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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to have sent my 14 year old off alone on a cross country train journey....

126 replies

BurberryFucker · 29/10/2013 17:05

from Wales with changes at Birmingham New St and London (Euston to Liverpool st) to the other side of Colchester?
am going out of my mind with the arguments between him and his twin sister so have sent him off to stay with my dad for a few days to save my sanity and give them both a break.
now am freaking out as he doesn't have a mobile with him......
ETA at Colchester approx 6.20....
AIBU?
ps he is quite streetwise.

OP posts:
LynetteScavo · 29/10/2013 18:54

And what you have to remember there are more good people in the world than bad.

To the poster who said the OP shouldn't have posted his ETA and destination....there will be 100 MN posters willing and able to go and check the lad is OK, if the OP wanted someone to.

pointyfangs · 29/10/2013 18:54

My mum sent me and DSis from our home railway station in Holland to Brussels - two changes of train, no mobiles back then. We were fine. If he's streetwise, so will your DS be.

topknob · 29/10/2013 19:06

Lynette, me being one of them :) Which village is he walking to ?? PM me if needed. Colchester is a huge station and manned all the time.

Original poster
BurberryFucker · 29/10/2013 19:10

wow thanks.........he is getting off the train at W all being well .....

OP posts:
Strumpetron · 29/10/2013 19:13

'no mobiles back then' but probably a lot more working pay phones I would have thought.

Hope he has a safe and pleasant journey, he'll be fine! Although I'm 22 and I still hate train journeys because I panic Blush your DS is more grown up than me in that respect

Original poster
BurberryFucker · 29/10/2013 19:15

that is not the rock festival place but the uni place....Grin

OP posts:
misdee · 29/10/2013 19:22

Hope he has had a lovely journey to your dads and calls you soon to let you know he has arrived safely.

JohnnyBarthes · 29/10/2013 19:24

I find the prospect of the 90 minute, direct journey to Paddington distressing without a mobile. I am 41.

In my defence (although it's not much of one) I FB, MN, tweet and listen to Spotify. Whatever happened to reading a book and looking out the window? Blush

JohnnyBarthes · 29/10/2013 19:27

I travelled from SW England to SW Wales from about 10, btw. I think I've regressed.

MrsTerryPratchett · 29/10/2013 19:29

At 12 I has travelling around Milan on my own, in a 'forrin' place, changing on tubes with no mobile.

Hopefully, OP, your DS will be one of the very few DC capable of finding his arse with both hands at 21. Kudos.

AgentProvocateur · 29/10/2013 19:39

Jesus, some of you must wrap your kids in cotton wool. I don't think I've read so many precious posts on a thread in a long time. I hope you all have wee ones, and not actual teenagers!

And as for the person worrying about posting details of an unaccompanied 14-year-old on an open forum...Hmm. Words fail me.

CaptainSweatPants · 29/10/2013 19:42

Have you heard from him yet?! Bet he's full of his adventure!

worley · 29/10/2013 19:50

Haven't read through all the thread.. Is the train running now? I wasn't able to get home this afternoon via the London Liverpool street route to Ipswich which goes via Colchester!
I had to go to Cambridge from kings cross to Norwich to home....
I hope you've heard from him by now!

mummytime · 29/10/2013 19:51

At this age I was going to London alone or with friends "to wander" *and there were bombs going off. I am ancient (IRA).

Original poster
BurberryFucker · 29/10/2013 19:52

yay I phoned my dad and he arrived at the door at 7pm!
thank you all so much for your amusing input....
(off to the camping shop tomorrow for foil blanket and Kendal mint cake as DD has to take a bus to the next village tomorrow) Grin

OP posts:
Varya · 29/10/2013 19:54

I sent my fourteen year old son from south of London, to Eskdale in Cumbria for an Outward Bound course and he was fine with it.

ajandjjmum · 29/10/2013 20:05
Grin Let us know your DD is safe tomorrow!!!
BloominNora · 29/10/2013 20:12

Don't forget the emergency flare Wink

edam · 29/10/2013 20:16

Glad he arrived OK Burberry.

Like most people on this thread, I was travelling unaccompanied by an adult on trains across the country at this age (often accompanied by my sister, three years younger). It was fine!

LongTailedTit · 29/10/2013 20:37

Glad he survived the arduous journey and got there in one piece Grin

For what it's worth, my mum used to send me off on my own to visit my dad from when I was 10 - travelling from the middle of East Anglia to deepest West Country via Liverpool Street>Tube>Paddington.
I was very noticeably not streetwise, v slight, and looked like a proper lost urchin. Every other trip or so I'd lose my bearings on the Tube and end up going round the entire Circle Line as I didn't dare get off to go back the other direction in case I got lost! Daft.
I never liked it, but survived.
Tbh the worst bit was getting to the station and having to search the car park for my dad's car as the lazy bugger couldn't be arsed to come meet me off the train. Hmm

LongTailedTit · 29/10/2013 20:39

Meant to add - this was in the days of IRA bombings and a few trips were postponed due to bomb scares!
My mum never wanted me to ring to say I'd got there safe either, she was very much of the opinion that she'd soon here if something was wrong.

frogspoon · 29/10/2013 20:48

Good to hear he arrived safely OP!

curlew · 29/10/2013 20:55

Next time give him some Kendal Mint Cake.

For crying out loud people- he's 14 not 4' it was 6.30 not 2 in the morning, and a large village near Colchester, not the farthest reaches of the Orinoco! All this torch and map stuff is just bonkers,

curlew · 29/10/2013 20:57

Just seen that mine was not the first mention of Kendal Mint Cake......Grin

Thatisall · 29/10/2013 20:59

I used to have to do a similar journey at that age but with four younger siblings to take care of!!
It wasn't easy but it made me super independent