I let my 15-year-old fly home alone from Europe. It didn't go smoothly, but I'm still glad she earned the independence.

Most summers, I try to pack in as much travel as possible with my kids. My children have dual citizenship, and it's important to me that they spend time in Europe and connect with their roots. I enjoy showing them the rest of the world, too.

In past years, my kids have had fun traveling from Rome to Warsaw or Seoul to Tokyo. This summer, I planned on staying in Europe for nearly a month, making the most of our time by staying until the day before school started. I booked hotels and flights and excitedly told my kids the plan.

But this year went a bit differently than expected. I allowed my teenage daughter to travel home alone.

When my 11-year-old son learned we would be spending nearly a month in Europe, he was overjoyed. My 15-year-old daughter, however, was despondent. She wanted to spend time with her friends. Plus, she worried about meeting her school obligations, which include a leadership position in a school club and cross-country and track training. She begged me to cut the trip short.

However, I wasn't willing to end my trip early. I had hard-to-get tickets to a Real Madrid soccer match for the last day of the trip. My son and I are both huge soccer fans, and I didn't want to miss the game.

Desperate, my daughter started listing the meetings and practices she would miss if we stayed in Europe until just before school began.

Unwilling to accept no for an answer, my daughter sprang into action. She didn't whine and complain. Instead, she researched whether she could fly home alone and presented me with the facts.

She showed me that I could change her flight, booked with points, at no extra cost. She presented airline policies indicating that she was old enough to fly alone without paying an unaccompanied minor fee, and that there were no restrictions on American minors flying alone from Spain to the US. She also found a direct flight from Madrid to Washington, DC, which greatly reduced the chances of something going wrong.

My daughter made a convincing case, and I reluctantly agreed. I tried to think of everything that could go wrong. I signed a letter giving her permission to travel solo and had it notarized. I made sure she had a phone, credit card, and cash in case she needed it.

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