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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

What would you do in this difficult situation?

172 replies

cantwontwouldnt · 15/06/2022 20:43

Your child who is 12 or under is away for the night. They call you and say that the person in charge of them has left and there is an emergency they cannot handle. You have had a bottle of wine/or 4 fine/or 6 beers etc. There is no option of walking/taxi/ambulance/calling someone to help. Would you get in the car and drive to them? About 30 minutes away.

OP posts:
Threeboysandadog · 15/06/2022 23:26

This is why I don’t drink if the children aren’t home.

DontPickTheFlowers · 15/06/2022 23:28

No way, never.

You’ve said it’s not real anyway so in reality there would be someone to help, eg child could go to a shop, neighbour. There would be taxis, police etc.

Arenanewbie · 15/06/2022 23:31

Have you opted for walking OP?

amitoooldforthisshit · 15/06/2022 23:40

get an uber to pick you up then go to the location

Chilesstanton · 15/06/2022 23:42

🙄

Hawkins001 · 15/06/2022 23:43

From a legal perspectives, it's against the law, if your an asset in the field and it's an emergency situation, you have to improvise, adapt, and overcome, using the best methods available at x time.

PrinnyPree · 15/06/2022 23:54

Noone is going to say drink driving is acceptable no matter the unrealistic scenario. I really hope this isn't something you're actually planning to do.

whynotwhatknot · 15/06/2022 23:57

id get in my dolerean and go back in time

FiveNineFive · 15/06/2022 23:58

FishcakesWithTooMuchCoriander · 15/06/2022 21:12

Why don’t we all just offer equally bizarre and unlikely scenarios?

What would you do if your child aged 12 or under (so they could be 2 🤷🏻‍♀️) has been abducted by creatures that may or may not be fairies? You’ve eaten a pork pie or 2 bags of crisps or an out of date pickled egg. You cannot call the emergency services because they don’t exist. Do you arm yourself with an iron fire poker and go to find the entrance to fairyland (c. 30 minutes away)?

I mean, as hypotheticals go, an iron poker is the best thing to fight fairies, and does a pretty good job with most other things, and loading up on snacks is also good because then you won't be tempted to eat any of their food

Hawkins001 · 16/06/2022 00:00

FiveNineFive · 15/06/2022 23:58

I mean, as hypotheticals go, an iron poker is the best thing to fight fairies, and does a pretty good job with most other things, and loading up on snacks is also good because then you won't be tempted to eat any of their food

Show quote history

don't forget the rock salt, and if you smell bad eggs, then run.

Immaterialatthispoint · 16/06/2022 00:01

@FiveNineFive

yes, silver bullets for vampires and lycanthropes but that doesn’t work on the fey, does it?

Immaterialatthispoint · 16/06/2022 00:03

@Hawkins001

forget the salt, ointment with St. John’s wart and verbena should breaks the glamour!

easyday · 16/06/2022 00:07

It's a stupid question, but those who say 'don't drink if your kids aren't at home', what about when they are? What if they had the same emergency (broke an arm say) and the same 'no emergency services' situation? I don't really see much different (and many people would take a child free night as just the opportune time to indulge )!

FiveNineFive · 16/06/2022 00:10

Immaterialatthispoint · 16/06/2022 00:01

@FiveNineFive

yes, silver bullets for vampires and lycanthropes but that doesn’t work on the fey, does it?

But as Nanny Ogg says, cutting of the head pretty much works for anything

Iamthewalnut · 16/06/2022 00:14

Why don’t we all just offer equally bizarre and unlikely scenarios?

I’m game…

What would you do if your child aged 12 or under has grown an imaginary pair of wings and thinks they can fly, so they’re standing on the window sill of your absent friend’s 10th-storey window tempted to test the theory? You’ve drank a can of Red Bull, so you’re wondering whether indeed it is possible to acquire wings. You cannot call the emergency services because the number 9 doesn’t work on your phone. Do you charter a private jet, or cartwheel your way there, with a detour en route to grab a bucket of chicken wings from KFC to coax your imaginary child down from dizzy heights?

BadNomad · 16/06/2022 00:31

There is no police/ambulance/fire service.

Yes. And I'd rob a bank and run down my ex on the way.

Onceinawhileuser · 16/06/2022 00:32

We need to know what the emergency is. If it's something horrific, then parental instinct would take over. Otherwise, then not with that amount of alcohol, but probably if only a little over the alcohol limit.

Onceinawhileuser · 16/06/2022 00:36

My guess is that if the child is in serious danger of something terrible happening, most parents would drive to the child, in addition to calling the police.

CarburyChocolateRules · 16/06/2022 00:39

Very unlikely that an ‘emergency’ is taking place and there is no police or ambulance, no neighbours, friends, family, taxi, local facebook page, literally nothing
I can imagine that would ever be a real scenario

SheilaWilde · 16/06/2022 00:48

I'm curious to know if I should risk putting my red socks in the wash with my cream jumper. Except I don't have any red socks.

Although generally when I have random, hypothetical, thoughts I don't tend to solicit opinions about them on the internet.

In your random situation I'd ask Idris Elba to go and collect them. Or Graham Norton.

sjpkgp1 · 16/06/2022 00:53

DwightShrutesYFronts · 15/06/2022 21:03

You should have made it clear from the off that this is a hypothetical scenario (and a pretty silly one at that) otherwise people are just wasting their time on this.

Could not agree more

HeadOnShoulders · 16/06/2022 01:09

Are we talking proper drunk or just a tad over the legal limit?

PyongyangKipperbang · 16/06/2022 01:14

So I assume that this is someone trying to justify drink driving. They cant, not even with "Emergency services dont exist". For a start they DO exist and if they didnt then drink driving wouldnt be an issue as they wouldnt be pulled over for it so.......

onelittlefrog · 16/06/2022 01:20

Whatever situation the child is in, things will most likely get an awful lot worse from them if they lose a parent in a road accident. So no, I wouldn't.

brookln · 16/06/2022 01:29

FishcakesWithTooMuchCoriander · 15/06/2022 21:00

Why even ask the question? It makes precisely no sense.

She's writing a book? It's not rocket science.