17-year-old ds wants to book lads' holiday to Malia next summer.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

He will be 18, and will be going with three school friends. I am not happy about this at all - from what I have read tonight, it is full of teenage Brits, getting off their skulls on cheap alcohol (buy 1 drink for 3€, get two, or even 5 free), having lots of sex, and racing round on cheaply hired quad bikes.

But I know there is not a lot I can do about this - he's worked, labouring for a friend of mine and has saved enough for the deposit, and earns £25 a week from a paper round, so he could afford the holiday (they've found a deal costing £300-ish for a week) and save up spends - so he's not going to be relying on us to finance the holiday - which means we won't really have much say.

Has anyone been to Malia? Or have your teens been - and how was it?

I am going to show ds3 the news stories I've found, and see what he says.

He does go out and party with friends, but has only been drunk enough to need us to go and get him twice. He and his friends seem to look out for each other when they are drinking, and none of them have ever got into serious trouble - throwing up seems to be the worst they have got up to - we haven't had to go and bail him out or collect him from A&E. I think he is reasonably trustworthy, but would that hold, when he's in a party town, surrounded by loads of other drunken teens, behaving recklessly? He did go to T in the Park this summer, and came home none the worse - should that reassure me? I don't know.

I want to trust him. I know that he will be 18 and would be able to go with or without our permission - and that in a few years, he'll be living independently, and won't even have to discuss his holiday plans with us - but I am worried about this holiday.

Dh is away until Wednesday night, and I have said ds3 can't book the holiday without first talking it over with him, but ds3 and his friends want to book on because they have found a good deal.

Arghhhh - why can't they stay little.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

He's been off camping for the odd night with friends, Delphiniumsblue, but hadn't asked to go away with friends until this year, when he wanted to go to T in the Park - it's not that we haven't been giving him his independence, I promise.

I think what's making it harder for me to get my head round this is that neither of his brothers have wanted to either go to festivals or off on teenage-piss-up holidays, so it is all new ground for me - as my mother delights in telling me, I had it easy with ds1 and ds2, so I deserve the hard times that ds3 is giving me - thanks mum!!

I have had a chat with him tonight, and he tells me that he will not care at all if I worry the whole time he is away. And he doesn't care about industrial alcohol in the cocktails/cheap drinks, the dangers of climbing between balconies, or any other stupidly-acquired injuries, or the risks of driving a quad bike and the associated risk that he wouldn't be covered if he has an accident. You'd think he'd have enough sense to tell me what I want to hear (and then bugger off to Malia and do exactly what he wants to anyway), but nooooooooooo - not ds3. >

And like I said earlier, I am far more laid back about this than dh is - so I forsee myself getting it in one ear from dh and the other from ds3. >

Maybe I should just lock myself in the shed until he is either 30 or home safe from his holidays?

[Annunziata]

This is really the pot calling the kettle black because I have not coped well with my DC going on holiday but honestly, it's just a holiday. It's normal, I am more surprised that this is your third and the first time you have came across it.

He'll have a great time and come home absolutely fine.

[specialsubject]

you know your son - is this deliberate mum annoyance or is he actually this daft?

who is funding this BTW?

[LoveBeingInTheSun]

busted it? visited* it

[secretsquirrels]

Ha he knows just how to wind you up.
DS keeps telling me about booze cruises and quad bikes and bar crawls. He can't keep a straight face though so I know he's teasing, and he is actually a very risk averse character.
Yours is a year away as well. He will grow up a lot in that time.

[Doilooklikeatourist]

DS , last yearaged 18 ,went to Magaluf with the boys ( about half of the 6th form went the same week )
Had a whale of a time !
They all came home in one piece , though all had bad throats from the amount of cheap alcohol they had drunk
He went to Zante this year ( age 19 ) with 3 friends
DD (17) is planning her trip to Crete with the girls for next summer
It's what they all seem to do

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

Specialsubject - he's been labouring for a friend of mine over the last three weeks, and earns £25 a week doing a paper round - he's got £125 in the bank now, and the holiday costs about £300 - 7 weeks paper rounds, and then he can save up his spends.

Annunziata - I am surprised too, but it's the truth. Neither of his older brothers have wanted to go on a lads' holiday or to a festival - their choice - they spend their money on other things.

[Delphiniumsblue]

He knows how to wind you up OP! Ignore most of what he said- he really doesn't mean it!

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

I am going to repeat that to myself on a daily basis, Delphiniumsblue.

History says you are right - he's managed to go out with his friends, and to T in the Park without dying/getting a tattoo/getting arrested - and in seriousness, he and his friends do seem to take care of each other when they are out at parties etc.

[Delphiniumsblue]

It is a wind up! He thinks you are being silly.
If you think about it -he is telling you he will drink industrial alcohol, jump between balconies and other stunts, and do things he knows are not covered by insurance- do you really think it is likely?! Has he done it before? He sounds responsible and isn't likely to change out of his familiar environment.
My sons wind me up if they think I am being silly about things.

[AnyFucker]

My DD said she wasn't exposed to any behaviour/temptations that she hasn't been already on nights out/parties etc at home

I decided to believe her and also made a conscious effort to be reassured by that

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

I will too, AnyFucker - thank you!

[Heyho111]

These places sound worse than they are. They only show you the bad bits. He will have a fab time. Mine went, partied and came back more independant with fantastic memories. The drink is so watered down by the way.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

I'll show dh this thread tonight, when he gets home - hopefully it will reassure him as much as it has reassured me.

His best friend is also going - and his parents like ds3 because they think he is a Good Influence on their son. We think their son is a good influence on ds3. This either means they are both paragons of virtue hahahahahaha or they are both fooling all of us!!

[TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams]

This is next summer right ?

Keep your fingers crossed for a great Glastonbury line up for next year [or similar]

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

Yes, it's next summer, but they've found a red-hot deal and want to book it this weekend. He does want to go to Creamfields next year too - but I am honestly not sure he'll be able to afford both.

[Heyho111]

I actually paid for and insisted my daughter went to Kavos with the girls. She was in a long term relationship and I was so worried she would look back in years to come and regret not doing all the coming of age stuff.
She had the best week of her life. As I said before she grew up and became independant. He will be fine.

[Delphiniumsblue]

I have just realised that it was where my nephew went 2 years ago- they were all fine. You hear the worst- it isn't news that thousands went without incident and had a nice holiday!

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

I had a look at one of the package holiday companies' website, and it describes the lovely winding streets and medieval churches that are behind the strip with all the clubs on. What are the chances of ds3 and his friends exploring them, do you think?

[specialsubject]

ah well, if he is paying for it and is happy to piss his wages against a wall (literally) then there isn't much to be done.

make it clear that he MUST get insurance though.

but I wouldn't hold your breath for photos of the church...

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

< SDTG holding her breath for church pictures!

[Mrsjayy]

See he is going for the culturev

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

D'you think if I asked on here, someone would have a cached copy of the Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents application form, so I could print it out and scare the bejeeezus out of ds3? evil

[Mrsjayy]

Go on bbc3 website and leave sss page open

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

I've just mocked this up, with the BBC3 logo, and an application form for another show, copied, pasted and edited. Would it be really eeeeevil to leave it lying on the desk?

Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents

| BBC Three
Have you ever wondered what your teenager is getting up to on their summer holiday?
Are they drinking too much, riding quad bikes, having inappropriate sex? Are they staying safe?
This BBC Three reality series is looking for contestants. So if you would like to secretly follow your teenager on their summer holiday, and see what they get up to, we want to hear from you.
Whatever your reason, we want to know why you'd like to take part and why we should pick you.
Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents is produced for the BBC by Tiger Aspect.
To apply
Please email [email protected] for an application form and tell us why you'd like to take part, what personal attributes you would use to survive and why we should pick you.
Applicants must be 18 years of age or over at the date of filling out the application form.
If you are invited to audition you'll be required to provide ID which contains your date of birth.
Write:
Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents Applications
4th Floor
Shepherds Building Central
Charecroft Way
London
W14 0EE
Closing date: 29 August 2014
The information you provide will be collected and compiled by a third party (as set out in the show information), for the purposes of assessing whether you are a suitable contributor for this show. It might also be used for developing and producing the show and any associated website content, programme, publicity, promotion and/or distribution materials. Please note that the third party may share your details with the BBC if it is necessary for the purposes of the production. They will not store or use your details for any other purpose unless they obtain your consent to do so. For more information about the use of your personal data by a specific production company, please contact them directly. For more information about how the BBC uses your data, please see our Privacy and Cookies Policy.