We did a dry run of the bus ride on Friday and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I spoke to the drivers and her teachers who are familiar with the busses and from their statements I felt comfortable with her taking the bus to and from school.
I remember being fifteen and my thoughts weren't so different from hers but things are not what they used to be when I was her age. My daughter is beautiful, out going, very out spoken and doesn't have a shy bone in her body. I worry about her being so friendly and trusting. She was on the phone with me while she waited for the bus and called me once she got to each destination. She said, although she was a little nervous she felt better and not as nervous.
I do worry about everything else that comes with her being 15. I consider my self to have a pretty good relationship with her. We talk about everything, we have our individual time together away from the family. She has a "special friend" that visits her and they are both pretty focused on their academics. My husband and I make sure to communicate with them about the reality of life. They both have many questions and we do all that we can to answer them in a way they can understand w/o being too detailed.
I find that with kids today you have to be very honest with them. Kids want to be told the truth and treated with respect. Now that my daughter has her "special friend" I am very open with her and him about the facts of life. I am very big on trust. I express to my children that if I can trust you to do the right thing, you will have a very happy teen life. If you prove me otherwise then, I can't say you will have such a great teen time.
Thus far, she has not violated the trust and every day she shows me that i can keep on trusting her. My Mom always says: Do not trust your teenager. I trust mine as far as I can see them. ;-) teenagers feel they know everything.
Do you trust your teen?
