Kirstie Allsop's 15 Year Old Son

Wish I'd had the balls to do it at that age or parents that actively took an interest in encouraging me to see the world.

Good on the lad

You can get married at 16, and have a baby at 16, join the Army etc. It's fine to leave them overnight alone.

I agree about rudeness and understand your point. But it’s not quite the same given the context of shocking class discrimination and very high wealth inequality in UK. Like saying it’s the same if women say sexist things about men. While wrong, it’s not quite the same because we live in a patriarchal society, which is structurally discriminatory to women. And I don’t get what sounded jealous about that post. I think most working class people are proud of who they are, rather than jealous.

15 seems way too young to do this sort of trip.

Posho's?
If somebody mentions chavs or common people here, they are flamed, yet being rude about the people percieved as having money, if fair game
Amazing levels of double-standards and jealousy today

I recall doing that with a group on a London day trip down from Yorkshire. We were on the Embankment and pointed out all the sights they could visit easily, See you back here in a couple of hours. When they returned many had been to the Abbey, Parliament etc but one group were a few minutes late back, they'd been on the tube to visit as many as First Division football grounds as they could manage.

It's not even a recent thing over protective parents. My parents were incredibly protective of me , but my mum was the victim of child abuse as a young child and having a girl kind of threw them , so everyone was seen as a danger. It's not always black and white why some tend to be more protective than others might be. It's a fine balance I think.

Inter-railing passes don't entitle you to first class travel and I imagine he'll have stayed in hostels/camped as most hotels won't permit under 18s to stay alone.

Poshos tend to be very good at slumming it - boarding school, OTC and rural life make them rather better prepared for rough living than you might think.

I had bucket loads of freedom beyond the norm I think when I was a teen in the early 2010s, and even I think this is very young. But a responsible nearly 16 year old absolutely can fend for themselves in this kind of situation and come out unscathed, as is evident from her son's experience. I'd be worried about him getting trouble because of his age potentially, while trying to book places to stay or buying things, but he was obviously fine. I bet it's dragged him up a few years on the maturity scale, given him an amazing experience he will never forget and probably given him the travel bug - so he will know he's capable of doing it in the future alone. Incredible opportunity to see the world, fair play to the lad.

"most likely have that extreme confidence elite privately educated children so often have, will have endless pot of cash and most probably have a number of friends who they can just pop in and stay with"

That is the difference. Friends and family who can get them help or get to them, wherever they are. Being worth £16 million cushions most things. She's always given them independence. She left them in economy while travelling first class etc.

8, bless him! My own father joined the Royal Marines at 15. He was in before the start of WW2 so was being torpedoed as a teenager.

In the UK, there's no law against it. In fact there's no mention in any law of the age at which a child can be left alone overnight. It's only an offense if they're deemed to be 'at risk'.

The NSPCC recommend 16ish. But in practice it depends on the circs and the kid.

Absolutely fine.

Went to France for a week post O'levels (1980s) with a couple of friends- sayed in hostels. Kirsty's son would have a mobile phone so even easier to keep tabs. I can't remember phoning home at all - sent a postcard.

You've never heard of youth hostels? Did you never travel around Europe as a teenager? I thought it was a right of passage thing.

Absolutely agree…your DD sounds like mine. She caught the travel bug at 16 when her and her Polish bestie went to Poland for 3 weeks for a music festival. She’s 24 now and has covered more than 30 countries, completely self-financed and like your DD thinks absolutely nothing of getting a flight to some random place off the beaten track and staying in hostels for £3 a night. She’s had some absolutely amazing experiences both alone and with fellow solo travellers - just back from a month in Indonesia swimming with wild turtles, exploring temples in the jungle and climbing into volcanoes - and it’s moulded her into the most independent, capable human I know tbh. My younger son is starting to do the same. Of course I worry sick when they’re away but at the same time too many young adults are cosseted by their parents to the point that they’re being crippled one way or another.
Let them go.

On the basis of what information would you be making that bet?

You are - I mean you can’t leave them at home if it puts them a risk, which for a sensible 15 year old it wouldn’t

I would certainly leave food, have a plan for people he can check in on, but in these days of endless comms it’s especially fine

You will get some overprotective parents raising their eyebrows but most people will think it’s fine. Given they can leave home from 16, and even though they probably won’t you want them to work on growing into an adult btwn 16 and 18, it’s good to have a sensible early path to independence through the teen years

It’s for attention for sure, she probably has a new series and independence in post covid kids is a hotish topic.

But I don’t think it’s going to create an outcry - why would it? Teens going interrailing isn’t odd, he’s just a wee bit young because young for school year. Most parents want their teens to be independent, or I hope they do.

I just thought you weren't allowed to leave them overnight or extended overnights until they were 16.

I think it’s fine as long as he is sensible and has some friends of yours to call on if he’s worried about anything.

Why wouldn’t it be OK?!

Yabu. My dd went to Ibiza the summer after GCSEs with 2 friends (one 16, one just turned 18). I went “inter-railing” the summer after GCSEs with my 16yo friend - but we did it on buses/ferries rather than trains and stayed in hostels which allowed 16yos. We had great fun, if you bring you dcs up so at 15 they can’t catch a bus, sort out a timetable, do a bit of shopping and meal prep, book into a hostel etc then of course they won’t be capable of doing it, but the vast majority don’t parent like that. When I did it we had our route nailed down and all our accommodation booked before we set off. It was pre internet but we had phone numbers and maps and my friends dad got a Barclaycard in my friends name on his account for emergencies ( we had none). So much easier now with google maps and online booking.

I agree. It’s so odd in the U.K. that so many kids seem to get taken to and picked up from school, even in late primary. Where we are in Aus most children get the train or public bus or walk/cycle to school from year 3 or 4. Because there are loads of them, there’s little risk.

My kids have got the public bus from around age 8/9, and this has meant occasionally dealing with bus break downs etc. My oldest is now doing D of E as well and had to organise his own volunteering and expedition.

Even things like making them order their own food in restaurants from a young age, tell the barber what they want, have their own money and deal with shopkeepers from a young age. Weirdly Covid helped with this as I gave mine a lot of freedom to get them out of the house so they would go down to the local shop, 5k cycle away to buy sweets from 7 and 9.

Totally agree that this fosters a sense of confidence and cotton wooling won’t help them in the long run.

I posted her ds will have boarded apparently he hasn’t but most certainly went to an elite school that installs independence from a very young age

it’s not how the majority feel their children need to be

Mine wouldn't!😁 He only emerges for food. He loves it if we go out and the house is his.

My parents left me at home at 15 whilst they went to India for two weeks.
I was completely safe, went to school, cooked etc
However it was very lonely and sad as I was an only child. So I think I'd not do that for that reason.. not for safety as a sensible 15 yo would be completely safe at home alone for a week. It's just they are still very young and might miss you.