Making Sure the Kids Are All Right, Even if You Don’t Go

When should parents relent and let a child attend a rock concert without them?

Pediatrician Timothy F. Doran says it can be a tough call. He recommends that parents consider these factors:

* Is the child mature enough? “The difference between a 13-year-old and a 17-year-old is a chasm,” he says.

* Are you ready? Some parents will have a hard time letting go, and that’s OK, Doran says. “You go by how you feel, not what Johnny’s mother does.”

* Know the concert. There’s a big difference between letting a child go with friends to a folk concert and letting them go to hear Marilyn Manson.

“The more we know about what our children are doing, the better we are informed to make decisions,” he says.

* Protect your kids’ hearing by giving them earplugs. Rock concerts can cause hearing loss that might not show up for years. --Baltimore Sun