justme1961
Gold
Reged: 03/11/08
Posts: 188
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My son, 14 (almost 15), has a dentist appointment tomorrow. It is in the middle of the day which means he will have to leave school and return when the appointment is finished. The dentist’s office is about ½ mile from my son’s school. I took the entire day off from work, figuring I could take him to his appointment then spend the rest of the day packing and moving. (Our move is taking WAY TOO LONG because we only have a small pickup truck and I am the only one who drives.)
Anyway, my husband thinks I am babying my son. He thinks he should WALK to his appointment. I think I should take him, especially since our former dentist retired and my son has never even met the new guy. However, he does not mind imposing on me to take him to HIS appointments-some of which he could walk to.
When my daughter was in her junior and senior years of HS I let her take the closest school bus to the dentist’s office and then she would either stay with a friend until I could pick her up or walk home (about 1.5 miles). The difference is she was older, her appointments were AFTER school and she was familiar with the dentist.
Am I being overprotective? I know a lot of you have teenage children, so I value your opinion.
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jststartinova
Platinum
Reged: 05/28/08
Posts: 294
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I would take him - I always took my kids until they were old enough to drive themselves and then only if they were comfortable going without me did I not go....
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germangirl631
Platinum
Reged: 04/04/08
Posts: 1281
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If this is a new dentist, won't he have to fill out forms for his first visit? I think I would want to do that myself, and not leave it to my minor son.
Also, can your son sign himself out of school? They can't do it in my district. A parent has to sign them out for Dr visits. Otherwise, it's considered truancy.
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Starion
Gold
Reged: 03/04/08
Posts: 142
Loc: South Florida
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My 11 year old walks a little over a mile to go to the dentist/orthodontist - on his own. So does our 14 year old - and has for several years.
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WhatNext
Platinum
Reged: 10/11/06
Posts: 285
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Give the kid some room to breath. He will be fine gertting there on his own.
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germangirl631
Platinum
Reged: 04/04/08
Posts: 1281
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Starion, Do they do this during school time? How do the kids get off the school campus without being questioned by the authorities in charge? Where I live, all school entrances are monitored by a person who watches who comes and goes - mostly for the safety of the kids. You think they're going to just let a kid leave because they want to?
I can see a kid walking to the orthodontist on their own. But during school time? I can't get past that "how do they get out of school?" thing. Can they sign themselves out?
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Motor-Head
Platinum
Reged: 02/07/08
Posts: 689
Loc: 10,000 RPM
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Yes you are.
Gee he is 14 almost 15
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justme1961
Gold
Reged: 03/11/08
Posts: 188
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Thanks for all of your responses.
It is not the actual going to the dentist by himself I am worried about-although he is not familiar with the new dentist. He has gone by himself before-I gave him a ride and he walked home (I had another appointment to go to).
I am concerned about him checking himself in and out of school. I haven’t even discussed it with him, so I don’t know how he feels. I called the school. If I send a dismissal note he can sign himself out. I guess HS is a little different than JrHS. His JrHS was locked at all times and parents had to sign the kids out.
It is funny, my daughter just graduated from the HS in June. I all the time she was there I never ran into anything like this.
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germangirl631
Platinum
Reged: 04/04/08
Posts: 1281
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I just have to comment here on the difference in answers between the genders. Guys have the permissive approach. Girls worry about the rules. I think it's very interesting.
If your son can sign himself out of school, let him! If you feel like you need to check up on him when he should be back, call the office to make sure he signed back in. You can get your house cleaning done in peace, without interruption.
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justme1961
Gold
Reged: 03/11/08
Posts: 188
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I noticed the same thing...although I am surprised by my husband. He usually thinks any opportunity my son has to get in trouble he WILL get in trouble, so he normally takes away the opportunity. Maybe it is a sign he is starting to trust him more or maybe he just feels anyone he could get in trouble with will be in school.
Who knows, I am tired of trying to figure out men!
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