Heavens

Thank you for your kind words. This is a life changing trip for her, I am sure. They have been very tight with money and made some poor decisions along the way, but nothing that has caused long term harm. They have learned a lot and I am so proud of them all for pulling this trip off. My daughter was not a planner but was invited to go to balance off the four; two girls, two guys. I can't wait to hear her trip report.

I have two amazing children. They are smart and outgoing, friendly and responsible. I think overall we have been good parents. Maybe not perfect.

I too used to travel the world; I was paid to do it. I remember telling my Mom the story about shopping alone in India and my cab breaking down and the driver got out and banged on the engine with a hammer so we could get out of the rough neighborhood. After the look on her face, I chose more stories that I told her more carefully.

I think we all want our children to go out and explore the world and all it has to offer. My opinion is this is not the same world that I explored 30 years ago. It is much more dangerous and we hear about it constantly on the news. For those of you that don't worry about your kids, maybe that makes you a better parent. I don't think I know how to do that, completely...more power to you; you must be a better parent than I, or we...

portiaperu

Heavens,

I'm glad your daughter is safe and sound.

I didn't comment earlier , butc I feel compelled to write that you certainly may "worry" about your children. I put it in quotes because worrying is different things to different people.

I am a protective parent although I keep it to myself as my children are out and about in the world.

I was raised by a father who had some significant concerns about safety. For example, until the day he died, he would call me to make sure I got home after visiting with him (a one hour drive). He often phoned with weather reports before I left for work in the morning or before my commute home.

What may appear to be overly protective to some may be an expression of love to others.

If you and your children have a mutually satisfying relationship I wouldn't "worry" about a thing.

And, I wish my Dad would call me one more time to warn me about driving too fast, the rain on the roads, or the snow that's predicted to fall . . . .

LoveItaly

I do too, portiapeur, as my late beloved father would call at exactly 4:30PM our time if anyone was was least bit ill to see how the ill family member was doing. He only stayed on the phone a few short minutes but knowing he cared and had the ill one in his mind remains in my mind to this day. What more can I say. We love and care about our family members. Having said that I and also loved ones who travelled before cell phones and computers went weeks without being in touch. A way of life. Not so much any more. Wishes that your daughter gets home as planned, Heavens and also wishes that she had a wonderful time in Europe.

mztery

jeez tough crowd..for me the operative info was that Heavens had been hearing from DD and her friends every few days till now. So of course she would have expected to hear from them.

Heavens

Her plane landed safely, she is with her friend's family, going to their house to rest and swim. Turns out there were a few messages she sent on FB that I did not get, which explains some of the confusion.

Thanks guys. So true what you say, it feels so good to be loved and cared for. We are a close family. I am thrilled that she is home and sounds great and happy...

Raven01

I once flew from the American midwest to Texas with a friend. I contacted my mother regularly, and I am sure made the normal "I'll call when I land" statement.

Well, I forgot, and unbeknownst to me, had mono to boot. I was exhausted and cut my phone off in order to preserve the battery. I checked once to see if they had called, but the messages took a few minutes to register - and at that point, I was napping. When my father finally reached me, he cried out "I found her" and then broke down sobbing. My mom relayed that they got really, really worried when I did not call when I landed, and could only confirm from the airline that the flight had landed safely. With no contact numbers, they were in panic mode.

Since I was actually traveling with a friend, I figured that they would not expect such regular contact. When I told my friend's mother the story, she responded "Oh no, honey, you always call your momma."

With regular contact, I'm not surprised that the OP was worried when her kid fell off the radar. Families are all different - some travel extensively with no contact, while others are expecting a regular update. I'm more than self-sufficient - but my mom and dad do expect the 'all is good' phone call. It's not apron strings - it's life, especially when typical patterns are broken.

It's good to know the OP has heard all is well. I'm sure you cannot wait for the update from your daughter!

charnees

Ah, good old FB!! There were some messages you did not get!! That tells me again that FB is not to be depended upon. I've had that experience, too. Yet today DD and family are driving from Lake Tahoe, CA to Las Vegas, and GD is sending photos of the ride from her cell phone about once an hour -- and those are coming through. FB is so erratic!

Also, DD spent a year in Europe at age 21, in the 1980s, and we heard from her about once every 60 days. Part of that time she was by herself, living with her Italian boyfriend's family. Living arrangements were not spelled out.

LoveItaly

This thread just reminded me of an incident that happened back in the 80's. A young Italian man had stayed the summer with us and we drove him to SFO as he was to fly from SFO on NWA to Amsterdam and than on to Venice. Well many hours (something like 10 hours) after he didn't arrive at the Venice airport, his home being in the Region of Veneto, his mother called us worried sick. We called NWA and after talking to many people they had nothing to offer except he had arrived in Amsterdam. But after that..where was he? He had been missing for hours. Long story short I called Alitalia although he was not flying on their planes and explained the problem. This was back when Alitalia who at the time was a great airline and who we always flew with and who gave great service. Anyway, within two hour Alitalia called us to advise that they had "found" our young adult Italian friend at the Amsterdam airport. His flight to Venice had been cancelled and he and other Italians were stuck at the airport. Alitalia made arrangments for our young friend to take one of their flights to Malpensa where he could than after taking the shuttle bus to Milan could take the train home. They again again called us when their plane landed in Malpensa to let us know our young friend was in Italy and when I so thanked them said "signora, we always make sure our children get home to Italy". Sweet memories. We called the the young man's mother and she was so relieved. I can't imagine that kind of caring service now but it sure was overly appreciated at the time time. And most mothers all over the world want to know their children, regardless of their age, are safe and sound.