school trip for 13 year olds which involves setting off at 2am?

[Mintyy]

My child is going on a 3 day school trip to a European country.

Today I find out that the timing of the outward bound flight means that we have to get her to school for boarding the coach by 2.15am.

Aibu to think this is nuts?

Excellent idea Doin! . I will email the school forthwith ...

Did you mean me, MrsD? I didn't think I had but sorry if that's how it comes across

Madame, sorry.

Anyway I'll STFU now. Have a garden to tame

well, I do think the 'can't be bothered' comment was both inaccurate and uncalled for, but really mean the the posters who bitch about an OP based purely on the OPs dislike of sending their children off on a school trip at silly oclock.

Being contrary for the sake of it.

Some people do have real problems around a lot of things TBH, and I don't think "fuck em" is the most helpful attitude. I think that is the reason that schools and things have inclusiveness policies and we have health visitors and so on, because some people do struggle with really quite everyday things that others just get on with. For a big range of reasons, as well, not just because they are "needy" or not proactive or whatever.

You are always going to get people who won't cooperate, won't find help , won't help out etc and prefer their children to miss out.
2am isn't a good time,but there must be reasons and I would always went with it, rather than have my children miss out.
Children are inconvenient! They will become more inconvenient with their hours now they have reached 13 yrs. Fact.

But it's no skin off your nose is it delphinium if the parent can't or won't for whatever reason send their child on a school trip with those conditions, as the other poster points out. Doesn't affect you or yours one jot.

that is very gracious of you Odd.

Now go sort that garden out!

It's absolutely fine to moan about it. Not fine to say your kids will miss out in the future because it's too much hassle. It's not really is it? It's a ball ache but a lot of parenting is isn't it?

"Not fine to say your kids will miss out in the future because it's too much hassle. It's not really is it? I"

If I take a day off work because I am too exhausted to go in, I don't get paid. Am I allowed to factor that in to the cost of the trip and decide that makes the trip very expensive?

If you like.

It is utterly ridiculous to say its all part of parenting when every parenting situation has very different stresses, strains,imperatives...

And to say that to the parent of a 13 year old and another is pretty damn patronising.

Or maybe Mintty has sleptwalked through the first 13 years?

You seem far more het up than the OP tbh MD

Yes it's all different but you don't tend to just say "that's it, no ones doing THAT again because it's bothersome to ME!" about other aspects of parenting do you?

I think it's unfair to say no more trips on the back of one 2 am start. It's likely to happen one or two more times in two children's school careers.

I'd think ffs! And then just get on with it. My situation isn't typical btw, I am a lone parent, both my dc have ASD and my support network is over an hour away so no one help out at all but it's once or twice. Id get up myself for a flight at they time without making a big deal out of it.

As I said earlier, I hope the child involved isn't aware of how annoyed her Mum is about it, rather pisses on the trip for an excited teenager doesn't it if you do show it?

Missing a day's pay might be less than the increased fares or accommodation costs brought by a more civilised departure time I suppose.

Do you really think she meant the remark about no more trips? Because I didn't take that from her comment. I took that she was pissed off. I think you might be being overliteral.

And be careful there, you are tiptoeing perilously close to that old MN cliche of pomposity 'I feel sorry for your children'.

As the OP has said several times, she will of course do it, so give it a rest.

I can remember going away with the school in the middle of the night it was so exciting (and we walked to school)

Did not think how inconvenient it was but remember the excitement 28ish years on

I am sure I shall have bit of a moan when it's ds turn though not quite as much

When did they turn off the sense of humour button?
If we have to take every word literally it's going to get very tiresome.

I'm definitely NOT doing this again. The children can miss out. I'm not losing 2 nights sleep out of 7 just so my kids can go on a jolly

Seems pretty definite to me what OP meant. Not sure how you couldnt take from that what she meant. Really dont think it is over-literal to take this comment to mean OP definitely would NOT do it again. Thats exactly what it says.

And yes i do feel sorry for a child denied a trip for the sole reason of it meaning a break in sleep for the parent.

BTW OP you didnt say whether this meant your younger child wouldnt be allowed to go on the trip when it is their turn. Will he/she be denied even though their older sibling went?

I don't think YABU OP. I would be pretty fed up too. I'd do it but I wouldn't be thrilled about it.
I understand why it might have to be such an early start and I would thank the teachers for the trip.
I'd still have a good moan about it.

Yes, I thought the at the end of my post should have been obvious, although I see I didn't put one. Perhaps the joke about the dc moaning about me on Mumsnet in years to come should have given it away though?

But, if IF, I were to think again about not sending one of my children on a school trip because I didn't want to lose two nights sleep out of 5, wibu? I don't think so.

We never choose the crack of dawn flights for our family holidays either. A 5am get up time is the earliest I will tolerate given the choice. And, of course, on those early start days all I have to do is sit around being transported somewhere, arrive at destination and have a nap and then go out for dinner and a lovely bottle of wine. Not too onerous. I don't have to commute in to work, work, get home and look after my other child on my own. And then do the middle of the night thing again 5 days later.

I'm glad I know now that this can happen.

Singlesuzie maybe the OP meant it but she was probably just venting. Nowt wrong with that.

At no point have I said anything even remotely close to "I feel sorry for your children" .

I remember my own mother whining about such situations as this and it really spoiling the experience. I will certainly reference that if I want to, it's what I thought of when I read the thread.

Careful MD you've stepping quite close to telling people how and what to post which might make you look like a right aggressive, old bossy boots........

Xpost

really? How pleasing!

Rather that than a pompous, humourless pedant bent on wilfully misunderstanding an OP.

Different strokes, eh?