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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think that two 18 yr olds can walk for 5 minutes

218 replies

YeahRightWhatever · 22/01/2014 19:20

DS has a new g/f who lives about 5 minutes walk away, on busy-ish roads, well-lit etc. Her parents are really over-protective IMO, she is driven everywhere and has never been on a bus or a train on her own or even with friends. Anyway,they are not happy with her walking home from here even if DS goes with her - especially in the dark but transpires they are not even happy with her walking in broad daylight. We live in a very average town in the shires with no particular crime issues. My DDs (now in 20s) were allowed much more freedom at the same age. So whenever she is here either we have to drive her home, which means we can never have a glass of wine, and frankly I resent starting the car for such a short trip or she has to get one of her parents to collect her, and depending on what they're doing there can be quite a delay, and a few times now this has impinged on our own arrangements. Overall this is starting to really annoy me - they are 18 FGS. Am reluctant to rock the boat as gf is lovely. AIBU to think they are being ridiculous? But even if IANBU I don't know what to do.

OP posts:
kungfupannda · 23/01/2014 13:32

Someone I know was accidentally left behind in Russia on a school trip at age 18, in extremely bizarre circumstances.

He managed to get himself home to the UK with nothing but what he had in his pockets, in the days before mobile phones or internet.

He didn't even speak Russian....

MrsKoala · 23/01/2014 13:33

If they are not happy with an 18 year old bloke walking her home, i doubt they'd be happy with the OP walking her home - Sorry OP i'm sure you are very lovely but probably not very intimidating, apologies if you are massive and threatening.

Seriously do not offer to walk her home tho. Just detach. Say you wont be giving lifts and she has to leave by x time. How they work it out is up to them.

Have you actually spoken to the parents about this? If so what exactly was said? If not, who has told you this information?

MrsKoala · 23/01/2014 13:43

Sorry - just seen your post saying she told you and she's really accepting. In that case i'd just push it back to them and stay out of it. I don't think it will look too weird if you just say you aren't taking her. As long as you do it when she arrives rather than have her say 'i'm ready to go now' and you say 'oh i'm not taking you' Although that would be tempting. No though, i would just make it clear as she arrives. Tell DS to tell her then say 'has d mentioned i wont be taking you home tonight, so he can walk you home or your parents will have to be here by xpm' breezy smile, sing song voice 'cup of tea anyone?'

ZingSweetApple · 23/01/2014 13:48

can her parents hire body guards and guard dogs?
armed of course

or maybe she needs a tracking chip implant.

I'm guessing the baby monitor is still on her bedside table - but maybe she is allowed to clean her own bottom.
can't be sure

glasgowsteven · 23/01/2014 13:54

Its a good idea beacuse it will make her feel like a child and she will stop it herself

two options - sorry I cant give you a lift, you will need to contact your parents or I can walk youhalfway and meet your mum halfway, she can walk you the rest

and offer her a set of reigns that a toddler may wear!

glasgowsteven · 23/01/2014 13:55

Daddys little entitled princess indeed

Scholes34 · 23/01/2014 14:04

Hang on, are we missing something here? If it is just a five minutes' walk, why don't you just walk with them both on one occasion, just to get the message through to the parents that walking is an okay thing to do? That way you can still have your glass of wine and you'll hopefully put a quick end to this ludicrous situation.

5Foot5 · 23/01/2014 14:05

ZingSweetApple and glasgowsteven Grin

Mind you I am not so sure about it making her feel like a child if it doesn't bother her already!

5Foot5 · 23/01/2014 14:07

Scholes34 Maybe the OP's DS would be embarassed to have his Mum walk him home again?

StealthPolarBear · 23/01/2014 14:07

If they dont want her walking with her boyfriend, how will the addition of another adult help?

Scholes34 · 23/01/2014 14:08

Aw, but think of the lovely time they'd have to chat together. A mum and her 18 year old can be out together after dark!

I think I'd persuade him to dump the girlfriend. The relationship can't go anywhere. You wouldn't want your DS to have in-laws like that!

Scholes34 · 23/01/2014 14:09

How would the addition of another adult NOT help? Safety in numbers and all that. I assume the girlfriend is fit enough to walk?

glasgowsteven · 23/01/2014 14:10

You will have trouble persuading an 18 year old boy to dump a gorgeous girl!

who lives a 5 minute walk away

glasgowsteven · 23/01/2014 14:11

Scholes - By all accounts she is very fit :)

AnyFucker · 23/01/2014 14:18

Where is op?

Weegiemum · 23/01/2014 14:19

I'm just Shock at this.

My dd1 was 12 when she went to High School (Scotland so slightly older). At which point she was handed a bus pass by the council. She gets one bus 25 mins into the centre of Glasgow, then another 10 mins out to school. The bus stop is 10 mins from home. In fact, my ds (nearly 12) gets the bus to Scouts on his own (dh picks him up!). Ds and dd2 walk 10 mins to catch the school bus. Over the winter, this has been in the dark (if dh is home and feeling charitable, sometimes they get a lift to the bus stop!).

When I was 18 I'd been away at university for 4 months.

They're doing her no favours at all.

StealthPolarBear · 23/01/2014 14:19

Well scholes they obviously have a minimum. Or they justthink wwalking in the dark and the light is inherently dangerous.

Scholes34 · 23/01/2014 14:33

Time to dump her. Girlfriend, however gorgeous, will turn into her mother.

StealthPolarBear · 23/01/2014 14:34

Thats for the ds to decide though not his mother! Otherwise shes equLly as interfering

LessMissAbs · 23/01/2014 14:36

I don't think its up to you to facilitate her parents' anxieties. If they all have such a problem with her walking home alone, leave them to deal with it.

glasgowsteven · 23/01/2014 14:38

tell her parents about mincab drivers and what they get up to....

In saying all these things, if her parents had maybe had a tragedy in life I could see where they were coming from...

ZingSweetApple · 23/01/2014 15:00

glasgow

I know what you mean.
This made me think of James Bulger's parents earlier.Sad

but that is extremely rare. and OP would have mentioned something similar.

no, it's probably her being lazy and entitled. little princess indeed

ZingSweetApple · 23/01/2014 15:08

and why people suggesting for OP to walk her home is beyond me.
Not her problem. She's got things to do, wine to drink, monsters to kill.

OP - I think you are sitting on a gold mine here.
book deal, movie rigths - you need to act quickly.Grin

YeahRightWhatever · 23/01/2014 15:14

Wow what a lot of responses!

In answer to various queries:

DS is having driving lessons and he also has a p/t job, but passing his test is some way off and buying his own car is a very long way off, and he is not having my precious car to drive her home, no chance!
Anyway, none of that helps us now does it. She is not having d/lessons and hasn't got a job.

There is no chance of him dumping her, he is in lurrrve. Well, she does look like a supermodel!

I haven't spoken directly to her parents apart from the odd hello on the doorstep, TBH I don't want to befriend them partly because the r/ship probably won't last (I made a mistake a few years ago getting too friendly with one of dd's bf's mothers and that all got quite awkward when they split up) and partly because they clearly have some odd ideas and I can't see we'd hit it off. Everything I know about their views has come via g/f or DS.

TBF to them, they don't exactly expect me to drive her home, g/f always says they'll pick her up but the times i've done it are because we're bloody busy, I have 3 dc, various animals, a job, a DH who is abroad a lot and a hectic life generally and CBA waiting around and suspending my family's arrangements until they arrive, there have been occasions when we're all going out so unless I leave her on the doorstep or give her a key to our house to lock up - then it messes up what we're doing - so it's sometimes just easier to take her. But as I'm always running late, taking her home makes me even later albeit marginally. We all need to get more organised admittedly.

I'm definitely going to toughen up. It's only as time has gone on that I've realised how U it all is, I gave my DC an exceptional amount of freedom from an early age (got criticised by some friends and family) so I thought maybe it's me BU hence this post.

Absolutely, they are doing her no favours but I don't see it's my job to tell them.

There appears to be nothing in the background making them like this, they are not from another culture or anything like that and the g/f hasn't mentioned anything. They seem a traditional family, dad with a good job, mother doesn't work, 2 DDs.

I have mentioned walking with them as that way I could still drink. DS looked a bit horrified Grin

OP posts:
YeahRightWhatever · 23/01/2014 15:21

I just they have a sheltered existence.

g/f heard me say fuck once, and looked as shocked as it's possible to look.

OP posts: