Our London house swap saved us money. The bigger payoff was watching my teenager grow up.

The author's daughter embraced her newfound independence in London.

Courtesy of the author We did a house swap.

My friend's family came to the suburbs of NY, and we went to London.

Our 15-year-old daughter immediately took to inner-city life.

She negotiated the Underground and browsed street markets alone, embracing her independence.

I was enjoying lunch with a friend during my summer vacation in London when she asked about the whereabouts of the rest of the family.

My husband and tween son were at a museum , I told her.

I said I wasn't sure about my daughter, then 15.

I explained that we'd parted ways earlier that morning, and she was exploring the city alone.

She'd already spent time going to places on her own, partly because she no longer shared the same interests as us.

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We did a house swap Her idea of fun was shopping in clothing stores and browsing street markets like those in Camden and on Portobello Road.

We were more into seeing the sights.

It was good to see her so happy.