.

 

[Dameon]

#1: You had a kid, Nym? Holy shit. Everybody's popping them out right now.

#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.