{"id":5825,"date":"2026-07-30T09:06:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T09:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5825"},"modified":"2026-07-30T09:06:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T09:06:20","slug":"harriette-cole-i-never-signed-off-on-the-trip-my-teen-took-with-her-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5825","title":{"rendered":"Harriette Cole: I never signed off on the trip my teen took with her friend"},"content":{"rendered":"
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DEAR HARRIETTE:<\/strong> During July 4th weekend, my 16-year-old daughter went up to her best friend\u2019s cabin.<\/p>\n

Read more Today in History: July 30, India plunged into world\u2019s biggest blackout<\/a><\/p>\n

I was under the impression that her parents were going to drive my daughter and her friend there since it\u2019s a four-hour drive and both girls have had their licenses for only a few months. Instead, my daughter\u2019s friend drove her up to the cabin.<\/p>\n

My husband and I weren\u2019t ever asked if this was OK; my daughter lied to her friend\u2019s parents and said we agreed to this plan.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t find out about the drive until after they had already arrived safely. When I called to check in, my daughter casually mentioned that her friend had driven the entire way.<\/p>\n

I was shocked and immediately called the other parents, who were just as surprised as me. They said my daughter assured them that we had given permission, so they didn\u2019t think there was a problem.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, nothing happened and they made it there safely, but I can\u2019t stop thinking about what could have gone wrong. Am I overreacting or is this a breach of my trust?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Teenagers<\/em><\/p>\n

DEAR TEENAGERS<\/strong>: In some states, it is illegal for teenagers to drive other teenagers without an adult in the car. There are also restrictions on driving at night. Check the rules where you live.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

t\u2019s odd to me that this friend\u2019s parents didn\u2019t check in with you about the trip, and, more, that they allowed their daughter to make that long drive.<\/p>\n

You are not wrong in being alarmed. Make it clear to your daughter and her friend\u2019s parents that your daughter cannot do that again.<\/p>\n

Read more Dear Abby: My neighbor came over six times yesterday<\/a><\/p>\n

DEAR HARRIETTE:<\/strong> My roommate recently got a puppy, but she never checked in with me to see if it was OK.<\/p>\n

I am not a fan of dogs \u2014 especially having one living in my house. He isn\u2019t potty-trained, so feces are being left all over the house. He also barks all the time for no reason, even in the middle of the night.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

When we first moved in together, my roommate and I agreed that any major decisions involving the apartment would be discussed beforehand.<\/p>\n

I consider bringing a pet into a shared living space to be one of those decisions, especially since both of us pay equal rent. Instead, she surprised me by walking through the front door one evening with a puppy and acted like it wasn\u2019t a big deal. She told me I would \u201cfall in love with him eventually,\u201d but that hasn\u2019t happened.<\/p>\n

Beyond the barking and accidents, I feel like I\u2019ve lost the peaceful home I signed up for. The apartment constantly smells like pet odor, and I find myself cleaning up messes that aren\u2019t mine because I don\u2019t want to live in a dirty environment. I also work from home several days a week, and the barking has made it difficult to concentrate during meetings.<\/p>\n

Do you think that I could ask her to get rid of the dog or move out?<\/p>\n

\u2014 No Puppies Allowed<\/em><\/p>\n

DEAR NO PUPPIES ALLOWED:<\/strong> Check your lease to see whether you can push back legally against the dog. Give your roommate an ultimatum: attend to the dog much more, give the dog away or move.<\/p>\n

Ask your landlord to back you up if needed. You can point to the unhealthy conditions as evidence.<\/p>\n

Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c\/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Sharks make Macklin Celebrini NHL\u2019s top-paid player with massive extension<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I called the other girl’s parents, and they were surprised.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice"],"yoast_head":"\nHarriette Cole: I never signed off on the trip my teen took with her friend - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5825\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Harriette Cole: I never signed off on the trip my teen took with her friend - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I called the other girl's parents, and they were surprised.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5825\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-30T09:06:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5825#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5825\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Harriette Cole: I never signed off on the trip my teen took with her friend\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-30T09:06:20+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5825\"},\"wordCount\":663,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5825#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/934295b22278f63640af5eb98e8b862d.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Advice\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5825#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5825\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5825\",\"name\":\"Harriette Cole: I never signed off on the trip my teen took with her friend - 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