Kirstie Allsop's 15 Year Old Son

[ImAFemaleVersionOfRoyKeane]

Kirstie Allsop has just posted on X (Twitter) that her 15 year old son has just returned from inter-railing around Europe.

He was accompanied by his 16 year old friend.

AIBU to think this is too young?

These situations may seem OK but at that age they think they are invincible, so they can be impulsive and not make the best decisions, especially when something goes wrong!

Literally, @PointsSouth ?

I see you have indeed been a rather polarising presence on this thread: a bit like the lady in question herself...

Just don't start hectoring us about knocking down walls and bossing us into buying properties you would not sniff your nose at, or trying to get us to make crappy handmade Christmas decorations, and all will be well...

In Scotland you can marry aged 16. Been like this forever.

“Envious bint”. Wow.

Why be so rude when you’re complaining about rudeness?

I don't think someone in the public eye should be posting details about their children such as this.

Was her son one of the children who were sat in economy on a flight whilst she was in a business class seat?

Kirsty was speaking on the Today show this morning. Just before 9am about her justifying of her son's trip. And her reasons are very reasonable and sensible. Have a listen on BBC sounds

Are you saying ‘posho’ is derogatory but ‘bint’ isn’t? Could you clarify as I’m a bit 🤔😵‍💫

Irony not that poster’s forte 😂

Well she obviously knows her son best, but it feels too young to me. Surely he’d be limited in what activities he could do at that age too?

I agree.

He has probably been at Boarding school from 7 anyway so learned to fend for himself from a young age

Well my 16 year old would love to do it. Would I trust him ? Absolutely no way. He’d end up in all sorts of trouble.

And 16 years old boys signed up in WW1 and some lied about their ages and signed up in WW2 especially if they looked older. A friend was a £10 POM at 18 years old in the 50s. And all this with little or no communication with home.

I think this was probably a brilliant experience for him.

I also think many adults would have benefited from this sort of thing. I read too many threads where someone is absolutely shitting themselves about getting around London. A friend at university took a much longer train journey because she just couldn’t believe that she would be able to work the Tube.

Having to work out how to get around without an adult to help is a great skill.

I went abroad (long haul, not a package holiday) for a month with a friend when I was younger than that. We were fine!

A friend and I spent a week at Butlins alone at 14. DH and friends went on a YHA cycling trip at 12 and to Switzerland at 14. I used to travel alone from the age of 12 on a coach (with a change) to visit my best friend 100 miles away and vice versa. There were other trips and outings... All long before mobile phones. Parents today are too precious. Children aren't stupid, they can follow instructions and improvise if there are problems.

It’s fine - he’s 16 today and has probably been away at boarding school since at least 11 or 13. It makes you more independent.

She knows her own kid and what he’s capable of. She would have had a tracker app on his phone too. She knew he’d be fine. And I’m glad she was confident in her choice.

Yes I heard it and she sounded very reasonable.

You are being totally unreasonable. It’s absolutely nothing to do with you!

Depends on the kid. Mine couldn’t attempt it. Doubt he could at 17 now. That’s because we haven’t travelled much in the last 10yrs. We live in a town with no public transport so has had to be driven everywhere, and has no other family here he could be put on a train or plane to visit. So he’s not had the opportunities to become that independent. Sadly.

When DD went interrailing 5 years ago none of the hostels they stayed in would accept under 18s unless they were accompanied by an adult.

I went to Germany with two friends when I was 16. We stayed in youth hostels. This was 20 years ago though so I suppose things are different now.

So you're saying that it's OK to insult those in a better financial position than yourself, instead of saying that it's wrong to insult people. MN is, as ever, the home is utter hypocrisy and double standards.

I’m on some groups for parents with kids about to start university. You wouldn’t believe the amount of people who say their 18 year old isn’t really an adult and can’t cook or clean for themselves. Many parents are leaving it to their kid’s future uni flat mates to teach them how to cook and clean up after themselves.
I fear many parents are just expecting their kid’s flatmates to clean for their child as they haven’t bothered to teach them any life skills themselves.
Kids should be pretty independent by 18 (unless SEN of course) so a safe trip round Europe is great if you have the money.
My son has Coeliac disease so travelling is pretty difficult - there is such a lack of understanding about cross contamination that eating out or cooking in communal kitchens is very risky (he could be very ill for 4-7 days if glutened by even a tiny crumb, which isn’t good if you are travelling), so we are trying to help him gain independence in other ways.
Parents who are not mega rich can still help by letting the child take on responsibilities at home with housework, cooking, caring for younger siblings, getting jobs, travelling to an unfamiliar area by bus and finding their way around.