Letting 15 year old Son travel to Europe by rail

No she is not whining, just expressing outrage. The boy concenred was only a few weeks from his 16th birthday. It wasn't as if he was only just past his 15th birthday.

When you read in this thread about the extent of overseas travel done by GN members, including myself, in previous generations, without having mobile phones or any of the other advantages of modern communication. This fuss about KA's son is a real storm in teacup.

MissAdventure the "outrage" I was referring to was evidenced in the media storm about this. I heard some of an LBC phone-in and some callers sounded like it was a hanging offense!

The only outrage, though, is KA's.

Nobody else gives a silent f*rt, I'd imagine.

Social services don't, the person who reported her doesn't have serious concerns, probably, and never did have.

Someone has taken the opportunity to "take her down a peg or two" I'd imagine, after her twitter posting about how proud she is.

Have you heard her actually speaking about this Aveline

She was not at all whining and complaining about someone daring to question her choices when I heard her in conversation about this.

She said she was first scared, then amazed, then cross - cross because the person who reported her clearly didn't know her and had apparently picked it up from a celebratory post. She was raising it as she thought we ought to be debating children's freedoms and safety.

Iam64

Why not Vintagejazz?

Because it must have been very hurtful and distressing to have SS on to her and in my opinion laughing about it is unkind. Obviously you disagree. But if one of your children was in a situation where someone had maliciously reported them and you thought their neighbour was privately laughing and making jokes about it what would you think about them?

Exactly Iam64 and the social media risks were discussed too.

Some people on the Newspaper panel said they thought the online risks were arguably greater. It was an interesting few minutes - sorry if you heard it.

We have spoken about this several times at home and with family now. Our own children (and mother-in-law) are of the opinion that the interrailing was a good thing to do. I haven't discussed it with one of my daughters-in-law but I'm wondering if it's just that some whole families have a similar idea of "good parenting" (good enough parenting) to others?
Maybe some whole families have different attitudes to risk - just as they eat different things or maybe prefer different holidays.

Maybe this all comes from how children are raised and that families tend to believe in their familial parenting norms? I always thought my children parented very differently one family to another but their ideas around parenting are maybe closer than I thought.

It's been interesting how many of my direct family have found the outrage about this trip "ridiculous" - even the ones with nearly teens and the one who is more generally "cautious".

M0nica - but KA is whining and complaining about someone daring to question her choices.

I'm guessing her son will return to school next week as the 6th form hero!

I think I would be "outraged" if either the press or SS had my, what she must mean, personal/private phone number. She must wonder where they got that from.

She made a valid point NotSpaghetti. It’s so difficult now to allow children age appropriate freedom. If we out the risks in the internet to one side , briefly. Traffic is the main threat. In my area, 50 years ago children rode bikes or walked to school. They rode ponies from age 9-10 through the village, no adult supervision. They played out and wandered. These days they’re carefully supervised for good reason.
They have friends from school to play but it’s at home or the park with parents there. All the usual childhood squabbles are inevitably mediated , interfering with them developing problem solving.

On Radio 4 (Saturday or Sunday) she said she could have stayed quiet but felt it was better to raise it for discussion. She said she felt children are generally not allowed to grow and challenge themselves.

It was the morning programme which invites people on to discuss newspaper headlines. Can't think but it was probably on last Sunday.

KA went to the press about it otherwise we’d be non the wiser

Why not Vintagejazz?

Aveline

I think she's hard as nails. She dishes it so should be able to take it.

'hard as nails' has got nothing to do with being forthright in her speech. That is one of the things I like about her and has made her such a popular presenter.

Personally, I would like to see more people prepared to stand up say what they think and take the flak than all these whining 'victims' of every little thing in their life that isn't just as they want it.

nightowl

I don’t think she’ll read gransnet or care very much what I think Vintagejazz

Still not nice to be laughing and making a joke about it, in my view.

I think she's hard as nails. She dishes it so should be able to take it.

I don’t think she’ll read gransnet or care very much what I think Vintagejazz

That's not really funny. Kirstie must be very upset, without people laughing about it.

It was someone who knew KA’s phone number because one of her (outraged) questions was ‘how did you get my phone number?’ Unless it was already on file from previous referrals

😂

or Phil Spencer

I still wonder if the anon referral came from a journalist

I would not let any fifteen year old do this unless accompanied by a trusted adult. I’m unable see how anyone would think its ok. People and the law want to make up their minds is fifteen year old a child or a man, if a man whatever crime they commit they would be charged as an adult.

People who work in safeguarding are supposed to act without prejudice, which is what they’ve done 🤷‍♀️

Perhaps people think better safe than sorry.

There have been plenty of times when intervention would have saved a childs life.
Obviously not because they were being shouted at, or allowed to travel at a young age.

Years ago there was a child starved to death, and social services were in trouble for not thinking the mother seemed the type, because she was well spoken.