Scouts weekend trip- would you expect updates/a few photos?

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If your child has gone on an overnight trip with scouts, is it unreasonable to expect a few group photos or a quick update from the leaders? It’s DS first trip away and he was a little apprehensive camping for the first time. We’ve not received a single photo or update on the group chat. I messaged privately & got a very general reply with an implied don’t bother me again so I’m left feeling uneasy. It’s cubs scouts and ds is age 8.

I am being unreasonable - parents don’t need to be updated at all
YANBU - parents should be sent a group pic/update daily.

@CuttertheduckYes but we trusted staff and knew our dc knew how to behave. It’s somewhat different now. I don’t understand the trust element but too many parents don’t bring up dc to be independent. My DD1 went on a 4 night residential in y2 when she was still 6. No issues whatsoever. Part of the learning was making her own bed, not wandering off (environmental centre!) and getting on with other girls because you are sleeping with them and doing all the planned activities. I didn’t get info whilst they were there and neither did any other parent. We did have a full briefing before they went.

I’m a guide leader and it’s tricky. The primary focus is obviously on the children. I do tend to do a few updates of the had a fun day everyone in bed variety. I do share photos on closed group but you have to be very careful as it’s easy for parents to get wrong end of stick eg Molly isn’t sat with anyone she knows, why isn’t Evie in the picture, Jane looks cold tell her to put her jumper on.

Don't forget do all the training Modules.

For one night??? YABU.

What do you think the VOLUNTEER leaders are doing? They won't have time to message you individually. Get a grip ffs.

And if your DS is homesick, it's far better that there's no contact and he just learns to enjoy himself with his friends.

Aren’t they all volunteers? You’re not paying for them to send you pictures. They responded to your text, that’s enough.

but what if "everyone" hasn't settled for the night ?

Well, what?

The leaders will be on patrol, calming, shushing, re-assuring, and ultimately if anyone is v distressed, calling their parents.

They don’t bloody settle for the night til they pass out exhausted at god knows what time!

Honestly, these whiney parents: if I had a parent calling or messaging me I would be tempted to call them at 5am the following morning with “HI… just calling to let you know that your Dc is wide awake and ready for the day, hope I didn’t wake you!”

Exactly @OffTheMap - that was my point, in replying to the poster who said it would be nice to get a message saying "Everyone is settle for the night and has had a great day doing the activities"

I have stopped going on camps for now. I have a full time job and a family. It's time away from home and I need time to recover every time after being away.

Camps are 24/7. You get so little sleep.

Always one or two up late not settlimg and then the ones up too early.
And the one getting sick at 3 am. And the one being homesick at 4 am. The one peeing themselves at 2 am.

It can be hard to sleep very well away with a lot of children. We did arrange the jobs among us but ypu really never get to sleep well. You also share a room or tent with other leaders.

Most parents understood very little of the work we did as volunteers tbh.

The poster is looking for reassurance.

I’m just back today from a Scouts Explorers trip. No signal anywhere to send anything. Only point of contact was one leader with a satellite phone.

Exactly this - Guiding leader here and always tried to post up nice photos to give the parents a flavour of our day.

All I got in return was complaints, moans and questions and not one thank you for giving up my weekend (and time on top of that - paperwork and prep ). I just don’t do it now and stay focused in our little sleepover bubble. If there was an issue the Leaders would contact you.

Some trips will have a "home contact" as a go between as reception isn't always great in the middle of a forest where many scout camps are based. Wait till they do winter camp in January or brass monkeys (building their own shelter) in February - the leaders know when it is right to move them into huts.

An update might be nice but if anything was wrong you would get a call so take it as no news is good news

I think the replies are unreasonable.

for an overnight we'd take photos and at some point someone would dump a bunch on wattsapp. we also text to say everyone is down for the night. they're little kids away from home, possibly for the first time, why wouldn't we want to ease parents worries?

From the thread or from the scouting volunteers.

A trip for children isn’t about reassuring parents, it’s for the children who are doing the activities.

Both of my children went away with either scouts or guides, at their youngest age 4 until about 14. Never received any updates. Always thanked the leaders for giving up their time.

I think you meant to direct this comment to the poster.

Why do you think that?

No, and YABU, especially to sending private messages expecting a personalised response. The leaders are busy taking care of your child and organising the activities. They haven’t got time to be sitting on their phones posting photos. There are also regulations about taking pictures of children on your own device so they might have photos on an iPad/device that belongs to the cubs, but no WiFi to post them, in the middle of a campsite. If there was a problem you’d know, otherwise trust that he is being cared for and look forward to all the news when he gets home.

Agreed!

We generally got a group ‘arrived safely kids settling in’ type thing and maybe a pic or two but maybe just the text. Nothing beyond that.

Where did I say a photo never lies? Photo Jodi and messages are part and parcel of the age we’re living in. An update to know a the children are safe and accounted for is not hard.

Kids have been going on scout camps for many many years without, horror of horrors, any way of contacting home unless in an emergency situation. Scout leaders are busy organising and running activities and much more. Far too busy to send pics and updates every 5 minutes. Leave them to get on with it.

You are not meant to contact leaders directly when they are on camp. There should be a contact person who isn't on camp but that should only be for emergencies.

I'm sure if there is an issue you will know. Just let him have fun. There can be a problem with sending photos when they are there as inevitably one child will end up not being in the photo or not looking particularly happy and then their parents will panic