I am keeping these ideas of the parents who there now (or have been) in mind. As I said, for their HS years it is likely that Spring Break will be spent on the beach with their various cousins and hopefully other (adult) extended family.

DB i mostly agree with your posts. my youngest will be 17 when she graduates from high school this spring. she is absolutely not allowed to go on any kind of trip..she and her friends have had a road trip across the country planned since they were in 3rd grade lol..umm guess whos not going? all of them lol…i never told her she couldnt cause i figured id cross that bridge when i came to it and as i was hoping it never came to pass. her age is one thing-imo no one underage (18) should go with friends on a vacation simply for legal reasons if nothing else. i have given this last child (out of 5) a lot more freedom than her older sibs and it really had paid off. she is responsible—not to say she doesnt do things i dont agree with-and not to say she wont do something stupid in the future.the main thing i worry about is any underage drinking or being around pot–i tell her if shes doing it or if she isnt, if shes around when it happens then she will go down with the crowd. i hope she understands this. im sure next summer after she turns 18 (and had 1 year of college under her belt) she will be wanting to go on a trip with friends. at that time she will be told-you are 18-make sure you have resources to get out of any trouble you may get into…of course there is no way id let her stay in a jail somewhere-but she has to know how hard it would be for her to get in trouble states away. she has had some experience of kids in trouble with her older brothers so she understands a little more than most-and she doesnt seem to have that kid attitude of ‘it wont happen to me’ she knows it can. so i can only hope and pray i have taught her well and she wont screw her life up making a stupid mistake or being with the wrong people. thats really all we can ever do.

as far as rules in my house–let me know where you are-when you are on the way home-DONT wake me up coming in making noise!!!! and there are also rules about certain places shes not allowed to go–which is really never an issue as she has the same friends from birth almost.

But in her defense . . .

They flew to Honduras to volunteer at an orphanage, the “guys” were all 8-12 year old boys, and she and her friend spent the week tutoring English, driving cattle on horseback, and milking cows. And since the friend did not speak Spanish, my daughter also assumed the role of interpreter. There was virtually no internet of phone service, as the area is very impoverished. And she is 21 year old college junior, so while I still give my opinion, the decisions she makes are hers.

But next year as Seniors they are planning a cruise. :)

I’m just pointing out, I DO agree with you for the most part.

@FCM: yes, parents do have some control over their 20 something year old. I am in college, and my mom has some say over me. For instance, I want a dog, but my mom says I need to wait. She told me point blank: if I get a dog, she will no longer pay rent. Money talks. I have a job, but I am a full time student and cannot work enough to pay rent, bills, food, gas, etc.

It is honestly my experience that high school spring breaks are almost crazier than college spring breaks. In high school it’s all about breaking rules, but college is more just about having fun with your friends. In college, you have freedom all the time, not just the one week of spring break. There’s no need to act up on spring break.

I do trust my kids, but I don’t trust other people’s kids and adults who prey on them, especially when there is alcohol. Unsupervised kids whose parents push/allow them into situations they are ill-prepared for.

When I was a grad student the usage at the university women’s clinic SKYROCKETED right after spring break, and it wasn’t because of sunburn.

Of course, a lot of what is discussed on this blog is foreign to me (co-ed sleepovers was one). I was raised with conservative behavior standards (not conservative in other ways, mind you), and my standards for my kids were almost as conservative. As a teacher I see too many kids whose parents give them “freedom” they are not prepared to handle. We get lots of grandmas and grandpas that way. Sometimes I think it is the parents who want the freedom.

Let your children be adults when they ARe adults, IMHO.

Give them a little credit, and a little lee-way. Life is full of stupid decisions, all of us have made them. Let them go and make their own stupid decisions. They won’t all get killed on spring break.

Catlady, do you know the ENTIRE story as to why your friend’s kids were assaulted. Maybe they had a little too much to drink and started something they couldn’t finish………

My kids, have been going to PCB for spring break since they were seniors in high school, and not one incident has happened.

You are doing your kids a disservice by keeping them attached to the apron strings. Let them flex their wings, and see what happens.

Not all teenagers do stupid things. There are some pretty responsible ones out there……..

A friend just had her early 20s sons go to PC and they were assaulted within hours of arrival by some people at the pool. One ended up in the hospital with a broken jaw (and no insurance). No security guards, no film, and the police did a less than aggressive job in investigating (did not file a report, for instance). So far the med bills alone are over $10,000. His mouth will be wired for about 8 weeks.