My thirteen year old son just returned from three weeks of traveling in Europe.  He went with a group of students.  He did not go with any family members.  He certainly did not go with me, his mother.  I was stressed for months prior to his departure.  I cried at the mention of his name the entire time he was gone.  The sheer and utter relief I felt when I saw his face, safely home, was overwhelming. I will admit, the weeks went by more quickly than I'd anticipated.  He loved the trip,had a great time and can't stop talking about it.  For him, it was essentially hassle free.  On the home front, my husband and I wrangled with Global Traveler plans that didn't activate, ATM cards that weren't working, and massive international data plan overages due to the excessive use of Facebook by our son, the world traveler.  None of this bothered him for more than a minute.  All Max had to do was call, text or email one of us and we got to work and got it sorted.  I guess that is the beauty of being the kid, not the parent.  I had the kind of parents who were always there to help me solve my problems, big or small.  I'm happy to be that kind of parent now, for my own kids. I can't find my this or that is clearly manageable by a thirteen year old.  My international calling plan isn't activated, well, that one is a good one for mom and dad.  There are many take aways I can share from letting my thirteen year old travel the world without me.  One of the most glaring ?  It doesn't matter where your kids are, or how old they are, or what they are doing.  They still need their parents.  And especially mom.  This is music to my ears !