Would you allow a 14 year old to go camping overnight with friends of same age

xmaslolly76

hmmm difficult one i used to be allowed to camp out with my friends but times were alot different then and it was a lot safer also the field was literally across the road from the house. As a teenager though it was just an excuse to be up all night and have a drink with our friends although it never got out of hand and we never got drunk. There was a large pond up there which was used for fishing so we used to tell our parents we were going night fishing. Mind you i cant tar all teenagers with the same brush (i was abit of a rebel) so it all comes down to if you trust your son to be sensible or not :-)

jax-21

Thanks for all your help. They are all sensible boys (well at least as sensible as they can be at that age) and as far as I know none of them have anything to do with drinking, smoking or drugs, I know the older sibling that is going with them, she is very mature for her age and I think she is being sent to look after her younger brother, my concern though is will any of her friends be there too as this could change things completely if there is going to be a group of 17/18 year olds there you can guarantee that drink will be around somewhere, they have all just finished their highers so I am quite sure it's going to be party time if they are going. I think a phone call to the other parents is needed before I make a final decision. They have permission from the farmer to camp in the field but the farmhouse is a long way from where they want to camp. I have offered to let them put the tent up in the garden but they didn't like this idea much they want a little bit of independance. mmm. Thanks again for all your thoughts, I think a bit more investigation is needed before I say yes.

sharkie

you made me think back many years and my friend was already a seasoned camper with the Scouts. The camped in woodland near a stream miles from home (different town) and he was 11 years old if that.

Give 'em mobiles then just go there around 10pm shake a few bushes and see who is the first to phone home

aliasojo

I was brought up in Edinburgh fairly close to the city centre. I was 14 when Mum let me go with 2 girlfriends off to a field somewhere...cant remember where but one of the girl's Dads dropped us off.

I was shocked she let me go as she was a very strict parent.

Anyway, it was a cold, windy and horrible Saturday afternoon. I lasted maybe 3 hours and then walked into the nearest town and got the bus home to a plate of homemade chips and egg. Happy days.

oystercatcher

I have let my boys go camping overnight with friends at that age. They were fairly sensible though and had had similar experiences with scouts. With mobile phones and me with the car 'on call' I thought they would be OK. I did make sure they were some where off the beaten track though so they would be unlikely to disturbed by 'creepy people' on the way home from pubs etc. There's no way I'd let them camp anywhere within walking distance of local rough estate etc as I know that often the older teenagers go out onto the farmland for 'drinking sessions'.

If you decide to let them go make sure they have loads of warm stuff as it can be surprisingly cold at 3am !
Also make sure they are 'fire aware' and won't do silly things with candles. Burning tents can kill!

Threebabes

My son is 14 in November. No, I wouldnt let him go camping.

emilyt

inkie wrote: »

No I wouldn't - if they wanted to do this, they would have to be in my back garden

Totally agree.:D

eamon

Many decades ago my next door neighbours had a huge tent set up in their garden for most of the summer months. I would have been 14-15 at the time. Their drinks cabinet was raided many times and six packs of beer (stubbies) acquired. Unfortunately next door neighbours son couldn't hold his drink and one weekend it went horribly wrong. Grown ups (parents) became involved. Luckily there was no lasting damage but the tent vanished.

I personally would say no. The field is to far away for safety.

endure

xmaslolly76 wrote: »

hmmm difficult one i used to be allowed to camp out with my friends but times were alot different then and it was a lot safer

I suspect that it was no safer then than it is now and that the only thing that's different is parental attitude to risk.

wendyl1967

I have a 14 year old boy and there is no way I would let him. He is sensible and so are his friends but you never know who may be around looking for trouble in the middle of the night.