STBX travel long-distance w/ young child

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-28-2006
STBX travel long-distance w/ young child
2
Sat, 11-24-2007 - 10:56pm

Actually young children ... my two dds (ages 5 and 7). He wants to fly from our major city to another major city and then drive 300+ miles to his sister's home.

I have no objections to the girls being with their cousins, but the more I contemplate the logistics of the trip I am very worried about their safety.

Does anyone have experience with letting their young female children travel alone with their father? What happens when he needs to use the bathroom at the airport or a roadside service area -- he can't leave them out in the halls to wait for him and my oldest is too old to go in with him. And he can't send them into those huge ladies rooms with who knows who in them by themselves.

And he isn't used to keeping track of them. My youngest is a wanderer. As he is busy with loading/unloading luggage or checking in or going through security etc ... what might happen?!!!

There is nothing I can do about the fact he is a poor driver and falls asleep at the wheel -- that is his word against mine.

If this trip comes to pass I think there is a 50/50% chance he will lose one of them in the airport. If they make it to the other end and the rental car I think there is at least a 50/50% chance he will have a car accident on the long drives involved in the mid-west.

Anyway, wondering if any of you have experience with this -- if there is any rule of thumb about what is a reasonable/safe age limit to let children travel alone with their parent of the opposite sex.

Thanks!

M

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2001
Mon, 11-26-2007 - 8:48am

I think it depends on how well he takes care of the kids and how much you trust him.

~calla~  mom to rosie and gracie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 12-20-2007 - 5:46pm

I agree... most airports (and larger hotels where you can just drop in and borrow their facilities whether you're staying that night or not) have family bathrooms... and all of the major airlines will give a gate pass for a designated adult to accompany the child/ren to the gate, and will give a gate pass for the assigned adult to pick up at the gate on the other end, and typically, children are pretty well attended during flights--but I strongly suggest non-stop flights for kids that young.


Good luck!


Karen ~ wildlucky4me

Karen ~ wildlucky4me ~