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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

DD has gone to guide camp, for a whole week, and I miss her.

75 replies

ExitPursuedByAGryffin · 24/07/2011 16:01

Come reassure me that she will be fine.

No mobile phones allowed so I cannot speak to her.

Chemical toilets (which they will have to empty).

No showers (they are going to make one ffs).

I thought it sounded great when I first found about it, but now I simply cannot believe that I will have no contact with her for a WHOLE WEEK.

She is 11 and my one and only PFB.

Wail.

OP posts:
MaureenMLove · 01/08/2011 21:23

A Twitter message has just come up from her troop in Sweden. It says that her patrol hosted dinner for the Israelis very well. I replied, 'I trust they are all well, my daily text has been missing for two days now! Grin

I'm not that fussed tbh, but DH is getting a little edgy! Grin

TheHumanCatapult · 01/08/2011 21:28

ds at 6 went to south Afica for 5 weeks with woodcraft folk he had blast an dthey helpe dbuild a school but i had kittens he whole time

Original poster
ExitPursuedByAGryffin · 01/08/2011 22:07

6 - to South Africa - for 5 weeks - crikey. Where do you live TheHumanCatapult?

OP posts:
NoelEdmundshair · 01/08/2011 22:23

I don't understand this (MN) fervour to make young kids independent. I would have hated to have gone away from my mum for a whole week at 11.

sandyballs · 01/08/2011 22:37

This is exactly why mobiles are not allowed at our guide camp, most home sick wobbles are overcome by distraction etc but speaking to mum or dad makes it all worse.

sandyballs · 01/08/2011 22:39

Should add that my DD (10) has just done a week at guide camp, came back filthy, knackered but loved it. If she had her phone I'm sure she would have sent late night home sick texts/calls.

CurrySpice · 01/08/2011 23:06

Well Noel my DD loved it so best not project your own feelings onto the whole population eh?

Popbiscuit · 01/08/2011 23:17

My 9 year old DD is going to guide camp in two weeks...she's beyond excited but I've just realized that she's going to be away for a WHOLE week!!!! I do feel that 9 (well... 9 3/4 actually) is a bit young but she's quite mature and independent so I think she'll be okay (not sure about me). Apparently we are allowed to e-mail them at camp...good idea?

Noel; in a way, I agree. Some kids are NOT ready to go away at that age ( I wouldn't have been) but my DD is a lot less clingy more independent and confident than I was at her age so I think (hope) she'll be okay.

CestTout · 01/08/2011 23:26

Noel- I took a guide group away for the week last week. We had one homesick girl who was just tired. At the end of the week she thanked us for not calling her Mum that night as she had a ball. We had 40 girls go and it was great. loads of thank you emails, texts and even a present or two!

MaureenMLove · 02/08/2011 08:09

It's not a MN thing Noel. The vast majority of children these days, have the opportunity to go away with their primary schools and Brownies have always camped.

Certainly, in my community, 11 is quite old, to be first going away without your parents.

KaySirah · 02/08/2011 08:09

is she in portsmouth?

pinkhebe · 02/08/2011 16:48

We're encouraged to write. My son has never been homesick, and has thoughly enjoyed himself on camp. bear in mind they do 2 night camps etc throughout the year, so you can judge whether they'll be ok for a week

roisin · 02/08/2011 21:10

Next year I think he won't take his phone. I will send him a postcard half way through the week.

Then I won't spend all week wondering whether he's going to phone/text!

Maryz · 02/08/2011 21:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

roisin · 03/08/2011 17:29

Gosh! After 48 hrs of silence, ds2 actually phoned me today! Shock Shock

They'd been doing "competitive dam building" up on the moors and were then told compulsory showers for everyone before tea. The queues for the showers were huge, so he decided to phone me then see if the queues had quietened down!

He's having a marvellous time.

MaureenMLove · 03/08/2011 22:29

Sounds about right! When I took a troop of Brownies to camp, we had to supervise them all having a shower. Of course, child protection meant, we couldn't get too close, but we had to make sure the water wasn't too hot for each one of them, then shut them in the bathroom! It took about 3 hours to get 25 Brownies showered!

DD has also made contact from Sweden, for the first time since Saturday. Two texts! First one said, 'my phone is broken, so I've put my SIM card in someone elses phone, to text you' The second one said, 'Oh and btw, I've probably broken my middle finger too! Love you xxxx' HmmGrin

roisin · 03/08/2011 22:54

Wow! She sounds very chilled about a broken finger! Shock
Sounds very painful.

LOL at showering 25 brownies.

At ds2's camp it is very much a family structure/feel. So each team has c.14 members, with an even spread of boys and girls, and ages 10-15 (with an occasional younger one). So they tend to help each other if needed. [Then there are 16-20 yr olds with specific responsibilities to help/support as well.]

roisin · 03/08/2011 22:55

I'm just relieved because I thought he might not wash at all for a week, and he does tend to HONK after a bit! Grin

MaureenMLove · 03/08/2011 23:06

A broken finger is a flesh wound to her, tbh, Roisin! She's a walking disaster! We have a loyality card for the hospital x-ray department! Grin

I think, she is having such a wicked time, the broken finger is very, very insignificant! She is a scout! She is prepared! Grin

roisin · 03/08/2011 23:07

Grin Grin

kiki22 · 03/08/2011 23:10

I remember going to guide camp for a week and loving it i did not miss my mum at all none of my friends missed there mums... or so we told each other coz no one wants to be the cry baby missing mummy but the min we got off that bus everyone of us went running for hugs and kisses

She willl miss u but will be fine and if she enjoys at half as much as i did she'll remember it for a long time to come! hope this helps

Original poster
ExitPursuedByAGryffin · 04/08/2011 09:04

Gosh MaureenMLove - What a brave girl you have there. Any injury for DD would have required a mercy dash from me and DH, but she is a real wuss. They were allowed/encouraged to have two showers whilst at camp. DD only managed one as there were just too many spiders and earwigs. I ask you!

OP posts:
Meinmytree · 15/09/2011 23:26

If the Guiders have said no mobile phones, don't send her with one! A responsible parent teaches their child to follow rules - going behind someone's back like that is not reinforcing that.

Kids taking phones is a pain for Guiders - they cause so many arguments, ie those who do actually manage to do what they have been told become jealous, phones getting broken / lost and the Guiders being blamed despite making it clear they were banned etc etc.

And those who get homesick are generally those whose parents tell them how much they will miss them etc. I first went away for 5 days with school aged 7, so 11 on a weeks camp really is not 'too young'. Did I get homesick aged 7? Did I heck.

Feminine · 16/09/2011 01:07

Meinmy your third paragraph is not very nice.

you didn't get homesick? big deal ...plenty do and it is nothing to do with the parents.

You were probably tough as old boots even at seven! Grin

warmandwooly · 16/09/2011 09:59

Blimey! I remember going away with the brownies but we had showers at every camp we went to but tbh it wasn't a camp in terms of outdoor camping. I remember the camp beds tho and the difficulty of sleeping in them. Fond memories.

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