Four boys and one father alone in a forest....

[tigermoth]

It's my son's birthday in a few weeks and we've organised an outing to The Enchanted Forest as his treat. He has chosen three school friends to take along and I've asked dh to be the driver/leader whilst I stay at home with the toddler.

The friends' mothers have all said yes, but each have said to me (separately) 'aren't you brave'.

I havn't passed this last bit of news on to my husband, who is quite looking forward to going. He's never been to The Enchanted Forest before.

I am now beginning to wonder if I have landed my husband in it, and, even more importantly, will the group be safe?

All the boys know each other well, and are used to going on trips together via Beavers and school. They are all eight years old, so (one would hope)# they not quite so unthinking as a group of 5 year olds. The forest has clearly marked paths and attracts a good number of other visitors, so there's not much chance of them getting lost for long. There are no roads nearby, so traffic is not a problem and although there is deep water in places, all boys can at least, swim. My husband has helped at Beavers, so has some experience of handlng groups of boys, and as an ex- navy person and excellent first aider, is IMO more suited than me to lead the party for this expedition.

However, the last thing I want is to recieve an
angry mobile phone call from my dh in the depths of the woods, saying 'why have you done this to me!!! - or, much more importantly, to risk anyone's safety.

So, any tips to pass on to him, and do you think I have been foolish in organising this event that I am chickening out of going on?

Here are some thoughts to get you started:
Get him to agree a rendezvous point with them, so that if any of them wander off they have a central spot to return to.
Make sure they are all wearing watches.
Get them to all wear quite a distinctive colour. We found it easier to spot our toddler in the undergrowth "saying hello to friendly piggy" because he was in jolly orange trousers.
You could even get t shirts with ds' face on, or some sort of slogan for the day, screen-printed - then if one boy goes AWOL, he can say to passers-by - "Have you seen another one dressed like this?"
Issue them all with kazoos or whistles - although the potential for driving dh nuts is high here.

I don't think you've done anything daft at all - I am sure they will all enjoy themselves safely, and that dh is every bit as much up to the challenge as the countless mums who get landed with this sort of outing on a regular basis. He sounds better qualified for the job than most!

tigermoth, it sounds lovely - I want to go with them!

I'm sure they'll all have a lovely time. But as I am the original paranoid mother, I would say make sure the boys know that they must stay together. At age 8 most kids understand the importance of this, because as we all unfortunately know it just takes split seconds for a child to go missing. If one wants to go to the toilet - all go to the toilet, and other common-sense things like that. If you dh is ex-navy, I'm sure that he has a better idea of being organised than me (Mrs Totally unorganised late for everything!) Normally boys are better behaved for dads than for mums anyway. I say all stick together (which I'm sure they will) and a fab time will be had by all (including dh, bit of male bonding never goes a miss!)

Thanks for your messages - bright coloured clothing, whistles, keeping together, a rendevous point and a map of the area layout - all good ideas. Most reasured to see that no one, so far, thinks we've bitten off more than we can chew.

I keep telling my husband, it's going to be FUN.

I wonder if another of the fathers might go with your husband? For the company, safety in numbers,etc. Or does your dh operate better when he has sole charge? In any case it will be great - your son will have a fabulous birthday treat.There's nothing as exciting as an outdoors adventure for boys.

Cam, that's a good idea about inviting another father. Only problem is that all the boys on this trip are new-ish friends (from our son's new school) I know the mothers because I have made a point of chatting to them when I see them, but neither myself or dh know their partners. Not an insurmountable problem, though, and if any of the mothers vaguely ask if adults are invited, I will say a big, yes please!!!!

With four boys and one adult going, we already have a car full, so any other adults, me included, will have to make their own way down.

Maryz, yes, funnily enough, I have been thinking of going down myself, by train, and laying out a picnic in the picnic area, as a surprise end to the day for my son. With a toddler, I couldn't spend all day waiting for them there, because the toddler would get bored. I have decided not to go with them into the woods because I know my attention would be focussed on the toddler - he's a daredevil and loves water - there's a lot of deep water in the forest. I feel that since it's my son's birthday, he should be the centre of attention.

Let's hope the weather holds, otherwise it's off to play quasar or see a film. Thanks again for your suggestions.

My only recommendation is that each child is given your dh's mobile number - this could be written on the back of the map - at least that way if one gets lost they could ask someone to call him.

Jaybee, that's a great idea - thanks!