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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect parents to try to keep children quiet on campsites early in the morning?

209 replies

BobBobbity · 10/09/2023 10:38

Camping this weekend at an event - lots of families, tents tightly packed in.

Me and the DC were woken up this morning at 6:45am by a group of children (would say 6-9ish age range) shrieking and shouting non-stop. No let up for about an hour.

AIBU to think parents should have tried to keep their noise down so early? My DC aren’t larks and normally sleep through anything but were both woken up and are already grumpy and tired.

Obviously some children wake up early and can be a bit excitable in a group, but this was soft-play-birthday-party level cacophony before 7am.

OP posts:
ZeldaWillTellYourFortune · 13/09/2023 09:54

Well said, @DarkwingDuk

Original poster
BobBobbity · 13/09/2023 16:18

Does the whole "they're on holiday! let kids be kids" attitude extend to jumping on the tables in a restaurant or scribbling on the exhibits in a museum? They're on holiday after all...

Obviously I'm exaggerating but I don't see why allowing children to behave in a totally uncontrolled way when it's highly likely to be disruptive to others is acceptable, holiday or not.

OP posts:
Amanduh · 13/09/2023 23:11

Well mumsnet never fails to amuse me.

Teateaandmoretea · 14/09/2023 07:57

BobBobbity · 13/09/2023 16:18

Does the whole "they're on holiday! let kids be kids" attitude extend to jumping on the tables in a restaurant or scribbling on the exhibits in a museum? They're on holiday after all...

Obviously I'm exaggerating but I don't see why allowing children to behave in a totally uncontrolled way when it's highly likely to be disruptive to others is acceptable, holiday or not.

Yawn……

I literally have never been to a restaurant where kids are jumping on tables or seen kids scribbling on exhibits in a museum.

Ridiculous, goady post.

Shodan · 14/09/2023 08:14

Last time I went camping was a karate training camp. It's a whole-family deal, with one large area of a campsite just for us, parents come along and (mostly) pitch in with food prep etc and it's generally a good event. I'm one of the instructors.

Except this time some parents thought that 6.30 was a totally acceptable time to let their kids play football, with excited shouting (as kids are wont to do) while they sat around and had loud chats.

So I gave the kids a load of press ups/leg raises/ sitting in sumo stance etc to do. Then followed up with a nice jog around our campsite area. The parents were then pressganged into doing the washing up after breakfast.

I told them cheerily that if they were all quiet as mice until 7 am the next day they wouldn't have to do similar. Parents were reminded that loud noise at 6.30 am is unacceptable and jokingly told that if they couldn't keep their kids quiet they would also have to do press ups/nice jog.

The next morning was blissfully quiet 😁

Original poster
BobBobbity · 14/09/2023 08:55

Teateaandmoretea · 14/09/2023 07:57

Yawn……

I literally have never been to a restaurant where kids are jumping on tables or seen kids scribbling on exhibits in a museum.

Ridiculous, goady post.

Show quote history

I said I was exaggerating…OK to make it a more reasonable comparison…incessant shouting and screaming wouldn’t be acceptable in a restaurant or museum because it’s clearly disruptive, so why is it OK on a campsite at a time it’s reasonable to expect many people are sleeping?

OP posts:
Lucyh999 · 14/09/2023 17:33

jgw1 · 10/09/2023 10:43

Why is it unacceptable for children to be up enjoying themselves and making noise in the morning when it is light, but acceptable for adults to make noise late into the night long after it is dark at campsites?

It isn’t. Neither is acceptable. Most campsites and campers are very reasonable.

Lucyh999 · 14/09/2023 17:35

MintJulia · 10/09/2023 10:56

They're at an event, running around in the fresh air, socialising and having fun, in the last few weeks before the cold closes in.

If you want peace and tranquility you could always stay at home.

They’re camping and it’s 6.45 in the morning. You’re being unreasonable. Why should lazy parenting win out? I’m sure she isn’t expecting peace and tranquility but just not inconsiderate arseholes

NewName122 · 14/09/2023 17:37

Sounds like hell.

BalancingTree · 14/09/2023 23:17

That’s campsites. If you don’t want to be disturbed by others camp in the bush. Kids go feral when camping it’s kind of the point.

CallumDansTransitVan · 14/09/2023 23:24

BalancingTree · 14/09/2023 23:17

That’s campsites. If you don’t want to be disturbed by others camp in the bush. Kids go feral when camping it’s kind of the point.

No it sounds like some parents have no consideration for other people. Want your kids to go feral. Go somewhere they won't disturb others.

Teateaandmoretea · 15/09/2023 06:34

Lucyh999 · 14/09/2023 17:33

It isn’t. Neither is acceptable. Most campsites and campers are very reasonable.

Show quote history

The point is though that inconsiderate adults are never mentioned on mumsnet. It’s just constant goady posts about children rioting around everywhere screaming. It’s very tedious.

Drunk men are by far the most offensive group in public, but this is somehow seen as their right.

Original poster
BobBobbity · 15/09/2023 09:57

Teateaandmoretea · 15/09/2023 06:34

The point is though that inconsiderate adults are never mentioned on mumsnet. It’s just constant goady posts about children rioting around everywhere screaming. It’s very tedious.

Drunk men are by far the most offensive group in public, but this is somehow seen as their right.

Show quote history

I mean, mumsnet is a parenting website so it's hardly surprising if discussions about parenting dominate, is it?

If I'd been kept awake by the equivalent level of noise from adults late into the evening, I'd be no less annoyed - more so frankly.

OP posts:
QueenLady · 15/09/2023 10:14

That’s campsites. If you don’t want to be disturbed by others camp in the bush. Kids go feral when camping it’s kind of the point.

Oh so the point of camping is to not be arsed about parenting. I always wondered why it was so popular.

ZeldaWillTellYourFortune · 15/09/2023 11:41

BalancingTree · 14/09/2023 23:17

That’s campsites. If you don’t want to be disturbed by others camp in the bush. Kids go feral when camping it’s kind of the point.

Wrong.

If you want to let your kids be feral, camp in the bush.

BalancingTree · 16/09/2023 05:19

QueenLady · 15/09/2023 10:14

That’s campsites. If you don’t want to be disturbed by others camp in the bush. Kids go feral when camping it’s kind of the point.

Oh so the point of camping is to not be arsed about parenting. I always wondered why it was so popular.

People parent differently. Personally, i don’t make it my mission in life to dull my child’s excitement. Kids are stuck in school most of the time and subjected to adult rules, timetables and expectations. If they can’t run around OUTSIDE and blow off steam on a camping trip I think that’s a little bit sad. It’s not like they were lighting tents on fire and taking chainsaws to trees. Let kids be kids they will thank you for it one day.

ZeldaWillTellYourFortune · 16/09/2023 05:54

Indoors or outdoors is irrelevant, if others are in proximity and would be disturbed.

Bansheed · 16/09/2023 06:09

Got the term 'parenting' is so tedious and smug. Add judgemental 'lazy parenting' conjures up pursed lips and breton tops. Shudder.

Also, pointing out those still asleep at 9am are, by definition, lazier than those up at 7.

A solution could be, campsites haveing areas for early risers and late risers. Manage expectations.

Teateaandmoretea · 16/09/2023 06:30

BobBobbity · 15/09/2023 09:57

I mean, mumsnet is a parenting website so it's hardly surprising if discussions about parenting dominate, is it?

If I'd been kept awake by the equivalent level of noise from adults late into the evening, I'd be no less annoyed - more so frankly.

Show quote history

These posts aren’t from parents generally. Parents are more likely to be annoyed in a train for example by groups of drunk blokes swearing in front of their kids. But parents never post about it.

Most of these threads are put up by people who normally post in the daily mail comments just to be goady. There are a lot of people on mumsnet who aren’t parents.

Teateaandmoretea · 16/09/2023 06:33

Bansheed · 16/09/2023 06:09

Got the term 'parenting' is so tedious and smug. Add judgemental 'lazy parenting' conjures up pursed lips and breton tops. Shudder.

Also, pointing out those still asleep at 9am are, by definition, lazier than those up at 7.

A solution could be, campsites haveing areas for early risers and late risers. Manage expectations.

Yes there’s that as well lazy parenting

Interestingly taking kids camping at the weekend is rather the opposite of that.

The thing is truthfully I would have tried to contain mine till as late as possible and did. But one of the problems with camping is kids ime tend to wake up when it’s light in tents.

Babsexxx · 16/09/2023 06:34

LOL

DisquietintheRanks · 16/09/2023 06:36

YANBU exactly but you are talking about how things were done in the past. These days people really only worry about their own children and their "right" to express and enjoy themselves.

LolaSmiles · 16/09/2023 06:37

That’s campsites. If you don’t want to be disturbed by others camp in the bush.Kids go feral when camping it’s kind of the point

The point of camping isn't to switch off basic common sense and let children run wild with no consideration for anyone else.

Why should child-free adults and families with consideration for others have to camp in the bush with no facilities because a handful of parents think camping means letting their children go 'feral'?

BalancingTree · 16/09/2023 13:51

LolaSmiles · 16/09/2023 06:37

That’s campsites. If you don’t want to be disturbed by others camp in the bush.Kids go feral when camping it’s kind of the point

The point of camping isn't to switch off basic common sense and let children run wild with no consideration for anyone else.

Why should child-free adults and families with consideration for others have to camp in the bush with no facilities because a handful of parents think camping means letting their children go 'feral'?

Except it’s not ‘basic common sense’, it’s a subjective judgement call. The question was whether it’s unreasonable for kids to be making noise on a morning at a busy public camp site. I don’t have an issue with noisy excited kids, sure they can be annoying but they’re not hurting anyone. Micro managing kids enjoyment or sticking an iPad in front of their face so that you can enjoy a quiet cup of tea is about your consideration for yourself, or those who think like you. Personally I enjoy hearing children have fun. Please don’t berate your kids into silence on my account.

Delatron · 16/09/2023 15:12

Look we all know that parenting standards differ. If you camp then you are exposing yourself to different styles of parenting due to the nature of being in a field with a thin nylon sheet as your noise protection.

I still think you’re a fool to go camping and expect a good nights sleep. There are too many variables. Last time I went I was woken by ducks quacking incessantly from 5am, far earlier than any child making a noise.

That’s camping. Just like in life there are rubbish parents. But you can avoid them in your own home when sleeping. Not so much camping. What are going to do? Tell the parents off? They clearly don’t give a shit.
Therefore going camping is always a risk.

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