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?

What?

You have to take your child to school for a trip at 2am?????????

This is a thing?????

Well I had no idea. I'm not looking forward to that in a few years time I have to say.

Can you stick her in a cab if you don't want to get the whole family out of bed? No idea if that is reasonable with a 13yo or not.

Lol @ poster who said "well you chose not to live near an airport" brilliant

The school should have pre warned the parents about the rubbish flight times before they signed up for it.

It's perfectly possible that someone who normally goes to bed at, say, 2200 w

look, its a pain in the ass to take a child to school for 2 am, especially if you have long partner AT HAND when needed, and to also get younger child up, and what if you don't drive and your child normally gets the bus to school? it could be blinking miles away.

Its a bugger. And not all of us can afford taxis, babysitters blah blah blah.

I feel your pain mintty, as a full on single parent, non-driving, brassic as fuck person.

I think 2am is a bit unreasonable as well, especially as it's a relatively short journey to Europe. I guess it's to save overnight accomadation. Also, will also probably lead to tired kids ( and teachers).

It's perfectly possible that someone who normally goes to bed at, say, 2200 won't sleep at 2000.

er, if you have no partner at hand

I apologise on behalf on the teaching profession for making you miss a few hours sleep. In the interests if fairness I humbly ask you apologise (not for all patents I hasten to add, just you) at least here on mumsnet for being so ungrateful towards the accompanying teachers who will miss many, many more hours sleep, time with their families and 'downtime' just so that they can give your child a wonderful experience.

You do one way and one of her friend's parents do t'other? Drop her or they drop other at supper time and only one family is disrupted. How far is school? How old is your other DC? If he's over 10 and it's under 30 minutes round drop, and he's asleep, then surely he can be left sleeping? If you would leave him in the day for that time, then I can't see the problem.

wtf?

OP needs to be grateful that she has to get family including younger child up and out at 1.30am with little warning which if she'd had she might not have signed up for trip?

That's a bit strong

You may think you have turned out fine *

Good lord. I'd think this was made up if I didn't know better. I can understand a bit of a moan but the level of annoyance expressed is beyond me.
Bet OP will not be one of the parents who contact the school to say thanks afterwards either.

Can your DS sleep at a friend?

And def share the drop offs

god. Does nothing ever annoy some people apart from being really really annoyed at OPs being annoyed?

Not strong at all - it's been pointed out repeatedly that the would have been unlikely to have chosen those flights, that its only a few hours and that while it's a pain other parents accept it as a necessary evil. OP does sound miserable and ungrateful for the opportunity for her child - never mind all the hard work that goes in to these trips and all the great stuff her child will do she's just focusing on one small part and saying she wouldn't do it again.

DS has to be at school for 3.15 Monday morning. I feel your sleep loving pain.

I am shocked this is the norm.

People expect to turn out in the middle of the night with their young children in tow and then get home get said young children back to sleep and then up again in the morning get them all sorted and off to work?

Do I need more sleep than everyone else or something?!!!

I'm not surprised the OP would have thought twice about the trip if she'd known what was involved.

ask a neighbour/friend/relative/babysitter to sleep over with younger child when you are leaving DD to school?

'The school should have pre warned the parents about the rubbish flight times before they signed up for it.'

Not possible, doinmummy - as explained above, the travel company take the booking (including confirmed numbers & deposits) & then book the flights - often months later.

'I think 2am is a bit unreasonable as well, especially as it's a relatively short journey to Europe. I guess it's to save overnight accomadation. Also, will also probably lead to tired kids ( and teachers).'

Yes, & the £200 or so it costs to replace each teacher with an agency supply for an additional day.

& the fact that you'd lose a day (or even a day each end of the trip) spent on the activities you've paid for, if a day, rather than a night, were to be spent travelling.

Indeed Snakey. You expect sleeplessness when they are little. By 13 they would happily sleep 15 hours a day if you let them - ime.

I am totally ignoring all comments about teachers because they are a red herring in this conversation.

2am is a fucking anti social time.

I was well pissed off when ds turned up with a letter for a school trip to Spain next year demanding £60 deposit within three days, and another lump sum within a week or so.

Because I happen to have random amounts of cash just waiting for moments like this.

It's a shame that OP didn't realise flights might be in the middle of the night. I wouldn't have either - school trips have all been normal time starts.

Still at least this thread has made people aware that it is the norm for this to happen on school trips, and no way of finding out before signing up. so that's good.

The chances are if the flight had been at a more reasonable time the cost go up. DS1 trip left at 1.30am then straight into a full days activity. A better time flight would of increased cost by having another night or decreased time spent making the trip too expensive for the amount of time spent in the country.