Rules for Teens Going to Their First Concert

A dad's guidelines for his daughter's first concert without him.

Last week's tragic bombing at a Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England is horrible, and especially alarming for parents who have teens itching to go to their first concert without parents.

As music writer, blogger and dad Eric Alper puts it, his first reaction after the terrorist attack was that his 14-year-old daughter would never go to a concert without him. The parent defense mechanisms are strong! But with a little prompting and discussion with his daughter, the two came up with an action plan called: "14 Ways Your Daughter Can Go to a Show With her 14-Year-Old Friend."

Much of the plan extends around having a cell phone that can be used for safety precautions and in case of emergency. For example, the number one rule is "My parents are putting a data plan on my phone so that I don’t have to rely on access to Wifi if I need it to reach them" and No. 2, "I'll keep a fully charged battery" on the phone.

Other common-sense rules:

• We will stick together. When one of us goes to the bathroom or to get a drink, we both go. Always. No exceptions.
• I will keep a contact card with emergency contact information inside my iPhone case and An ID card with my name and contact information for my parents will be in my pocket or purse in case I lose my phone. At 14, I don’t have a driver’s license.
• My parents will have the phone numbers for my friend that I’m going to the show with and their parents and vice versa.
• I will make sure that I have phone numbers in my contacts for all of my family (i.e. grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc.).

Going to your first concert with friends is a rite of passage and something kids love to do. Take a minute to spark the conversation with your teen on common-sense safety even beyond a concert — think amusement park or sporting event. Use Alper and his daughter's 14 Ways list as a guide. It's always better to be prepared and have plan in case of the unthinkable.