To not want DS(6) to sleep in the dorms at the youth hostel

[rookiemater]

DH and DS away for a few days of camping. As the weather is meant to be unpredictable DH said they may go to the youth hostel if its too wet.
I checked a few ones in the area and said that most seemed to have beds available but wasn't too sure if there were family rooms - they have booked a room for 2 for some of the nights.

DH said that they could get a room in a dorm and DS would sleep on the top bunk but instinctively I don't like the idea of it. I don't think I am particularly PFB or overly stranger danger conscious but DH is quite a heavy sleeper and the thought of DS sleeping in a room with strangers worried me.

DH has said they won't do it if I'm not happy with it but I'm wondering if I am just being overly precious so thought I would ask what people think.

And please don't be influenced by Jules story. She was an adult- a completely different thing.

The chance of ds being hit by a car as he crosses the road WITH YOU are far higher than happening to sleep in the same dorm in a yh as a paedophile.

In fact the chances of his head teacher/uncle Bob/friendly sweet-shop owner/scout leader/maths tutor being a paedophile are FAR higher than a random stranger in the youth hostel.

So presumably you will make sure you never cross the road with him, send him to school, cubs, the sweet-shop etc etc etc?

Sadly as a young woman Jules was statistically far more likely to be sexually assaulted than a child with his dad.

But presumably none of us will be chaining our daughters to the front door once they are 18?

Hopefully we are all equipping our children with age-appropriate skills to minimise the risk (screaming if they are very young, kneeing in the balls when older etc) rather than avoiding all situations which coudl potentially be risky.

Tritchy- the point is that the op's son is at no risk at all in the youth hostel- and it's only paedosteria that leads anyone to believe he is. And I hate- how our children's lives are being constrained by peipel's inability to assess risk properly.

I don't have any diamonds but it really wouldn't worry me if they could bite, kick and shout, we're as heavy and as difficult to manoeuvre as a 6 yr old, and we're in a room full of people who think walking in a very rural area in the rain is fun - added to the fact they have to stand on my bed to reach them!
I doubt very much if your average fell walker is a pervert!
I used to have a 6 yr old who slept on a top bunk - it isn't easy to do anything with them- even if they are fully awake and co operating!

Everyone has forgotten about Caroline Dickinson then?

I ran youth hostels in Scotland for many years, and any booking I would have with young children I would automatically give them a family room.
It's been a few years now, but during my time, rules were in place about youth groups not being allowed to share rooms, even with the leaders.
I have no idea what the rules are now though.

"Everyone has forgotten about Caroline Dickinson then?"

Because of course there is no difference between a man breaking into a room containing 5 teenage girls and murdering one of them and somebody abducting a 6 year old from the top bunk in a dormitory, is there?

I remember Caroline Dickinson-I just don't see what on earth it has to do with this scenario.

I live in a cul de sac at the very end the only traffic are owners cars or visitors, as they quite literally have to stop or they would drive into my house the chances of anyone driving fast enough to hurt a child is infinitismal.

Yet even if I agree that this risk is higher than the chance of DS being abducted or molested ina shared room I'm more inclined to run the risk because DS is gaining a lot through being able to play with his friends, whereas I'm not sure his development will be altered in any way by sleeping in a family room rather than a dorm.

Anyway I'm keen to draw this to a close I just wanted to refute the accusation that I let my child play in traffic.

The point was the hostels are never going to be as safe as a lot of poster making out.

I've stayed in hostels for over 30 years both here and abroad and in that time I have met all sorts of people. On the whole there have been some wonderfully eccentric people, lots of charming hill and fell walkers and interesting characters that I have enjoyed sharing a natter and sometimes a beer with. However there have been some seedy people that have made me feel extremely uncomfortable.

I do not for one minute think that there is ' a paedo on every corner' but there are some very odd people out there.

I kind of agree with Iknow there, I did meet a few shady people, both staying, working and running youth hostels.
But as I said above, in Scotland at least (unless times have changed in the years I've been away from the SYHA), most managers will automatically give a father and 6 year old a family room.

I adore stopping at the SYHA and will be staying in them again in September!

Been away - a couple of people asked about the 'historic activities in a C14th castle' weekend.

It's here Castle Stuff.

Run by a couple of friends, newbies welcome. Highly recommended .

Can we have a report back OP? What actually happened?

Thanks I meant to update and I forgot.

They camped for the first night but their campsite got flooded in the middle of Day 2 so they managed to get a room in the youth hostel - it was a family room so nothing for me to worry about at all in the end. They came home 2 days early though as DS wanted to play with his friends and DH missed his home comforts .
Thanks for everyone's views.

Ooh featherstone castle looks fab btw raven

All well then. I don't blame them-camping (or Youth Hostelling) in wet weather is no fun!