I am trying to be chilled about this. Am I right?

[Nicotina]

This has only come to light now. Not sinister but could have been. Dd (was 12) went on a camping weekend with school pal (girl also 12), brother of friend (year younger) and their parents. For one night, the Mum was called away for an emergency todo with her own Mum. Dad left in charge of 3 kids. Sensible bloke. Or so I thought. Turns out, while he slept - separate area of big tent - the three sneaked out for what actually sounded like an Enid Blyton adventure- exploring some nearby woods to look for badgers. No one found out at the time ; they all got back safely. My dd fessed up when we were discussing camping. I told her she could easily have asked the Dad to supervise some nocturnal animal search. I also explained how much difficulty she could have got into. She said she had her phone but I doubt the signal was any good - rural area. I haven't told the parents of the other two yet. Should I tell them? I doubt this would have happened if the Mum had been there. Her emergency turned out to be not so serious- Mum's Mum had leaky pipes and got panicky. And should I let her go away with them again?

So they're 13 now? Why would you mention it to him nothing can be done, it was a year ago and why would you stop her visiting again, she's 13, if he'd let 5year olds wonder around a woods I'd get your point, but at 12 they knew they shouldn't be doing it, it's not the dads fault for not sleeping lightly

I only mentioned it not happening if Mum was there because she is a light sleeper (or says she is, she's someone I know fairly well - both were our dds at same primary). Not because she's The Mum

I doubt this would have happened if the Mum had been there. Her emergency turned out to be not so serious- Mum's Mum had leaky pipes and got panicky. And should I let her go away with them again?

To be fair, your OP didn't read like that, and you sound as though you're back-pedalling because you unfairly blamed the parent in charge. The last part of your OP seemed to imply that you're mildly unhappy with the mother going to a non-emergency and neither should be trusted again.

Your daughter is the only you should talk to (gently) about it, if you feel you really need to. It was an adventure, but totally normal stuff.

At 12 the kids are fully responsible for this themselves. The parent cannot chain them up - or put the door zip up high out of reach like we did with our toddler. He is a parent not a sentry!

Good for the DCs in planning and executing a mini-adventure. So many children of that age can't see past a screen, these three seem to have an admirable sense of enterprise.

Let's hope they go on to have more adventures as they grow up.

Why are you still worried a year later? Is there another camping trip coming up?

Op have the read The Famous Five, maybe you should if not, it will put it all into perspective

Did they find any badgers? That sounds so cool ...

This is exactly the kind of thing I was doing when staying with my best friend when we were twelve, only we were sneaking out of the house at 3 am, riding our bikes to a country estate six miles away, and looking for Enid Blyton-ish generic smugglers/bad guys while avoiding the gamekeepers. Or climbing a small local mountain to watch the sun rise. That was going past both parents who were lifelong friends of my parents and five other sleeping children.

I'm also confused as to why you think the father wasn't 'sensible' purely because he didn't wake up, or why you think the mother, had she not been called away, would have woken up with her spidey-senses alert?

To be honest I'd be grateful she was looking for badgers and not boys!

Again, thanks all. No harm was done. I was pleased she told me. On the scale of things, it was pretty tame. I just got a bit unsettled by it and wanted to hear what others thought.

Not been fretting about this for a year, baked, I just found out.
I agree better badgers than boys.
They might have seen a badger according to her recounting of it - I did ask. Probably a fox or a local cat!

I don't think any of my kids would have had the initiative to get up and go looking for badgers at midnight - I'm very impressed. It sounds amazing.

I get why it would make you feel uneasy. A couple of 12 year old girls, in the woods, alone, in the dark, isn't exactly something I'd feel comfortable with either.

However, it sounds like totally normal behaviour and definitely something me and my friends would have done at that age!

Sounds like fun but tbh the kids were more at risk from the Badgers than anything else!

How could it have been "sinister"?

Ok sorry I misunderstood.

Bertrand- sinister because of all the stupid things that go through your head at the idea of three kids on their own in the woods in the small hours in an unfamiliar area. Not rational, I know, but hard to shrug off.

I think scouts and guides encourage this sort of activity. I can't see an issue to be honest.

*Good for the DCs in planning and executing a mini-adventure. So many children of that age can't see past a screen, these three seem to have an admirable sense of enterprise.

Let's hope they go on to have more adventures as they grow up.*

Completely agree with this! Exactly the sort of thing I'd have loved (and done) at that age.

Don't put a dampner on it for them OP.

Boo! Bold fail!

The more I think about it, the less I "blame" the Dad. You are all correct and he could hardly have been expected to be watchman for them. Again, thank you for sense of perspective.
Dd didn't really get on with Brownies - to do with no class mates in her pack. Maybe this is an opportunity to think about Guides.

I would inform the parents so it doesn't happen again, but they can't be blamed for what the children did. Clearly the kids have been told this is not a safe thing to do.

Fwiw. DS was 5 and got up at 5 am on several occasions and went fishing for tadpoles in a pond in one of the neighbours houses. He then let himself in, locked up and went back to bed. I wasn't aware until several years later when this neighbour told me!

"I would inform the parents so it doesn't happen again, but they can't be blamed for what the children did. Clearly the kids have been told this is not a safe thing to do."

In what way not safe?