DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Our youngest son has always been adventurous, but now he’s got his mom worrying herself sick about his plans to travel solo through Europe this fall as a post-graduation gift to himself.
I believe our son has a good head on his shoulders, but I can appreciate his mom’s concerns, especially with some of the things going on over there right now. What can I say to help ease her worries? --- DAD OF AN ADVENTURER
DEAR DAD OF AN ADVENTURER: Bad things happen to even the cleverest, most well-grounded people, and I can see why a parent would be worried. For me, I know I’d feel better if my kid were traveling with at least one other person.
What could be of some help is if your son’s able to give you at least a basic itinerary of where he expects to go and how he expects to get there. Hopefully, he’ll check in periodically with updates to his plans as they evolve. Time zone differences are a potential complication, but even a text or email on a planned day of the week may help reassure his mom while he’s away.
Also, if he’s into social media, and if he’s okay with it, you could join any groups on which he’s likely to post updates of his travels.