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As the parents of teens, my husband and I work to balance being mindful of how they spend their time and giving them more freedom as they get older. In our Northern Virginia suburban neighborhood, that can be tricky, as there are daily posts on Nextdoor, Ring, and other social media about what the local kids are up to.
But as our two kids grow and take on more responsibilities at school and in other activities, we try to give them low-stakes opportunities for greater autonomy — particularly since our oldest is heading to college in the fall.One practical way has come courtesy of Amtrak trains.My in-laws live a few hours away, and each summer, each of our kids has a few days at what we all call "Grandma and Papa Camp."Sometimes we drive them to their grandparents' home, or we'll meet halfway to drop off or pick up one of our kids.But more recently, each of our kids has made the approximately 3-hour train trip on their own, traveling separately during their respective weeks at camp.Since our kids were under 16 when we started doing this , we needed to follow certain rules, including planning the trip between two crewed stations.The booking process takes a little longer than when buying other Amtrak tickets because you cannot make a reservation for an unaccompanied minor online or in the Amtrak app. Instead, you have to book by phone or purchase a ticket at a station with a ticket office.When you make the reservation, you're given instructions for the next steps: Arrive at least one hour prior to departure, and be ready to see the station manager to complete some paperwork to confirm details about you, the child traveling, and their destination. It doesn't take long to complete it once you find the station manager, which we imagine may be more challenging at larger stations.The rest of the process is similarly structured: The manager gives a wristband to the child traveling and asks them a few basic questions, such as where they are getting off the train and who is meeting them at the station. You're then told where to stand on the platform and which car your child should board when the train arrives.Our kids were each escorted onto the train by an Amtrak employee and shown where to sit. Our kids tend to be seated in the café car, which is staffed. That made us more comfortable, and our kids consider that spot a perk, since passengers aren't usually encouraged to linger. They each got to stay for the length of their trip and even had a table to themselves.When the train approaches their stop, a conductor makes sure the traveling child is ready. Once the train arrives at the station and our traveler is in the care of their grandparents or us, off they go.While it was slightly unnerving the first time each kid waved goodbye from the train, it feels ordinary now. Our son enjoys looking out the window and taking pictures of familiar places along the route, and our daughter tends to spend her train time reading.It's a short trip, but we appreciate that they can exercise some independence and enjoy the train on their own during the day and for short distances.A side perk is that they have been earning Amtrak Guest Rewards points along the way, which we can use for a family trip to New York or an adventure on the Auto Train.
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