parent consent...

[alexvasile]

quickie: how do make your parents let you skip 4 days of school so you can go to Atlanta?

[Elgin Clock]

Ask nicely, beg if necessary - offer to pay some of the costs associated with it.
If you're going with a team, it's a lot easier.

If your not going with a team, and just want to go to ATL by yourself, being a girl helps (they seem to be able to get their way easier than guys do at the HS age), or having friends who will join you helps even more. Power in numbers kinda thing with the parental units.

I've seen it done before.

[mrbob1000]

also. ask at a good time.

and be nice.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by alexvasile

quickie: how do make your parents let you skip 4 days of school so you can go to Atlanta?

You don't MAKE them do anything.

First, you need to talk to your teachers to make sure that you can miss 4 days of school. Trust me, the first thing your parents will ask is if it's OK with the teachers. All of the teachers. (I'm in college, and I got that from my folks about a trip to Texas with one of the competition teams. Enough said.)

Then, talk to your parents. If they don't know how important this is to you, then you need to tell them. If you have a small team, you might bring the "every person helps" reason.

You will also need to let them know what kind of arrangements need to be made. Is the team paying transportation? Whose responsibility are meals? Where would you be staying? What is your itinerary?

[alexvasile]

everything is paid for me and it's okay with school, I guess I'll just have to be nice

[Molten]

My personal opinion is that it won't matter how you ask. They aren't easily swayed. Parents are the constant of life. Try to ploy a trick, and you are guaranteed to get a no. However, there is always the 'big words' theory. If your parents aren't that mechanically inclined, you can usually convince them that it is for research of future robots. After all, you are 'learning from the best'. Good luck, but I will surprised if anything you say will make the slightest difference to them.

[Ashley Weed]

I never had to convince my parents of anything...

... they always willingly took me to everything I wanted to go to.

[Danny McC]

Also, the championship has exhibits set up by many colleges. You could try to convince by saying that you would get information for some of these colleges. I know that a girl on my team's mom said she has to get information from six colleges. And just remember whatever you do don't fight with them if they say no or maybe, that always ends up with them deffinately saying no.

[vivek16]

Hey, it has been a while! I guess you got that team started afterall! Good job.

Hmm... Ask very nicely? Explain to them how important this is to you and how you will be supervised while there and completely safe. You are going to be supervised right? If so, get a phone call going between the mentor and parents.

-Vivek

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Ashley Weed

I never had to convince my parents of anything...

... they always willingly took me to everything I wanted to go to.

Same here. Robotics is one thing they know is good for kids and fully support it.

[Danny McC]

Also Alex if you can I would try to get your parents involved with the team somehow so that in the future they can go to the competitions and it will make it easier on yourself and them.

[i_am_samus]

Originally Posted by Elgin Clock

Ask nicely, beg if necessary - offer to pay some of the costs associated with it.
If you're going with a team, it's a lot easier.

If your not going with a team, and just want to go to ATL by yourself, being a girl helps (they seem to be able to get their way easier than guys do at the HS age), or having friends who will join you helps even more. Power in numbers kinda thing with the parental units.

I've seen it done before.

lol, that is completely wrong in my case. My parents wouldn't mind if my brother was going so much as me. My dad's overprotective of me

Luckily, my mom convinced him to let me go

[thefro526]

Easiest way to get your parents to consent to your traveling to Atlanta is have them attend at least one regional before hand. My mom did and now she's going too.