To think my danger radar is malfunctioning?

[Softlysoftly]

Coming home today and my friends son went past with 2 mates (11/12).

He stopped to say hi to dd (3) then chatted to me about how he and his mates were off to make a survival video in the forestry for school homework but he was gutted as he forgot the fruit he was going to set fire to, they only had wood and stuff.

So I gave him some fruit from my house and waved him off.

Got in the house told DH who was "3 lads just told you they were off to set fire to stuff in the forestry and you GAVE THEM STUFF TO BURN?"



I did then call friend who confirmed he was allowed (had been equipped with pre training, water etc and was being watched). But AIBU to think DH was right and I'm just going to be a shockingly naive parent to teenagers who walk all over me?

[WorraLiberty]

I must admit that made me laugh!

And yes, your DH is right

[Schooldidi]

I'd have done the same thing with some teenagers, and yet other teenagers I'd have been ringing the fire brigade as soon as they left. It's a judgement thing I think.

I know a lot of teenagers and tbh, I think most of them would be absolutely fine as long as they'd been trained in what to do.

By the time your dds reach teenagehood, you'll know whether they can be trusted with things like that or not. My dd1 would be fine, in fact I would be positively encouraging anything that doesn't directly involve a book. Her best friend, however, I wouldn't let anywhere near a lighter, or matches, or anything even vaguely flammable.

[iPadTypo]

Brilliant! I probably would have done the same!

[SolidGoldBrass]

What kind of fruit were these kids planning to set fire to? Fruit is wet, mostly. It's not the most flammable of things. Even dried fruit would not be most people's first choice to start a fire.

[LittleYellowBall]

I think they would have found something else to set fire to in a forrest if you hadn't, so I wouldn't worry about it!

[garlicyoni]

I've just got stuck at fruit, too, SGB. Fruit? To burn?

He'll make a rubbish pyromaniac.

[Softlysoftly]

Oranges and apples weirdly after speaking to friend it was about using stuff that might be around in a survival situation and there was no kindling a la Bear Gryls (sp).

But I'm not sure how many satsumas there are knocking around the Welsh ecosystem.

[Softlysoftly]

School in fairness you may be right. He's just so very straightforward I didn't even question it.

Perhaps when it's my own little darlings evil destructive geniuses I'll be more alert.

[MiniMonty]

"in the forestry" ??
Does you mean the forest ?
Either way, boys will be boys and if you ever want to watch the news and see soldiers with our flag on their arm then boys of 11 and 12 need to go of into the forest and get groovy about blowing stuff up...

[ryanboy]

Eh? So in a survival situation , in a remote forest, there are likely to be oranges lying around but no twigs or pine needles?

[Birdsgottafly]

Mini, just out of curiosity how do female's make good soldiers then? Teenage boys have a high death and injury rate, because they like to do stupid stuff, I'll agree with that. OP, no harm done, the only issue is they may not have had permission from their parents, it annoys me how many people will give eggs to teens knowing they are going to be used for anti-social behaviour.

[Fecklessdizzy]

Er ... Fruit? Aren't forests full of wood and twigs and stuff?

If it's any consolation OP I wouldn't have turned a hair either as DP is a total Ray Mears wannabe and he and DS1 spend happy hours on holiday making little fires on the beach and putting them out again, so chez Feckless this is quite a normal thing to be doing!

[CuppaSarah]

Lets face it, almost all of us played with fire at some point in our youths. So thank god they're teaching them to do it safely now!!!