Costa Rica

ScrapHappy · ‎03-28-2010

My daughter comes home from school today and said that she will have the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica with her 8th grade Spanish class. I told her I'm not so thrilled about this and she went on to say that they will have security/security guards with them. That didn't make me feel any better, the need for security guards on a school trip. My daughter is 14, a young 14. I held her back a year due her being born so early. She is not the mature 14 year old and has no street smarts per say. She is book smart and has a heart of gold. Would you allow your child to go?

lolakimono · ‎03-29-2012

@ScrapHappy

Absolutely!

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Spanish teacher and I don't have kids.

Does she need an additional chaperone?

ScrapHappy · ‎03-28-2010

@lolakimono wrote:
@ScrapHappy
Absolutely!

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Spanish teacher and I don't have kids.

Does she need an additional chaperone?

I'm assuming there will be chaperones. It's only the second week of school.

lolakimono · ‎03-29-2012

@ScrapHappy wrote:
@lolakimono wrote:
@ScrapHappy
Absolutely!

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Spanish teacher and I don't have kids.

Does she need an additional chaperone?
I'm assuming there will be chaperones. It's only the second week of school.

@ScrapHappy

Yes, I was hoping for an invitation.

I would LOVE to go to Costa Rica! It's a great "hook" at that age, because there are a lot of outdoor activities (ziplining, hiking, learning about flora/fauna) that get them interested in travel and then they see a reason to use their Spanish.

Still Stylish Lady · ‎08-03-2019

It's a good experience for youngsters to be able to visit such laces. I believe Costa Rica is one of the safer central American nations.

tsavorite · ‎03-09-2010

I would only say yes if you as her parent are able to go with her.

Janey2 · ‎06-07-2010

With all the strange occurrences (deaths) there recently, no. It is not worth the worry. She has a whole lifetime to travel.

gizmogal · ‎05-09-2014

The way to help her grow up is for you to let go and for her to have new experiences. If it was my daughter, even a “young” 14 with extra sweetness and less coolness, I’d be scared, but I’d say yes.

She’ll be chaperoned and guided by teachers or other traveling adults; the security personnel are there because they are safety professionals. Teachers teach and control children’s behavior and decorum, security folks do the protecting, vetting and escorting. That sounds ideal, not frightening.

Costa Rica is lovely and civilized, and very friendly to Americans. One way to grow up and find your way to being independent, sophisticated, and flexible is to travel with supervision, experience the necessity to look after your belongings and keep to a schedule, stay with the group, make good choices. Your daughter will gain confidence and feel excited and special, no matter how much or little her Spanish improves. All good!

Say yes; start giving her practice with opportunities to make more decisions and to learn to resist peer pressures in case there are kids being silly on the trip. Share research with her on the culture and facts about Costa Rica, and let her know that you have confidence in her. Your goal is to have a strong, capable, adult woman when your parenting influence wanes in just a few years. It doesn’t happen without practice.

Examine honestly whether your hesitation to give permission is your concern for her being able to handle it or your fear of letting her grow up from a young 14 to a more competent and confident 14 out of your presence.

gizmogal · ‎05-09-2014

@Janey2 wrote:
With all the strange occurrences (deaths) there recently, no. It is not worth the worry. She has a whole lifetime to travel.

Those strange occurrences have been associated with tainted alcohol in resorts in Costa Rica. I don’t think 14 year olds on a school trip are going to be drinking alcohol.

Being a young teen is still old enough to travel with a group. She’s not going alone. Instilling fear at 14 is unfair. If she’s brave enough to want to go, she ought to get the chance. Affordability is a good reason to say no. But using fear as a reason means you're licked before you start.

Sooner · ‎03-10-2010

@ScrapHappy wrote:
My daughter comes home from school today and said that she will have the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica with her 8th grade Spanish class. I told her I'm not so thrilled about this and she went on to say that they will have security/security guards with them. That didn't make me feel any better, the need for security guards on a school trip. My daughter is 14, a young 14. I held her back a year due her being born so early. She is not the mature 14 year old and has no street smarts per say. She is book smart and has a heart of gold. Would you allow your child to go?

In this case: NO.