Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not be happy about Brownies litter picking?

160 replies

ImNameyChangey · 22/04/2015 20:58

I know it's part of what Brownies are about...to be public spirited and I do appreciate that it's important for them to learn about this sort of thing but the area around the Brownie hall is very large, open and is close to a lot of houses and flats.

It's an area with mixed social issues...on the one hand it's middle class but on the other there are people with drug problems.

My DD like many of the other Brownies is only 7 and giving her one glove and a bag and telling her to pick up packets etc isn't sensible imo. There could not only be syringes but dog mess and all manner of other nasty stuff.

I feel like I want to say something to the leaders about this.

OP posts:
annieowl · 23/04/2015 02:55

Hi tazzle!

I totally agree with you.

Some kids today would never go outside if some parents had their way. I take my Brownies camping! Some parents are genuinely alarmed at the thought but the girls LOVE it. I have some parents that simply won't let their dds go and it's so sad.

I've taken my Brownies indoor rock climbing (with Helmets and harness at a proper place- don't panic people!) and the sense of achievement for some of them who were nervous about it is fantastic. This is what it is about.

I also (don't read any further if you are a nervous mum) ......... let them strike matches. The amount of 12 year old Guides I meet who don't know how to strike a match is really quite alarming.

Then I have a parent phone me up and complain that we let her 9 year old dd use a sharp knife when we were cooking which makes me want to bang my head on the table.

Learning to take risks and make judgments is an important life skill, that many kids these days are not learning due to mummies not letting them do ANYTHING remotely out of their comfort zone.

goldopals · 23/04/2015 03:20

We did this loads of times during the nineties. all of our kids pick up rubbish for clean up Australia day every year

icklekid · 23/04/2015 04:22

Fleecyleesy your comment has made me very angry. You would report without even talking to the leader or asking for the risk assessment? I was a rainbow leader for years and if a parent did what you suggested I would quit straight away. Why spend hours of my life volunteering to help if that is the thanks I would get.

wheresthelight · 23/04/2015 05:52

annieowl and madwoman I salute everything your posts say (much better than my earlier one). am an ex district commissioner and agree that there is no disability we would turn down.

op Yabvu. you only have the word of a 7 year old and frankly I don't care what you say, she will not be giving you a full and accurate picture of the evening

Fairenuff · 23/04/2015 08:24

OP did your dd come to any harm?

(I did ask earlier but you may have missed it)

YouBetterWerk · 23/04/2015 08:56

To add to what all the previous brownie leaders have said, I thought I'd also just put my two pennies in and state that viruses like HIV and Hep C CANNOT live outside the body for anymore than about 2 hours.
Of course they should have had litter pickers (you need to clarify if they did) but, as you said, she is 7, not a toddler and I'm perfectly sure this wasn't some waste ridden land with needles dripping with blood poking up from the ground.
YABU.

formerbabe · 23/04/2015 09:19

No way would I allow my kids to do this... I recently found broken glass in a playground...I have seen needles lying in the gutter before. Adults are aware of the dangers...kids are not. They do not have the knowledge or reasoning skills to know what's safe and what's not. Quite frankly, the state of a local area is something for the council to be dealing with.

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 23/04/2015 09:25

I don't blame you being peeved. I would be too.
As you've said what about dog dirt and syringes and glass ect. Luckily your dd came to no harm though.
Was this activity risk assessed if not it should have been.

Damnautocorrect · 23/04/2015 09:45

Me and my kids (6 and under) litter pick every morning on the way too and from school. We don't have gloves, BUT it is done under my supervision so "leave that" / "get that".

You have to have trust in the leaders that they did do the risk assessment and checked it was safe.
If you don't trust them then you probably shouldn't send your children.

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 23/04/2015 09:52

Autocorrect. It's commendable that you and your dc's pick up litter but sorry we're not all perfect and if op does not want her child picking up disgusting litter why should she have to justify herself.

Original poster
ImNameyChangey · 23/04/2015 10:18

Werk I don't need to clarify...if you'd read the thread and the OP properly you would see that I stated clearly they only had a glove.

I am NOT someone who doesn't let their children go out...or do anything risky. But picking up litter with one glove is not sensible.

OP posts:
Original poster
ImNameyChangey · 23/04/2015 10:21

Annieowl thank you for informing me that being disabled does not bar me from volunteering...Hmm how would YOU know how my disability affects me?? You do not. I am UNABLE to volunteer. Not worrying that they cannot accommodate me! Ffs.

OP posts:
Damnautocorrect · 23/04/2015 10:23

why should she have to justify herself
She did post it on a public forum asking for opinions?!
I neither agreed or disagreed, just said If you don't trust them then you probably shouldn't send your children

It is entirely her choice of course what her child does, i do think the leaders were wrong to change activities as that removed her choice about picking up 'disgusting litter' - although if its like ours its really only Mcdonalds, cans and crisp packets.

Just as a side note, who should pick up litter thats a danger to wildlife?

Original poster
ImNameyChangey · 23/04/2015 10:27

Damn I DO trust them usually....this is one event which I was Hmm about.

I believe that communities should pick up litter in groups...it's a good thing. But 7 years old...ill equipped....NOT a good idea. If they'd given the children those litter picking pole things I wouldn't have batted an eyelid. But one glove means she would have been squatting in the undergrowth....picking through all sorts of stuff with her hands.

OP posts:
ToysRLuv · 23/04/2015 10:28

I used to work for the council maintaining parks, mainly tending to tge natyral and planted greenery. However, part of the job was also emptying dog mess bins every Fri, emptying park bins and occasionally picking litter. For litter picking were given gloves with a metal lining.The regular staff had also been given hep immunisations. I would expect children to use gloves and be given litter pickers. I would also expect them to be closely supervised and told to look for/avoid glass, needles, poo and anyyhing unidentifiable. Finally, I would hope that the area wasn't too bad or known for drug usage or teenage drinking sessions, etc. I would, however trust the guides to doa proper risk assessment.

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 23/04/2015 10:29

Who should pick up litter that's a threat to wild life. Good point and good question but certainly not 7 year old children

DoraGora · 23/04/2015 10:31

Maybe somebody should put some thought into preventing the litter getting dropped in the first place. I've had my fair share of arguments with teen loiterers throwing rubbish in the shopping centre and then laughing about it. We also have a new playground (brand new) and it has its fair share of fresh rubbish. We even have signs up saying please don't throw litter, carefully litter strewn themselves. I don't wear gloves. I just pick it up. But, if I catch any of the buggers dropping it, there will be fireworks.

Kaekae · 23/04/2015 10:35

My child would not be attending that day!

Bearfrills · 23/04/2015 10:40

When I was in Brownies we did a litter pick in the city centre one Sunday morning, all we had was a bag and a pair of rubber gloves. It was great, we had loads of fun and all got given two cinema passes for our trouble :) The rules were explained beforehand - don't pick up anything you aren't sure of, don't pick up anything sharp or jagged such as broken glass or tin cans, don't stick your hands in anything. We went around in little groups of 3-4 Brownies and one adult. We spotted litter, we told our adult, adult checked it over and if it was safe we picked it up and put it in our bag, if it wasn't safe it was left where it was and the adult made a note of the location to pass on to the council (who were present for the event as lots of community groups were taking part).

I would speak to them to find out what exactly the activity involved and ask to have a look at a copy of the risk assessment. Hopefully this will reassure you that it was conducted in a safe and well-managed way, if it wasn't and you still have concerns then you can consider your next steps, however YABU to not discuss your concerns with the adults running the group - how can they work in partnership with parents if parents aren't communicating with them?

Strictlyison · 23/04/2015 11:00

We go litter picking regularly, with my. Two DSs (7 and 9) in our local forest. They even got a medal for it for doing 50 hours of litter picking in the year. I do it too. It's not a big deal.

I do it because I got fed up with going for walks and looking at litter instead of trees and green stuff. Budget cuts mean that litter pickers' hours are cut, and I don't do it because we are do gooders, I just want to do something easy and simple for my local green space.

It's absolutely fine for children to do it with very simple hygiene rules. You could give her thicker washing up gloves, and maybe some anti bacterial wipes. Tell her not to touch her face and wash her clothes when she gets home. Honestly, it's not a big deal and the benefits are huge, to wildlife mostly.

I am sure this activity is for them to 'spot' litter and see how bad it is to drop litter, they wouldn't be expected to actually pick any needles, sharp objects, etc.

Strictlyison · 23/04/2015 11:10

DoraGora, encouraging young children to 'spot' litter and help clear (some of it) occasionally IS a way of preventing litter dropping in the future. The worst offenders in my park are secondary school age teenagers, if they did a bit of litter picking as children they might have realised how bad it is for the environment.

Original poster
ImNameyChangey · 23/04/2015 11:15

Strictly the point is not that I thought they were EXPECTED to pick up needles. But that 7 year olds could accidentally pick them up or jab themselves or just not see them and kneel on them.

OP posts:
DoraGora · 23/04/2015 11:28

The needles shouldn't be there. If they are, then it's a problem which needs sorting, anyway.

YouBetterWerk · 23/04/2015 12:28

OP, I meant you should clarify with your DD and perhaps the brownie leaders. I know she had gloves on, sorry that wasn't clear.

redskybynight · 23/04/2015 12:40

OP - Even if your disability means you can't attend meetings, you can volunteer to help your brownie unit with admin, or other organizational type tasks. (Brownie leader who would bite off the hand of anyone who offered to help with this sort of stuff)

Swipe left for the next trending thread