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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to let them camp on an island overnight?

668 replies

chomalungma · 01/08/2020 18:01

(Inspired by another thread)

We are on holiday in the Lake District. Lovely cottage. DH is working away. DC's have seen a lovely island and want to go camping there for a few nights. Light a campfire, cook for themselves. They'll get there by sailing boat. Youngest is 6 and oldest is 14.

Would you let them go?

OP posts:
TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 01/08/2020 23:05

@PablosHoney

I have never read Swallows and Amazons, if you actually quote my first comment OP that much would be apparent
Then the reference to the telegram is an unbelievably fortuitous guess...
DappledThings · 01/08/2020 23:05

humiliation Hyperbole much?

PablosHoney · 01/08/2020 23:06

Oh and someone wrote ‘write to your husband’ so I changed it to telegram, still have never read that particular book

PablosHoney · 01/08/2020 23:07

Oh so I have secretly read the book I just like being called stupid 😂😂 ffs

Original poster
chomalungma · 01/08/2020 23:07

I do love how someone asked if it was a reverse..

Maybe Roger was posting?

Or DH...

OP posts:
Jamestown · 01/08/2020 23:07

It would be entirely irresponsible for you or the thrill seeking children to light a fire. The locals are so unfortunate to have idiots like you visiting.

Original poster
chomalungma · 01/08/2020 23:07

@PablosHoney

Oh and someone wrote ‘write to your husband’ so I changed it to telegram, still have never read that particular book
But you know what DH said in his telegram though?
OP posts:
PablosHoney · 01/08/2020 23:07

Not hyperbole, it is unpleasant and doesn’t feel go

Original poster
chomalungma · 01/08/2020 23:08

@Jamestown

It would be entirely irresponsible for you or the thrill seeking children to light a fire. The locals are so unfortunate to have idiots like you visiting.
It would be a bad thing to do.
OP posts:
JasperRising · 01/08/2020 23:12

@Jamestown

It would be entirely irresponsible for you or the thrill seeking children to light a fire. The locals are so unfortunate to have idiots like you visiting.
Actually the children are remarkably responsible when it comes to fire (whatever anxious locals might fear) Grin
sadeyedladyofthelowlands63 · 01/08/2020 23:21

Better drowned than duffers.
Grin

CaptainNancy · 01/08/2020 23:22

To be fair, the Amazons had already built a proper fireplace on their island.

GreatAuntMaria · 01/08/2020 23:22

Actually the children are remarkably responsible when it comes to fire (whatever anxious locals might fear)

Think I'll make that my bedtime reading!

rosiejaune · 01/08/2020 23:23

YANBU as long as you actually mean the youngest is 7.

IceCreamSummer20 · 01/08/2020 23:24

@PablosHoney

Doesn’t make it any the less unpleasant and supercilious, I’m glad you’re enjoying a reference to a beloved book but the humiliation of people that didn’t get it, naaah not so much.
It’s very ‘oh we are so clever to have got the reference’ yawn... Hmm

Not really impressed at all by putting posters down. It’s not mean girls. It’s mumsnet.

JasperRising · 01/08/2020 23:24

I am sadly away from home otherwise I think I would also be getting Pigeon Post out now...

PablosHoney · 01/08/2020 23:27

Exactly @IceCreamSummer20. Surely fan fiction should have its own place, not AIBU to deliberately trip people up.

ineedaholidaynow · 01/08/2020 23:27

Hope we haven't given away any spoilers about the armadillo

IceCreamSummer20 · 01/08/2020 23:35

@PablosHoney

Exactly *@IceCreamSummer20*. Surely fan fiction should have its own place, not AIBU to deliberately trip people up.
Exactly. Very mean school girl to put people down for it. And a bit boring.
GreatAuntMaria · 01/08/2020 23:37

I am sadly away from home otherwise I think I would also be getting Pigeon Post out now...

If you were in Canada, you could download it from Fadedpage free.

backinthebox · 01/08/2020 23:44

Not really impressed at all by putting posters down. Hmm Hmm
I think the majority of people putting people down are not putting them down but fighting back against pearl-clutches who are defiantly not reading any other posts on the thread that would give a few clues. But there we go. Even a nice thread about a favourite book can upset some people!

@CaptainNancy it wasn't a sailing adventure but I was always immensely jealous of the children who could go out into the vastness of somewhere like the Lake District and survive and have fun using only their wits and survival techniques. I took my children out to ride their horses across a moor for 3 days, with everything we needed in our saddle bags. It's something my sister was given the opportunity to do when we were children and I did not have the chance, and have wanted to do ever since. We did have a minor emergency, when a track was blocked by a fallen tree, but we had a folding saw in our bags for this. We couldn't use gadgetry to re-route because we had no phone signal. And we had another day when we had to re-route because our planned route was not safe in the suddenly very poor weather. But it has given them good life skills. I was told DS was too young, but it's the second such ride I've done with them, we did the first when he was 8. Eventually we intend to have a pack pony and take a tent with us, but I do think they need to be a little bit older for that.

backinthebox · 01/08/2020 23:53

As an aside, those horrified at sending a 14 year out to camp on an island in the lake district, the youngest person to sail solo round the world was 16 years old. This was just 10 years ago.

CaptainNancy · 01/08/2020 23:59

That sounds absolutely amazing backinthebox and I'm sure they'll always remember their adventure. A proper pack pony is very S&A! They could have climbed Kanchenjunga with all their gear and not needed to stash it in Swallowdale.

IceCreamSummer20 · 02/08/2020 00:00

Even a nice thread about a favourite book can upset some people! Unfortunately there were several posters that were hugely condescending and mean, ‘didn’t you get it? Ha ha, didn’t you read our posts, you know the ones that were clever enough to get it’ etc - as it people should be embarrassed and feel stupid. It really isn’t a very nice thread because of it unfortunately.

And it isn’t clear in the original post at all, why would it? This is mumsnet asking predominantly advice about parenting. That is what people are going to expect.

Shame as it is nice to have lighthearted threads. Just take some responsibility OP and don’t be so mean other posters either. It’s really not nice.

ErrolTheDragon · 02/08/2020 00:03

@CaptainNancy

That sounds absolutely amazing backinthebox and I'm sure they'll always remember their adventure. A proper pack pony is very S&A! They could have climbed Kanchenjunga with all their gear and not needed to stash it in Swallowdale.
It would have been much better than the dromedaries in Pigeon Post.