MIL wants to take ds on hot air balloon

[hellenback]

I'm not keen - he is 13 - dd much younger not invited - MIL in 70's and not fit or active! Using all usual old lady tactics to get my consent but hanging tough - as what if something awful happens???? Son cross with me - when he's 18 he can make own choices. Am I the baddy???? DH on fence! She's been nagging now for 3 years!!!! Why won't she drop it and take her DD instead????

You emphatically said 'it's not dangerous' all I was doing was pointing out that this isn't strictly true.

And yes I understand that life is dangerous and of course getting into a car is statistically more dangerous than a hot air balloon ride. But there are risks.

Disclaimer: I am not some freak who sits in a cupboard frightened that the sky will fall down. I have sky dived and bungee jumped.

As I said, having risks associated does not make something dangerous. Clearly we have very different definitions of the word.

Clearly

Surely getting into a car is only statistically more dangerous because it's something that you do more often?

I'd let him go though. I've got a voucher atm, and have been trying to book it for ages. It's really hard to get a weekend date, as someone said. I think it would be a fab experience for him.

I thought you were going to say he was a toddler. In this situation I'd let him go. What are the awful things you think might happen??

She's been asking for 3 years?

Just let her take him before he loses his courage.

I always wanted to go up in a hot air balloon but never had the chance.

Now I'm older, I'm scared of heights and don't even like fairground rides anymore

God, bloody woman! How dare she want to give her grandson a treat!

Let him go. leisure balloon flights are only done in the mildest of weathers, highly unlikely anything bad would happen. Think you are being a little over-protective and he really wants to.

dh took me, our 12yr old ds and our 9yr old dd1 up in a hot air balloon when I celebrated my 40th birthday - a commercial flight with a few other people as well. It was great and the children thoroughly enjoyed it - a memory they still talk about 12 years later.

Chops, a car journey is statistically more likely to end in a fatality than an aircraft journey. Immaterial of the number of times you do it

I was told (by a statistician) that the car versus plane thing was nonsense. According to him, per hour spent in a car/plane they are very similarly dangerous. We spend far less time on planes so they are less dangerous to us. Of course there is also an issue of small and large planes. Small planes are quite a lot more dangerous than large planes. So, if you only fly on big planes, fill your boots.

I would let him go, there will be other people there other than mil.
I think she has given him a chance of a lifetime, i would be jealous that i couldnt go

KittyChat, how did you get back from New Zealand, did you walk? Only if you follow your own logic, there have been some pretty nasty commercial airline crashes in recent years so you wouldn't want to get in a plane after seeing that coverage, would you?

OP YABU.

YABU whether she is doddery or not has no bearing on the safety of the balloon ride

I think you should loosen your apron strings

I thought you were going to say DS was about 4. At 13 I'd absolutely let him go. Yes, check out the company concerned and make sure they say plausible things about safety procedures. But if they can cater for an infirm 70yo I'm pretty sure they can cater for DC in a responsible manner.

I went up in a hot air balloon when I was nine. Is this balloon going to be floating freely around. I believe from recollection ours was tethered somehow rather than floating freely across the countryside. I got out of it too soon somehow. God knows how the 70s are another country

OP - I can see your reservations. I'm another person with an ancedotal story to tell about what happened to a friend of a friend in one - but as others have said, things happen in cars, places we go everyday etc.

Everything will PROBABLY be fine. I guess I would allow it in order to stave off the DCs wanting to go on a Mars mission later in life to spite me.

YABU, what a fantastic experience for him-let him go!!!

I have been up in one too- smashing trip too save the landing - had a bit of a bumpy landing and the... erhem larger guest in the basket did get knocked about a bit and squash a few others as we were dragged along in the basket- and bungee jumping too!! So he will prob do same and worse when he's of age - but that's not on my watch. Annoyed with MIL that she's raised this with him and then me - so I'm bogey in all this. She is a manipulative sweet old bird if you get my drift......

I think YABU, and I am also sure I would be too in the same situation, totally unjustifiably. The thought of DD going in one (even when older) makes me shudder!

Nothing, just about, is as dangerous as driving. Do you let him go in a car? Or on a plane on his hols?

The company we went with (through Virgin I think) wouldn't allow anyone who was under 16 I seem to remember. Maybe check as he might not be allowed to go anyway!

It was great! I understand you being nervous though but statistically he is in more danger in a car...

Personally I wouldn't like it...

Hot air balloons are forever straying into flight paths etc... (I'm probably exaggerating here! )
Only the other day they had to close a runway at Gatwick because of an idiot hot air balloon straying into the flight path.

I just don't like the idea, I don't trust them, hot air balloons and gliders.

Safmellow - I have said that if he wants to go then so be it - but I am not happy - MIL will not go until I change but I can't cos I will worry ???!!!! berri just looked up virgin and he can go as he is with an adult but she may have to pay a bit more...

grossepopel - that's reminded me I bought a glider voucher for DH and MIL could barely speak to me she was so worried - and DH never went!!!! Is this revenge?????