That they've been gone over an hour

[YingMei]

My DH took the DC out for a walk over an hour ago, said they would be half an hour DC are 7 and 10. We are in a rural location . DH hasn't taken his phone, helpfully, it's almost dark and no sign of them. I am a bit prone to anxiety but I'm so worried - why would they be so long? Why would he not have returned when it's getting dark?

It is not dark at 4pm in Yorkshire! Sunset is at 4pm, but 'dark' isn't for another 30-45mins.

@hellycat the sun sets at 4 in Yorkshire, but that doesn't mean darkness, temp currently 5 degrees, not freezing.

Ffs why are people being so pedantic Jesus !!

Because it's relevant?

@Conkersareback no you and others are being deliberately argumentative.

Are we? So pointing out inaccurate information that's relevant is argumentative?

We must just agree with OP and PP and say they're right?

If you're going to make hyperbolic claims to justify extreme anxiety, people will point out the inaccuracies.

I live in Yorkshire, and I know when it got dark today.

Jesus Christ it was just a walk you drama queen

Thank you so much for your kind words 💐💐💕

The thing with mobile phones is this... yes, they are excellent tools in an emergency and of course, if one is stuck or in an emergency situation, it is wonderful to be able to simply call the emergency services or a family member or a friend for assistance. Fantastic. In an ideal world.

Unfortunately, emergencies don't always happen in such away that align with technology and my big concern these days is that kids are growing up without REAL skills on what to do in an emergency - or even - as in this case - if there is a minor incident. Their solution to EVERYTHING is to reach for a phone - either to call or text someone or to look on google or whatever. Again - this is fine - in an ideal world, but if they are in a situation where they cannot do that eg. phone battery dies, no signal, they fall and the phone gets smashed or dropped in water or something - then what? Sad to say it - but many kids wouldn't have a CLUE what to do.

This incident would actually have been a PERFECT opportunity to teach your kid what to do. Look for a dock leaf to ease the sting... then embark on the short walk home (as it was only meant to be a 30 min walk it is fair to assume they hadn't reached Lands End or anything) with reassurance that he was fine and he would be able to get further treatment and a nice hot drink when he got there.

I was always falling over and getting hurt as a kid...we didn't have mobile phones, but we were ALL taught basic first aid, how to use things around you and also how to get help if necessary... we just seemed to have a bit more ability to just deal with stuff and problem solve without having what amounts to a load of encyclopaedias in our pocket.

Yes those pesky mobile phones such a nuisance, I've never heard such rubbish.

It’s become a weather thread now.

Have a gold medal you lovely brave soul 🤗

Like a pickme convention on this thread.

Glad they got home OK op. You take care of yourself x

I think the kids are the ones who need medals - as I drag them through yet another pitch black dripping wet woodland with potholes in the path every couple of metres...

You seem very judgemental. How about you put yourself in somebody’s shoes who obviously a very anxious person instead of trying to belittle them??

This is an AIBU thread not a support thread, so the question of is OP being unreasonable is yes, people trying to moddycoddle the op isn’t the point of this thread.

does OP suffer from anxiety - yes it seems that way, as such people will not be giving any sympathy, and people who are making excuses for OP is against the point of an AIBU.

the poster you're quoting has said that she herself suffers with anxiety.

The poster called the OP controlling towards her husband about taking his phone next time. I think that’s incredibly judgemental. Yes her fear might had been exaggerated but it’s a real fear she had.

Years ago I too suffered with anxiety and somebody knocked on my front door one evening when my partner was at work. I wouldn’t answer it as I thought it was the police telling me my partner had died. OTT? Yes. But that’s how I felt in that moment.

Wow this thread!

I think taking a phone (which can be off) these days makes sense if with young children. That way, you can try and resolve any problem without the (turned off) phone first to teach them resilience, but if needed, in a serious emergency, you have it. Given they're available - and can be turned off - how would you feel in a serious situation if a phone could have made the difference but you didn't have it?

I grew up without mobile phones but there were phone boxes. I've been in emergency situations where the first thing I did was find a phone box. There aren't phone boxes now and everyone also assumes everyone has a phone so are less likely to help.

Some friends got stuck with a flat tyre in the US in a sparsely populated area and had forgotten their phones. They ended up walking for ages to try and find someone to help and they had a really hard time getting anyone to believe they weren't scammers because everyone didn't believe they didn't have a mobile phone between them!

Lovely poster I get this too. Nice when people understand what its like

I agree. As an adult in charge of young children I see it as my responsibility to usually have a phone with me, even switched off. Unless I had someone vulnerable at home who might need to contact me, I'd happily keep it switched off for the whole day and only use it if something really unexpected happened. But I wouldn't leave it at home if I was going on anything like a country walk.

Tbh I wouldn't think much of any adult who can't manage to go "off grid" unless they physically leave their phone behind. The 100% "off grid" experience where you don't even carry any phone or device is what the kids/teens get, but the accompanying adult having a phone, even secretly buried deep in a day pack and switched off unless really needed, is just ordinary sensible parenting IMO.

Sarah Everard was "just" walking.

So fuck off.