After her world-wind summer camp in China, my daughter and I had planned another trip for her. It was after all summer and she wanted to fill her days with mindless lounging around a pool. She also wants to catch up on her sleep and have breakfast at noon and doom scrolling TikTok for most of the day. For me, I had work to do and so I stayed home after driving her to the airport. This time, she had no chaperone and there was no group of international students to clump with. This time she was truly by herself. It was a moment we had planned for since she was 8 years-old.
I walked her to security and got as far as I could. I could see her putting her carry-on onto a plastic bin and walked through the detector. From a distance, I noticed no fewer than 3 security guards at different times having conversation with her. Later, she told me they wanted to ensure she knew where she was going and if she knew the way. She truly felt that the secured area of the airports are the safest places in the world.
I tracked her flight on my phone and knew the exact moment it was reported to have touched down in Vegas. My daughter confirmed the same with a text and began searching for the arrivals exit. I received another text from my good friend and his wife that they have confirmed eyes on her and enroute to intercept!
What followed was a week with their slightly younger daughter spending time lying in the sun, swimming, mini-golfing and doom scrolling TikTok. They went out for dinner a few times and since it’s at the house of my university buddy I’ve known since forever, they are closer than family—without all the sibling drama.
Sampling Vegas in this way, she won’t ever need to gorge outrageously and inappropriately later.
Did she gamble? Well, if anyone has ever been to Vegas, they will know that even light bulbs have security cameras and plain clothes security personnel everywhere to make sure minors do not linger on the casino floor. Did she drink? I’m sure she got to clandestinely sample some of the best Chianti that either of the adults ordered. Did she take in a show, yes very age-appropriate K-Pop Demon Hunters sing-along. (In Vegas, every movie can be turned into a riotous sing-along.) And did she get hassled by hustlers and street performers with aggressive showgirl costumes? Absolutely! And her immediate thought was how can they stand the heat and humidity with all that make-up and a feather boa! It was incredible and Vegas was at its best! It delivered another memorable experience, a 15 year-old version!
I know my friends are great parents and will watch over my daughter like she’s their own. And without me there, my daughter’s ring fence expanded enormously. Sending her to Vegas is the greatest confidence builder she’s ever felt and completely fostered her own independence. She recognized this special opportunity and took full advantage of it. With so much freedom, she had no need to explore dangerously. No need to stroll off the beaten strip. No need to sneak into a bar with fake ID to sample alcohol. No need to sneak in to drop a coin in a slot when she can walk through the casino floor on their way to the pool. Essentially, with so much already out in the open to delight her senses, there was no need for private tables and private rooms.
At the end of the trip, she was dropped off at the departure gate and took her second red-eye back to me—travelling on her own again. This time, there were fewer people confirming where she needed to go. This time, she’s even more familiar and confident as a solo traveler; she’s becoming a road warrior.
When I picked her up in the morning, she asked if we could visit Vegas again. “Of course. Every time you go to Vega, there’ll be different venues and different experiences. For you, we can go again when you’re 18 and when you’re 21…so you can finally have your Chianti in the open!”
There are truly wonderful under-18 experiences to be had. Sampling Vegas in this way, she won’t ever need to gorge outrageously and inappropriately later.
