Worry wart mom question: concert
My child wants to drive to Oakland to see a concert with a friend. Those freeways to get there are a nightmare and I don't fancy them hanging out for hours and getting lost or hit by another car not to mention creeps that might hang around. Also, at these concerts where mostly young girls go to, where are the parents, and is there a place to hang out until it's over with.
Should I just camp out in the parking lot with a cooler, blanket and book?
= new reply since forum marked as read
Our kids are are over 21 but not 27 yet.
Still 
My wife and I both have our own stories to frighten our children with and we've been honest. So far I don't think our kids have experienced worse. At least I hope not. If they have they'll have stories for their own kids.
Me and my siblings were wild things and it's lucky we all survived. Two of my siblings left home at 16. I was more conservative. I just quit high school and slept on the porch. Later I was living in my car in a church parking lot but my parents didn't hear that story until I was in my forties.
The "no questions asked, no judgment" rule is a good one. Listen my lovely child, don't drive if you are impaired, we'll pay for a taxi or we'll pick you up. And if you get into any other kind of serious trouble we'll move the world to get you out of it. (But sorry, you are on your own for speeding tickets, parking tickets, and other ordinary dumb-ass young person behavior...)
It's really difficult as a parent to know how much trust you can safely extend to your kid, and not every kid is the same. I have some stories about that too but my kids know I'm "hunter" on DU.
Even when you are the perfect parent there will be many nights you cannot sleep until your kids are safely home and tucked into bed.
As many know here by now I've had a rather long history of depression, anxiety and the like and although I'm 31 I've lived my life up till now more like a 17 yr old. Lived with my parents my whole live up till now, only left their side for a week at most. So yeah in many ways I'm like a teenager, even at my age. But this past month or so I'm making strides to improve myself and have started the process of FINALLY getting out there on my own. I can tell you my parents worry about me even now at my age. I'm going camping in a few weeks for 5 days, never done anything like this before and I'll be driving up. I'm a new driver too. They worry but are accepting and supportive. Again I can't tell you if you should be really concerned or not (you will be anyway 
), or what to do. Just adding my story.