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Parenting

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Original poster

How would you have reacted to this?

43 replies

clottedcream · 15/08/2010 21:53

Colleague at work took her young granddaughter away recently with a friend to a uk resort for a few days in a huge hotel with many floors.

I said what did you do in the evenings expecting them to have had an eveing meal a walk perhaps then back to hotel but they ate then put the GD to bed waited for her to drop off then went to the bar, checking "every 30 mins"....my jaw dropped, words wouldnt come out and I just was totally gobsmacked but now cant stop thinking about it I even had anihtmare the other night

Im so angry and wanted to grab her and shout NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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GypsyMoth · 15/08/2010 21:55

each to their own tho! the older generation would have done it with us when we were small(thinking of the Butlins system here) and the threats are still the same as back then....

scurryfunge · 15/08/2010 21:56

How old is the child?

I have done it in a small hotel with a baby alarm.

Original poster

clottedcream · 15/08/2010 21:58

Child is 5... I think the dangers are doubled now.

I have never and would never do it, I'd rather sit in the room with a drink

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GypsyMoth · 15/08/2010 22:00

what dangers are doubled????

Takver · 15/08/2010 22:01

Wouldn't do it myself, but the dangers are no more now than they ever were.

TBH my reason not to would be 90% that I wouldn't want my child to wake up in a strange place on their own, and 10% the 'what if there's a fire' factor, given that it was presumably a locked hotel room.

ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 15/08/2010 22:01

It used to be absolutely and completely standard, so I wouldn't be astonished. Wouldn't do it myself (might in a v small hotel that's not really any larger than a big house, but not in a big hotel) and wouldn't be happy if one of the DCs' grandparents did, though. I would wonder whether the parents knew about it. Although I agree it does depend on the age of the granddaughter.

booyhoo · 15/08/2010 22:01

with a 5 year old there is so much that could have happened. i would'nt do it with any child of any age but i can sort of understand if it had been a baby in a cot that couldn't get out or reach anything.

paisleyleaf · 15/08/2010 22:05

I wouldn't do it. But as ProfessorLayton says it used to be standard, and you do say granddaughter.

I remember being at butlins in the evenings and there being one of those text lights scroll things that would say 'baby crying in chalet ---' every so often.

Original poster

clottedcream · 15/08/2010 22:06

I would never do it due to - risk of fire, waking up with nightmare noone around to consol, getting up unlocking door walking out of room, falling over and cracking head, people seeing you at breakfast in morning then not with child in evening - some people could put 2 and 2 together.

It's wrong .. period

OP posts:

SirBoobAlot · 15/08/2010 22:09

I would never do it, and I would be more than livid if any of the GP ever did it.

But its happened now... Not much you can do, to be honest. Can you imagine if the little one had woken up though? Poor thing would have been terrified.

Original poster

clottedcream · 15/08/2010 22:14

Yes it may have been standard practise years ago but it doesnt make it right and why dont we do it now ask yourselves?

Yes my dd wakes and cries out for me if had a dream and is so scared so imagine this and worst case imagine if someone been watching and god forbid abducted the lo

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JuicyLips · 15/08/2010 22:20

I would never do it either, and hope none of the GP's would do it either. I know the likelihood of something happening is small but Id rather not risk it at all.

Chunkamatic · 15/08/2010 22:26

TBH the risk of abduction is not the first reason I would not do it. As others have said, it is not impossible that a child of that age could wake up and be able to unlock the door and get in to other problems that way. I think the risk physical danger in that sense is far more of a worry than abduction, which is extremely rare, IYSWIM.

GypsyMoth · 15/08/2010 22:29

its a parenting choice....its not 'wrong,period'.....keep some perspective!!

and people DOD do it these days

DuelingFanjo · 15/08/2010 22:31

"I think the dangers are doubled now"

why? how?

lucertola28 · 16/08/2010 00:33

I think what she did was completely stupid and neglectful. Anything could have happened to the child. Would you leave your children alone in the house and go to your next door neighbour for a drink?

It is a wrong parenting choice, that should not of been a choice at all in fact. She should have organised someone to mind the child or gone on holiday with just adults.

I can't believe people actually do this, it is stupid and selfish.

hobbgoblin · 16/08/2010 00:39

LOL!

Mumi · 16/08/2010 02:57

Did the girl's parents know this had happened?

Orangerie · 16/08/2010 03:50

I think it is stupid to do that. A 5 year old can easily wake up and has the confidence to go and search for the "missing" adult.

I wouldn't want my child wandering in the middle of the night around the halls of a big hotel. Without getting into the unlikely possibility of a a pedophile taking the opportunity and getting child into his/her room without anybody noticing, what about balconies and pools? Doors can always be opened from the inside of the room.

A baby in a cot is mostly in danger of unlikely fire but a wandering 5 year old is IMO at a higher risk.

ragged · 16/08/2010 06:18

I wouldn't have any opinion on it at all.

greenbananas · 16/08/2010 06:54

The risk of abduction hasn't doubled at all, it's just that it's reported much more widely. The doors were locked on the outside, yes?

I wouldn't do this myself (no way!) but don't feel it is my place to criticise someone who did. Some 5 year olds are incredibly sensible and would be quite safe, providing they were warned they might wake up on their own.

overmydeadbody · 16/08/2010 08:38

The least likely thing to happen would be abduction.

I wouldn't have reacted like you OP, I would have just htought 'each to their own'.

It's not that dangerous or neglectful, in the grand scheme of things, because the probability of something bad happening is very very small. The probability of the child staying asleep all evening is very very high.

Orangerie · 16/08/2010 10:46

No, I think is neglectful... as I said, big hotels normally have nice balconies and swimming pools. I know that at that age, travelling with DS involved a lot of monitoring to avoid him getting into the balcony unsupervised, and in DS' case, convincing DS it was no really a good idea to go down to the pool on his own while we were still asleep.

BTW I don't think the risk of abduction had doubled. But I believe that our 5 years old are no longer as independent or "street wise" as they used to be in the past.

sobloodystupid · 16/08/2010 10:56

MIL works in a hotel, she told me some parents ring their room from the bar to see if the kids are ok!

dontdillydallyontheway · 16/08/2010 11:14

I just think its scarey that people of any age still do this. FGS's certain event a couple of years ago in Portugal shocked us all didnt it? but still some of us take the attidtude tha "it will never happen to us"

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