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?

Is there anyone you can share it with ? You do the going journey/someone do the return pick up ? Let the kids have a (half) sleepover either end ?

You may find that they let them out of school earlier the day before (they did with us at that age) although that doesn't help with your work situation.

Could you maybe talk to a couple of friend's parents and see if you can do a car share maybe so only one parent has to get up at such am obscene hour?

Yeah, fairly standard practice. The kids usually get some kip on the journey.

Killer for the teachers - they'll need to put in a day's work, be back at school about 1am, supervise kids in between taking it in turns to catch an hour's doze on the coach, & then put in another full day supervising umpty teenagers in an airport, on the flight, on the coach the other side, settling into accommodation...probably get about 4 hours sleep if they're lucky after arrival at destination & then straight into activities. I've done it & it's bloody hard work...but often the only way to keep costs sensible.

I've seen you talk about your DH before Mintyy.

The teachers are not going to get much sleep either. They are going to be working a lot more hours to take your DC on this trip, for no more pay. They won't be able to catch up on their sleep because they are going to be looking after your DC.

You'r making a mountain out of a molehill IMO.

Yes, that is what I am going to do, wheresthelight.

Gentle roffle at the idea that dd or I would get to sleep if we went to bed at 8pm.

The children are flying, btw, so I imagine they knew the flight times when they booked the trip. Unless I've got it all wrong about how these things work.

Very normal IME of two teens at secondary school. Most people lift share so only one parent is having to get up in the night.

Early starts keep the costs down and Ben time is well spent on the trip. Eg 2 am start, 6am ferry, arrive 9am for a full day of activities, leave 6pm, 9pm ferry, back at school 1am. So teachers back for next day (so saving on getting cover for their lessons etc)

It's fine to grumble but YABU saying if you'd known you wouldn't let her go! You must have had some advanced warning-these trips are always preceded by so much paperwork-I can't believe you have only just found out?!

The staff will be there. Unpaid. Possibly with families of their own to sort out.

My 2 eldest have had this for their MFL trips.

I was planning on waking the small ones up to take them as well as DH works away. BUt luckily he managed to siwng a Work From Home day.

Phew.

I'm generally insomniac-ish, so the broken sleep doesn't bother me. But really it's not an ideal situation, but quite fun for the girls.

Then not Ben!

Have you really Fairy?

Well, dh is not here right now. I don't imagine I am unique among the parents of the 50 or so children going on the trip - there will be plenty of lone parents amongst us.

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. They can resent me forever more in their adulthood and come and moan about me on Mumsnet.

Trip probably booked through a third part company - flight details would not be known on booking. Even if they were, the school would probably still choose this option so the students (and parents) were getting their money's worth... YABU I'm afraid

We've all managed to go to sleep at 8pm when we've had early flights the next morning. We have an early dinner, early showers and early bed, that includes the teenagers who usually stay up later.

I don't see what's funny about adapting your behaviour to suit the situation.

A huge amount of moaning about 2 nights in a year and prob a huge cost saving ?!?! It's normal. Younger child will not be traumatised long term by it. If you work then just ask for some flexi time that day

In fact, after your last post YABVU.

Mintyy, you sound rather curmudgeonly about this

It's a rite of passage for your kids. It's a one off

You can sleep when you are dead. Come on, love.

Oh and the teachers insist on a Silent Coach after the settling down 20 mins. I understood some girls did get some slepp.

Its not a rite of passage for my kids. I didn't have any foreign school trips whatsoever and I am perfectly fine .

Its not 5am or 4am or midnight. Its fucking 2.15am!

that was many years ago !

lol at ask for flexi time the next day.

Yep, what fourcorneredcircle says - the travel company notifies flight details after the booking's made. Usually safest to assume it'll be some antisocial red-eye.

Well, you live and learn.

I've done it on my own too, Mintyy. I have a DH in the Forces who goes away for months on end. I, also, have a painful disability. When I did it I couldn't take my medication because I would have been unsafe to have driven DS2 to school. It didn't occur to me to moan and groan, I just got on with it, because life is not always a bed of roses.

Oh, and DS1 got out of bed too, despite having college the next day, because he didn't want me to do the 12 mile rural drive on my own in the middle of the night!

To be fair they probably didn't know the flights when they booked. My DC is going to Spain with school next Easter and deposits were paid last Jan. Flight times won't be known until the autumn because the flights aren't confirmed by the airlines until about 6 months before departure.

pesky kids wanting to have fun. so inconvenient. parenting isn't supposed to involve broken sleep is it?