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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Aibu CAMPING to think safety and supervision seems to go out the window?!

75 replies

hugsarealwaysneededhere1 · 20/08/2016 01:02

Camping: site of around 350 pitches. Wooded, cars travel around site pretty slowly. Park is around 5 minute walk out of site of tents. DH thought I was totally unjust in having real issues with our 6 and 8 year old roaming the site unsupervised as pretty much all the kids were doing. Lots of quite rough behaviour and teens with 'wide ranging vocab' going on. I'm totally up for letting kids have a bit of freedom but I was totally in the monitory and felt like I was being unreasonable - which kids clearly thought I was too. But seriously at home, I bet most would never let their kids go to the shop and park alone??

OP posts:
usual · 20/08/2016 01:07

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DancingDinosaur · 20/08/2016 01:09

Hmmm, I'd probably agree with usual.

Original poster
hugsarealwaysneededhere1 · 20/08/2016 01:11

Agreed but had I have let my 6 year old go to the park alone, whilst drinking in my tent.....and the worst happened......can you imagine the change in attitude from this forum!

OP posts:
oldlaundbooth · 20/08/2016 01:22

Lots of rules are outta the window.

Showering, eating properly, wearing day clothes to bed, plates are fine with a quick rinse, hand-wash ing gets forgotten, socks over jeans to keep the flies out etc etc.

Lots of fun.

Original poster
hugsarealwaysneededhere1 · 20/08/2016 01:24

True!

OP posts:
TinklyLittleLaugh · 20/08/2016 01:30

We once went camping with friends and let our gang of kids (four between 10 and 6) go off for a paddle in nearby stream.

They came back dripping wet. Turned out the "stream" was about four feet deep and DS(8) had pulled DD(6) out bodily. It still makes me feel sick to think how stupidly bloody negligent we were.

DancingDinosaur · 20/08/2016 01:44

Actually I get your point op. And you're right. The kids need their freedom, in my case those environments are the only times they get that, but you still need to be on the ball, so to speak.

VioletBam · 20/08/2016 01:46

God no YANBU! This "all kids go feral" on camping trips is lazy bullshit. 6 and 8 is small still.

Egosumquisum · 20/08/2016 01:46

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VioletBam · 20/08/2016 01:47

tinkly Gosh that's a great 8 year old! He must have had to use all his strength bless him!

KC225 · 20/08/2016 01:57

First time I let my kids go to a playground on their own was at a campsite. Agree with usual feral conditions and feral kids

user1471451684 · 20/08/2016 02:03

Don't agree with feral kids when camping. We are in the USA where we go camping we are 180 miles down a gravel road 3 hours from the nearest town, it's amazing but there needs to be discipline, wolves firearms and bears are all present

Egosumquisum · 20/08/2016 02:05

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FloraFox · 20/08/2016 03:20

where we go camping we are 180 miles down a gravel road 3 hours from the nearest town

This is a fairly uncommon camping experience. Camping gave our DCs most of their unsupervised firsts, from wandering / cycling / swimming on their own to free access to shite cereal.

Stanky · 20/08/2016 03:39

I would still worry about the usual dangers, probably more so. We went to a caravan site when ds was about 2. On the first night staying there, and in the wee hours, he got himself out of bed, turned the lock on the caravan door, and wandered off. He crossed the caravan park, across a road and entered the outdoor swimming pool area through a tiny gap in the fence. Thank goodness it was empty, but he did get wet in a puddle at the bottom. He then wandered into the arcade, where a staff member found him. He was with her for over an hour. That's when I woke up at 6am, and found ds' empty bed, and the open caravan door. After 5 minutes of frantic searching and shouting, the staff member who found him was carrying him over. They had changed him into some pink pyjamas as he was soaking wet from the pool area. I still feel sick when I think what could have happened. I'm now extra anxious when going on holiday.

Egosumquisum · 20/08/2016 08:27

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WhatTheDickensian · 20/08/2016 08:30

I would be more nervous on a big campsite like OP describes. We always go to very small sites of a field or two with no cars. I let the kids run free but with fewer tents I can see further and with fewer people the dangers are less.

Oblomov16 · 20/08/2016 08:35

Disagree completely. And do not see it as feral. They get a freedom that they can't get at home. Can't get these days.
We are in Dorset, miles from main road, no streams, no wild animals or need for guns.
Ours roam free, okay in the park, ride their bikes, play in the woods. They come home, ie to the caravan every so often, just to let us know they are ok.
That's what I like about it. They have the freedom here that I had in my childhood - I rode my bike and played with my friends and came home for lunch and dinner.

As a nation our parenting is over-cautious. I don't like it.
The suggestion that this 'camping parenting' is negligent or lazy parenting, I find offensive.

5moreminutes · 20/08/2016 08:36

Water and traffic are massive dangers.

If those are accounted for or absent though why on earth shouldn't a 6 and 8 year old have freedom.

We live in a small village with very little traffic and about 50 houses and a lot of green space and the kids here have that kind of freedom all the time from that kind of age, with varying rules and limits and levels of oversight depending whether they are 6 or 12 of course. Obviously they wouldn't if we lived on a busy road or a big city (or somewhere with wolves and bears where any idiot could wander about with a gun shooting stuff) , and would be a lot more cautious with higher minimum ages for freedom and more supervision if there were a river or lake.

scrappydappydoo · 20/08/2016 08:36

At that age my dc thought they were feral at a campsite but in reality kept a close eye - so things like we'd pitch within sight of the playground and let them go 'on their own' but we go look and check all was OK occasionally.

NicknameUsed · 20/08/2016 08:38

Feral kids on a campsite Shock

That's why I don't go camping. I like peace and quiet.

capercaillie · 20/08/2016 08:39

This is the only way our children get to experience freedom and explore the outdoors independently. It's good for them. Need to be aware of obvious hazards and make them aware of them but our children and friends have benefited hugely from camping.

bibbitybobbityyhat · 20/08/2016 08:39

I'm with you, rather than your dh in this OP. And especially watch out for the wolefs, guns and bears Wink

Original poster
hugsarealwaysneededhere1 · 20/08/2016 08:41

Stanky gosh you poor thing, really unlucky, but I bet you relive that often.

I feel bad because my 6 year old got his finger trapped in a tree branch and had I have not gone to check on him ........
And my eldest heard some rather eak language.....
But you can't protect them from everything and I guess it's part of growing up BUT I was just so amazed by the age of some the children who are alone and in such large numbers that it makes me looks unreasonable

OP posts:
Egosumquisum · 20/08/2016 08:41

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