Son's passport expiring - family hols in ruins

[blueshoes]

Dh and I were looking forward to our family holiday in Crete, Greece for the October half term. We watched the covid-19/PCR situation closely not realising that my 15 year old son's passport has less than 3 months. Just found out today. This is our first foreign holiday since covid struck.

The government website says that for entry to Greece, your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave Greece, or any other Schengen country.

We leave on 30 October and my son's passport expires just short of 3 months on 22 January 2022. It is too late to renew his passport as we are leaving in less than a week.

Ds cannot come with us, can he? We f_ked up.

Anybody recently travelled to Greece with Ryanair with less than 3 months left on their passport? Is it a bad idea to turn up and chance it or bite the bullet now and plan on the basis ds cannot go.

@blueshoes

We talk about developing resilience in children.

If as a parent you think your teenager is in a position to make a decision in a less than ideal situation which turns out to be a win-win for both parties, would you not let your child make that decision and then do all you can to compensate for your mistake to facilitate the child's decision and keep him safe. Or would you override their decision and cancel a family holiday because of a mistake, even if that is not what ds wants.

I would have thought this is a learning moment of how grown ups mess up but don't go to pieces (I am, somewhat) or overreact and instead work through all options and find a solution whilst, less than ideal, works.

That is life, right? Children have super-big adult decisions imposed on them with no say, whether in terms of moving countries, or divorce or schools or even holidays they may not want to go on. Allowing my ds to decide an alternative to an 8 day family holiday because he cannot come is to me just a drop in the ocean. I expected to get some stick for this but not the sandstorm this has churned up. I am clearly minimising.

you aren't minimising - you're doing the best you can for everyone. Your son is happy and I think the people who will be least happy is you and your DH

OP resolved her situation within first 100 posts. Why did this thread go on & on?

I hope you all have a lovely half-term, blueshoes. Isn't it funny how life works out sometimes.

*How do you know it wasn’t because she couldn’t be bothered?

And there’s no need to shout.*

Because she said she and Dh messed up. Tbh I make mistakes too. I get it.

I'll use whatever words and type I want to @Warmduscher, thanks.

I think I've read all your posts OP. But I don't see one where you refer to the post a previous poster made with a name and contact details of someone who can quite possibly assist you.

I mean surely if you're going to try to get ds to go with you, you'll attempt every option.

Bloody hell lightswitch you can’t get a same day passport for a minor. Maybe read the thread before pontificating.

People are weirdly angry at what OP and her family seem perfectly happy with. Really strange.

This thread has reminded me to renew my own passport.

@Lbnc2021

I’d be having the party to end all parties 🍾🎉🕺🏻

I did exactly this at 15. my mum went to Spain for the week, she left me with a friends mum and one night we told the friends mum we were staying at another friends house for the night when In fact we had a massive party at my Mums house ended up with the police at the door at 3am

I'll use whatever words and type I want to Warmduscher, thanks.

From the person who posted this:

Could everyone here who knows OPs DS as well as she does please sit down?

The irony.

I'm amazed at the flack you're getting OP, He is 15, not 5.
At his age I stopped going on family holidays & spent time between my friend's homes, & they came to mine.
We walked, got buses & trains, had minimal pocket money, & mobile phones didn't exist. (we used public phone boxes with coins, Yes really !)
I think he will be perfectly fine,
My parents used to go for holidays & left me with friends for a week. I walked, bus-ed & walked 30 minutes again, across a big town to get to primary school. Yes it was a long time ago, but no one was pearl- clutching & making accusations of disgraceful parenting or abuse.
If he gets Covid I am sure you family will step in until one of you get home.
As for dobbing you in to Social Services, It would be hilarious if it wasn't so sad.
Have a good holiday, I hope you enjoy it as much as he does !

hmm 🤔

getting the idea you are the 'what can be said' police around here

@Warmduscher

This thread is bizarre. Has anyone bar the OP ever met a teenager before?

@cooldarkroom

I'm amazed at the flack you're getting OP, He is 15, not 5. At his age I stopped going on family holidays & spent time between my friend's homes, & they came to mine. We walked, got buses & trains, had minimal pocket money, & mobile phones didn't exist. (we used public phone boxes with coins, Yes really !) I think he will be perfectly fine, My parents used to go for holidays & left me with friends for a week. I walked, bus-ed & walked 30 minutes again, across a big town to get to primary school. Yes it was a long time ago, but no one was pearl- clutching & making accusations of disgraceful parenting or abuse. If he gets Covid I am sure you family will step in until one of you get home. As for dobbing you in to Social Services, It would be hilarious if it wasn't so sad. Have a good holiday, I hope you enjoy it as much as he does !

See this is what a sane balanced reply looks like 👆🏻

@sunglassesonthetable

hmm 🤔

getting the idea you are the 'what can be said' police around here

@Warmduscher

Nope, you’re the one who told posters to “sit down”.

I just reminded you that using capitals online is the same as shouting. You crack on if that’s how you want to communicate.

Gosh. I was thinking it was wrong to leave our sixteen year old home alone for one night while we were twenty minutes away and he's a good sensible kid.

Agree he is 15

My parents went away and left me at home with my brother who was 18, when I was 15 and just left school (July birthday )

I was fine with it

Had friends over and stayed some nights with friends

Tho I was never going

Hopefully you can get a passport

I do think it’s bad you need 3/6mths of passport

Surely the expiry date should mean something

I'm sure one of the other parents will have the sense to let the school know. As a safeguarding lead we would want to know this and would absolutely investigate.

He's 15.

Huh. I was an only child and very occasionally my mum would go abroad for a long weekend or something with one of her pals. After a certain age, probably 15 or so, I would just stay in our house. My gran lived over the road so I would often go there for my tea after school and then go back to our house for the evening. Never really thought anything of it! I was a very sensible teenager!

I really doubt social services would be at all interested in a 15-year-old who is happily staying with friends for a week while his parents are away. Seems like a monumental waste of their time tbh but maybe I'm out of touch!

@ShuddaBeenMe

I'm sure one of the other parents will have the sense to let the school know. As a safeguarding lead we would want to know this and would absolutely investigate.

He's 15.

Investigate what? It’s the week of half term and a 15 year old will be spending that time having sleepovers with his friends while also having extended family on call.

They say a week but it’s normally less than that so worth a try surely?

@blueshoes

My son is getting his passport photo taken now. We will renew his passport in the usual way without fast track because the requirement of an appointment for fast track is actually slowing things down. Cost is not an issue.

Plan B, we won't leave ds at home alone. He has lined to stay with his friends one a day and is actually quite excited about it. He said he now prefers that to coming on holiday with us - ouch - he is 15 years old. There will be other holidays that he will come with us. I know that makes us bad parents.

That doesn’t make you bad parents at all - I’m the eyes of your son it makes you cool parents 😂 If your sons friends parents are all on board and happy then enjoy your holiday and bring him back a lovely present! X

Blimey,there are some harsh people on here!

My Dad went to work at 14 and my older brother went down the pit at 15 - I think making arrangements for this 15 year old to stay with friends in their family home for a week isn't the harshest thing to happen to a teenager.

@ShuddaBeenMe

I'm sure one of the other parents will have the sense to let the school know. As a safeguarding lead we would want to know this and would absolutely investigate.

He's 15.

I'm a retired secondary headteacher - unless the young man is of some concern already for other reasons, you're being melodramatic.

This thread is bizarre. Has anyone bar the OP ever met a teenager before?
Exactly. At 15 my ds had already been on holiday without ME. It's hardly the crime of the century to leave him with friends he wants to be with!