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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to go away for the weekend whilst 10 year old DD on guide camp?

35 replies

mysteryfairy · 25/02/2012 16:38

I think I probably am but DH is convinced it would be ok...

We would be about 2 hrs drive away taking older DSs to an event unsuitable for DD. A friend with a fellow guide DD who is going camping has offered to be on call for her.

Would you risk it?

OP posts:

WorraLiberty · 25/02/2012 16:40

Blimey, what is there to 'risk' exactly?

Your friend is going to be with her and you're going to be only 2hrs away.

SixtyFootDoll · 25/02/2012 16:40

I don't see a problem, you're not THAT far away and you have someone nearby for emergencies.

OldLadyKnowsNothing · 25/02/2012 16:41

Agree with your DH, it'll be fine.

HSMM · 25/02/2012 16:41

Yea. Go for it. You're not going far.

Original poster

mysteryfairy · 25/02/2012 16:42

Homesick DD, broken leg, wasp sting, guide leader can't do her eye drops - that sort of thing!

OP posts:

DaisySteiner · 25/02/2012 16:44

DD is going away on Brownie camp this summer while we're away for the weekend at a wedding. Didn't even occur to me that we should stay close by

upahill · 25/02/2012 16:44

Well we always made the most tbh.

We have other parents who will help out if need be and my parents although live an hour away are back up.

I take the view that my kids are pretty robust. They have been going away since they were 7 years old without me and DH on camps and PGL's and I know that they are supervised well.
I have a good back up system in place.
I only go to places where there is good mobile signal. eg I may go to Scotland but won't go to many parts of the Lakes.

I'm getting ready for the posts being sniffy saying 'well I wouldn't your child is too precious blah blah blah' but hey it works for us.

This year I'm going ot have one child in Denmark and another in the Lake District at the same time. I am going to be in Edinburgh at the Fringe.

DilysPrice · 25/02/2012 16:45

If somebody's on call then why not?

squeakytoy · 25/02/2012 16:47

Other than a broken leg, in which case you could be with her in 2 hours anyway, there is nothing else on your list that the people in charge should not be able to deal with.

YABU..

ImpatientOne · 25/02/2012 16:50

I am a Guide leader and it's very common that parents do this!. Just let the leaders know and give your mobile number AND a local number of someone who could get there quickly if needs be. You will have to sign a health consent form anyway which would be used in extreme situations. I think it's a good idea and actually helps to stop homesickness as they don't think they are missing anything at home!

Fuzzywuzzywozabear · 25/02/2012 16:50

Homesick DD, broken leg, wasp sting, guide leader can't do her eye drops - that sort of thing!

If you don't think your Guide Leader is up to sorting any of the above perhaps your title should have been AIBU to send DD to Guide camp as I don't trust the leader

as to your original question YABU

Almostfifty · 25/02/2012 16:52

So long as you have a back-up, I wouldn't worry. She's not a small one that might get very homesick after all.

Original poster

mysteryfairy · 25/02/2012 16:52

Ooh quite encouraged to be told AIBU if I don't go away! Was going to let DH take the boys and stay home alone in case DD needs me.

OP posts:

ImpatientOne · 25/02/2012 16:54

Maybe I should have added that YANBU :)

I also do Brownies and their parents do it to when the girls are age 7+

halcyondays · 25/02/2012 16:56

Unless there is a particular reason to be concerned, such as your dd having previously been unhappy away from home, then why on earth not? I'm sure they can deal with any minor things, and in the unlikely event she did break her leg, you could still get to her quite quickly. I'm sure she'll have a great time.

Tbh, in our case we'd jump at the chance as we never get to go away as a couple.

Tee2072 · 25/02/2012 16:56

How old is your daughter? I ask as I was sent away for two weeks at 12 to camp and my mom went to Europe. We lived in the US, BTW. So much further than 2 hours away.

sozzledchops · 25/02/2012 16:57

YABU, you should camp in the field next door to the camp just in case.

upahill · 25/02/2012 17:01

I'm really (happily) suprised at the answers so far!!

Original poster

mysteryfairy · 25/02/2012 17:06

DD is ten. She is precious third born though and six years younger than DS2 so babied by us all. Love the idea of camping in the next field! If I didn't loathe camping so much I might have contemplated it.

DD is most indignant at the suggestion that we might do something without her. We want to see RSC do Julius Caesar and she knows from previous experience that she does not get on with Shakespeare yet but she still can't bear the thought of missing out!

OP posts:

FredFredGeorge · 25/02/2012 19:34

I'm with sozzledchops camp outside preferably having first bugged your DD so you can hear everything she says and are ready to jump in at the slightest hint in her voice that she might need you.

(of course not, I cannot imagine really why you're thinking otherwise, I wouldn't go trekking in the himalayas, without a back up plan with friends or relatives, but I can't think of any reason why you wouldn't go 2 hours away?)

Floggingmolly · 25/02/2012 19:41

It genuinely wouldn't have occurred to me not to do this
What on earth do you think will happen to your dd that you have to spend the weekend she's away sitting at home on red alert?
Even if God forbid she did break a leg, you can be with her in 2 hours, not 2 days

GavisconJunkie · 25/02/2012 19:43

Unreasonable not to go, why should DS miss out. It's guide camp, not coal walking and knife throwing camp right?

raspberrylemoncheesecake · 25/02/2012 19:43

I felt guilty the first time we did this, but we had already planned to go away and Cubs changed the weekend of the camp.

Putting it into perpsective, many of the DCs camps since then have been 2 hours drive away anyway. This summer my 9 year old will be 300 miles away in one direction and my older DCs 200 miles away in a different direction.

(I might feel more worried about the 9 year old if my sister didn't happen to live near his destination).

DartsAgain · 25/02/2012 20:10

Last summer DD was at Charnwood 2011, aged 11, along with 4500 other guides, scouts, sea scouts, various leaders, etc. There were groups of guides from around the world, Africa, New Zealand, US, etc and their parents were more than 2 hrs away.

Suggest you go and do your trip away, as you have someone ready to be on call.

Dustinthewind · 25/02/2012 20:24

Go without guilty feelings but be sure you are on call if things do go wrong.
My scout got into a pickle and ended up in A&E with stitches and some very interesting bruises and cuts. Camp managed well, but I was glad I'd been within rescuing distance.
He is, however, That Sort Of Boy.

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