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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

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Original poster

So today the phone wakes us up at 4am, it's DD.....

20 replies

Milliways · 31/08/2009 13:52

asking can we PLEASE pick her & mate up NOW from Reading Festival!

Apparently it had all kicked off, huge bonfires, people demanding their tent for bonfire etc etc. Tent (all of £10 worth) totally trashed, scary people, enough is enougj.

Luckily it takes us less than 10min in the car to get there. Friend she was sharing tent with has moved into another tent on another field but her best friend managed to salvavge her tent and came home with her.

Her bedroom smells like they have had a bonfire in there! Very smoky. Apparently there were lots of fires and some too big to put out - tree caught fire!

Still, she would go again next year, had no problems until last night. Next year would bring tent home on Sunday lunchtime, go back for music and leave at 1am.

Happy days!

OP posts:

frakkinpannikinAGRIPPA · 31/08/2009 14:01

Your poor DD. Glad she's safe and happy to go again next year though!

And poor you having to get up and into the car at 4am but I bet you're glad she called. Sensible girl!

Mamazon · 31/08/2009 14:06

reading is known for being a more "rough" kind of festival.

its the one for the people that can't get into the rest of the festivals and so it attracts less of the hippy festival lovers and more of the younger "wannaq get drunk and sleep in a tent"ers.

but im glad she was ok and enjoyed herself.

Original poster

Milliways · 31/08/2009 14:32

Thanks

We are very lucky that she doesn't drink - took bottled water every day

Yes, it does have a reputation but a lot of youngsters go and around here it is sort of expected! But yes, they all enjoyed it & got to see some great bands.

OP posts:

TheDMshouldbeRivened · 31/08/2009 14:36

fuck. My dd is there

Original poster

Milliways · 31/08/2009 14:40

Local radio has mentioned nothing Riven, and it was just in the field that DD was camping in - nearest the stadium.

SHe said most people had packed and moved their tents before the evening session started, ready for this! Being her first year she was unprepared. Those who did not get tents put up Wed night, very early Thursday would be further away.

No-one was hurt, her other friends just relocated to another field, she had had enough and she only phoned as we live so close (in fact she could walk it in around half an hour)

OP posts:

TheDMshouldbeRivened · 31/08/2009 14:41

dd lives with in-laws and is 17. They will not think to tell me that she's back safe.

Original poster

Milliways · 31/08/2009 14:43

Can you text her?

I'm sure you would have heard if she was not home - she's probably safely asleep now

OP posts:

TheDMshouldbeRivened · 31/08/2009 14:45

Don't have her number

TheDMshouldbeRivened · 31/08/2009 14:50

phoned MIL and she says dd is fine. They picked her up at 9am and she was in the brown field and all the fires were in the white feild. dd says she enjoyed the music but dind't enjoy the rest - lots of drunk teens, lots of druggies.

Original poster

Milliways · 31/08/2009 14:53

Phew, glad you have had your mind put at rest.

Was she with a group of friends? DD said their immediate "neighbours" were all really nice on the site - just called them "posh" for cooking breakfast and dinner each day (on a trangia), but it saved them a fortune and was good fun to do. (They came home daily to shower & wash up their cooking pots!)

It is a shame how drunk some teens need to get though

OP posts:

purepurple · 31/08/2009 14:54

Glad everyone is back safe.
DS came back this morning from Leeds, minus his wallet (he thinks it was lifted from his pocket during Prodigy), a gash on his nose from a crowd surfer. He missed a good band as the tent blew down and they had to buy a new one.
I know that setting tents on fire is a big problem at the Download festival, seems it is getting worse at all the festivals.
Somebody is going to get hurt.
Arse-holes

TheDMshouldbeRivened · 31/08/2009 14:56

she was with friends but doesn't cook or go home!
Tent fires petrify me as they go up so fast. if you are inside you don't tand a chance. When I was little next doors kids were playing with a tent in the garden and set fire to it with the 12 month old inside

mumeeee · 31/08/2009 17:42

Glad that both your DD's are home safley. Milliways and TheDMshouldbeRivened.
Milliways how was your DD able to come home daily to shower and wash up? I wouldn't expect teenagers at a festival to do that.

Original poster

Milliways · 31/08/2009 19:31

We had a rota of parents friends who collected them, and returned them daily!

They were very spoiled, but there has to be some benefit to having the festival on your doorstep every year

OP posts:

frakkinpannikinAGRIPPA · 31/08/2009 19:42

Tent burning is a massive problem at Download. I actually sprayed mine with some fire retardant after the first year.

RustyBear · 31/08/2009 20:01

This year was the first in about 5 years that neither DD nor DS went (we live around 8 miles from Reading, so they started off going on day tickets & then progressed to camping.)

DD said today that she hadn't been keen on any of the bands playing & after last year she felt it wasn't worth going just for the festival experience - last year she said there were a lot more idiots who were just interested in trashing stuff.

Instead she went to Beautiful Days, which she described as 'a much more hippyish, open-minded, decorative festival, with lots of families' She's also going to Bestival on the Isle of Wight, which she's hoping will be similar.

DD always used to come home for a shower at least once during the weekend, though I was meaner than Milliways & made her get the train home (though I did pick her up from the station)

twentyoneagain · 03/09/2009 17:36

DD and friends went to Download and Reading this year and thankfully had no huge problems. At Reading they were camped on the outskirts and I think all the trouble was in the centre so they didn't have any nasty experiences.

Have just asked DD her opinion, she says Reading was rougher than Download but seemed to have a lot more security guards. She didn't see any tent burning at Download although she did stay until Monday am.

Thankfully they all came home unscathed and did all have a good time .

MuffinToptheMule · 06/09/2009 12:20

I've been to Leeds twice. I went in 2005 and on the last night it felt like a war zone. There were huge fires everywhere. People were throwing gas canisters into the fire. A man ran past me with his face on fire. Leeds and Reading are rough. Glad your DD was okay.

HarlotOTara · 07/09/2009 09:13

My dd has been for the last three years - left at midnight on Sunday as she said that it all gets rather stupid - she is evidentally getting more mature (just 19). She did say that gas canisters - or whatever is used for cooking food when camping - were banned this year so took disposable BBQs instead. This was because of the burning tent ritual. Have to say she has never had any problems but now feels she may be getting a little old for it.

Ozziegirly · 08/09/2009 06:26

Gosh how things have changed. I went to Reading 16 years ago and it was full of public schoolboys who had crustied up for the festival, not rough at all.

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