>Just a question I’ll throw out: What should one think of a father who makes a 2 week trip by motorcycle with his 18 yo daughter from Illinois to Washington State, California, then Texas and back home, while leaving his wife and two younger sibling daughters at home?
I don’t know. It could have been a birthday present, or a “going off to college” present; an effort made by the father to spend some time with his daughter while he still could... and perhaps share some knowledge/life-insight. It could just as well have been a perverted liaison.
IOW, the act itself is only neutral. Things like abandoning responsibilities, as is implied but unproven, are not.
I agree with the act being ostensibly neutral. More than one neighbor has conjured up implications. I simply don't understand a father placing himself in such a position; even through naivety.
Does that refer to this item?
... while leaving his wife and two younger sibling daughters at home
I don't see that having one parent take a trip with a teenager while another stays at home with younger children is "abandoning responsibility." More like "division of labor." My husband takes our teenage boys to Boy Scout camp and to races, while I take care of the little children at home. Life is like this.
And regarding the original question, I went on trips alone with my father when I was a teenager. I have some great memories that do not include anything improper. My mother didn't want to go camping in the Big Bend for 10 days; it's not her thing. Never went on motorcycles, but how would going in a truck make any difference?