Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be fuming with DD's Guide leader?

296 replies

Classroomblues · 07/08/2015 19:59

I am absolutely fuming right now. Dd2 has just got back from a camping holiday with her Guide group. She didn't look particularly great when I picked her up and it turns out she's been unwell with food poisoning and they didn't call me. What's upset me even more is it was caused by incredibly poor hygiene measures.
The cooked chicken yesterday. Dd2 apparently told the leader she isn't allowed to touch raw chicken at home and the leader said "well you're not at home now". Hmm

The hand washing was a BOWL of soapy water. Not even any actual soap or running water. Surely anyone knows this is not good hygiene?
Dd said their camp was so far from the toilet block that she had to crouch outside her tent in the middle of the night with an upset stomach etc. :(
She asked the leaders if they would call me this morning and they refused as we were collecting them this evening anyway. AIBU to be upset/ angry? I don't know if I'm more upset or angry right now. Angry

OP posts:
Original poster
Classroomblues · 07/08/2015 22:15

For those that think I am bonkers for not letting my dd touch raw chicken then I am happy to be called that. I don't even like to touch it (and I cook with it at least twice a week). I either get it out with a fork or if I do need to touch it, I wear disposable gloves and still wash my hands after. Call me crazy I don't care but I don't enjoy touching raw meat. Wink

OP posts:
WordGetsAround · 07/08/2015 22:15

AngieBolen '...which is why I won't let my DD go on guide camp'.

What a relief.

LIZS · 07/08/2015 22:16

I think you need to be clearer about whether it is a bug or food poisoning. If the former you can ring under the guise that others might catch it or pass it on, if the latter then others will already have been acutely ill. It is unlikely to occur in isolation. I doubt they would have chosen to keep a child with diarrhoea on camp any longer than necessary.

SwingingBalls · 07/08/2015 22:17

I'd get the guide leaders side of the story before "fuming". It doesn't sound like food poisoning to me and may not be as reported by your dd. Yabu until you've got all the facts.

Who knew that raw chicken was to be treated on par with nuclear waste.

AngieBolen · 07/08/2015 22:18

You're welcome, WordGetsAround Grin

ravenAK · 07/08/2015 22:19

I'm the same about raw meat OP (recently started eating free range organic meat after long term vegetarianism) - don't like the feel of it.

But I get my 11yo ds to stick the lemon up its bum & then wash his hands, thoroughly - I'm hoping it's a life lesson that'll stick for when he's a feckless student type.

I'm not convinced that you not liking the feel of it is a reason to ban a competent pre-teen from handling it - she's not you?

OTheHugeManatee · 07/08/2015 22:19

I think the OP should calmly request to see the risk assessment, and what measures were put in place regarding hygiene and preparing meals.

Pretty sure my parents would have been sympathetic but taken the view that getting sick on camp is character-building. All this risk assessment stuff seems massively OTT. The girl was just a bit sick, that's all. It could have been anything that did it, raw chicken or a D&V virus or who knows what. Totally not the end of the world, not even anywhere near the beginning of the end of the world. Surely better to pat the girl on the back, say something sympathetic and reassure her next guide camp will be more fun rather than making a massive hoo-ha out of it.

Lurkedforever1 · 07/08/2015 22:21

Yy word I was just imagining a load of guiders all drawing up risk assessments saying 'make sure that demanding angie's child isn't here or we'll never hear the end of it'
Op saying you don't like the texture is irrelevant to letting your dd touch it as a health hazard.
Do people never fillet their own chicken, or dice it, or make it into things anymore, so only touch it with forks? Really?

Fluffy24 · 07/08/2015 22:22

FWIW I also don't like handling raw chicken but wouldn't worry in the slightest about handling raw lamb or eating a blue steak - rightly or wrongly I perceive chicken to be particularly high risk.

AuntyMag10 · 07/08/2015 22:22

Same here Manatee.

Too many overly precious parents who turn out useless, precious children into adults. Risk assessment pah!

fastdaytears · 07/08/2015 22:24

Lurkrd I really like the feel of raw meat! That's probably actually weirder than not liking it though.
I also eat raw mince out of the packet (not on guide camp) and have never had food poisoning, I think probably have more bacteria in stomach than anything else. But yes happy to faff around with meat as required.

Greythorne · 07/08/2015 22:25

Isn't is better to show / teach DC safe handling of poultry and meat than ban the handling completely? For those saying they don't allow DC to touch raw chicken, at what age do you allow DC to handle raw poultry?

AngieBolen · 07/08/2015 22:25

But the next camp won't be more fun if hygiene isn't improved, and it was a case of finger licking raw chicken!

But hey, it's not my problem; my DC won't be going.

Enjoy your camps everyone.

fastdaytears · 07/08/2015 22:25

Grey 34 and a half is the right age I think

Pilgit · 07/08/2015 22:26

Camping without hot running water - of course you can! I take my guides camping without it regularly. It's easy - you need hot water and soap for cleaning hands. You don't need hot running water for that.

I have never had a case of food poisoning because we insist on strict hygiene at all stages of the process.

As to not handling chicken - all girls are expected to muck in. I am shocked at the number who can't peel a potato, have never washed up or made a sandwich. They come to guides to learn new skills yet we end up teaching them things my 4 year old can do with no problems and then we have parents complain about letting them light fires or handle knives. It's not just about rock climbing and fun. It's about learning skills to be independent capable human beings.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 07/08/2015 22:26

I cook chicken a lot. I handle it with my bare hands, and if there is a bowl of soapy water in the sink (for washing up), I wash my hands in there (rather than running the tap and using hand wash), and I have -never given myself food poisoning.

I wash up in water as hot as my tank produces - which is really hot but not scalding - and havent poisoned my family yet either.

I would be concerned about the girl not being able to get to the loo in the night - having to squat outside the tent is pretty awful - but as others have said, please don't goo in 'fuming' - by all means raise your concerns, but be prepared to listen to their point of view/account of what happened.

I would also suggest it is far safer and more sensible to teach a child how to handle raw meat safely than to ban them from touching it.

AngieBolen · 07/08/2015 22:31

Fluffy24 I'm with you....other meat I have no problem with...I'm very careful myself handling raw poultry.

simpson · 07/08/2015 22:31

Another one who doesn't like touching raw chicken and will use a knife and fork to move it around whilst dicing it Blush

One of my DC has just come back from cub camp in which they all had a cooking competition but pre cooked chicken was used.

Tbh I doubt it was the chicken that made her I'll but you should certainly have had a phonecall.

simpson · 07/08/2015 22:32

Ahhh blooming ipad! ill not I'll

Pilgit · 07/08/2015 22:33

Sorry just read that it was food poisoning because she licked her fingers after handling raw chicken and there is complaints about the leaders hygiene standards? There are some things you cannot legislate for and I would not expect to have to tell a 10 year old or teenager this was a stupid idea. It's likely they didn't see - there will be one leader supervising but around doing things. They would expect basic hygiene knowledge. ...

AngieBolen · 07/08/2015 22:33

I would also suggest it is far safer and more sensible to teach a child how to handle raw meat safely than to ban them from touching it.

Absolutely. But this isn't what happened, was it!

fastdaytears · 07/08/2015 22:36

www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/news/2014/6097/foodpoisoning I stand corrected re the incidence of poultry based food poisoning, but is this really saying that the next most common cause is vegetables? Who ever got sick from a vegetable?

Greythorne · 07/08/2015 22:37

It's the OP who has banned the handling of chicken, Angie, so her DD is probably more at risk of handling it incorrectly.

morall · 07/08/2015 22:40

Rice is a very high risk food for food poisoning.

fastdaytears · 07/08/2015 22:41

OH yes of course it is. I think I was too fixated on the idea of a carrot giving you food poisoning. Rice is really dodgy reheated isn't it? Shame because breakfast takeaway leftovers are so good

Swipe left for the next trending thread