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Quote: Originally posted by Ivana Tinkle on 26/2/2009

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Only problem with walkie talkies is listening to all the stupid dads playing with them

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You're absolutely right, and the racket they make in an enclosed space while they adjust the settings!!

Wendy

Our kids are 7 and 4.  They are allowed to play in the play area on their own and the 7 year old keeps an eye on the younger one. He is allowed to cycle around (where it is allowed) but we keep 4year old DD within sight.  They have walkie talkies and are not allowed out after dark.  Once it gets dark we usually take them for a night walk with torchs and glow sticks before settling them down with maybe a DVD or story before bed.  I don't think that kids should be out in play areas etc after dark.  My kids wonder why they have to go to bed when others are still out making a noise but they still need to get some sleep even when on holiday!

Carrie 

Not having small children myself, I find it incredible the way some parents let their kids loose on a camping site and have no idea where they are or what they're doing.  Just as long as they're not disturbing mum and dad - especially when they're having an afternoon drinking session!! 

Jenny

If you let them go out with a mobile phone, just make sure that there isn't a signal problem; we have come across a few sites where a signal is unobtainable.  With walkie-talkies, the problem is range.  Our daughter and her two daughters go to Taekwondo classes.  The 9-year-old can already drop a full grown man with no problem.

Bertie.

Quote: Originally posted by Dorset Belle on 26/2/2009

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Not having small children myself, I find it incredible the way some parents let their kids loose on a camping site and have no idea where they are or what they're doing.  Just as long as they're not disturbing mum and dad - especially when they're having an afternoon drinking session!! 

Jenny

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I noticed that too, we only started 'vanning in May and the first morning we were woken by 2 kids properly screaming and running round the vans at 7.45 am.

We have 3 dogs so a lot of kids do gravitate to us, on the whole they're pretty good and ask if they can stroke them but we do have one that doesn't like kids and so we tell them they can't touch her yet some see it as a challenge and insist on trying to get near her no matter how many times we ask them to leave her alone.

Campsites are one of those venues where some parents appear to believe that they are somehow not responsible for the safety, welfare and behaviour of their offspring. How much of a problem this causes depends on the level/age of the children concerned, and degree of bad behaviour.

I have sometimes wondered if there are instances where young children have been afraid, or not allowed, to go into designated play areas because of the brawling attitudes of older children.  Bullying can happen in these situations, just as easily as in schoolyards. 

Last year, on one campsite in France, I noticed that an attendant was present for much of the time in the toddlers' play area.   Room for any good ideas, do you think?

Bertie.

We have camped since before the children came along (now teens) and have always adopted strict rules about what we would allow them to do. The play area was always part of the daily routine but they would be accompanied by one of us when young. Only when older would we let them go alone and only if we could see them. Would never choose to pitch by the play area so quite a rare occurrance!! We would let them play around and about so long as they were within sight and not doing anything to disturb other people. Sorry but I don't approve of mindless cycling around site roads and paths. I was rammed from behind a couple of years ago by a child (approx 8yrs old) who had tried to shout at me to move. I had the bruises to prove it for the rest of the week but it could have been much worse had I been older like my mum, carrying a toddler (I was carrying a large melon at the time!) or ... Seem to recall that there was an incident on a CC site not so long ago when a child was killed and another where a child went running/cycling behind someone elses unit and was badly hurt by a washing line that had been strung up.

Kids are hard work and I can fully understand wanting a break from them, but I see a lot of behaviour on site that indicates that some are left to their own devices far too much. Sad.

Ah, yes, the washing line incident.  I believe it was reported in one of the club magazines.  The line was strung between the handles of two caravans.  Perfectly satisfactory arrangement, but the mother saw it as dangerous because she saw no reason why her teenage son should not ride between outfits on other peoples' pitches.

A few years ago, one private site we sometimes visit was changed to adults only.  This was caused by some very serious vandalism, and the parents seeing it as "normal behaviour". The owners said it was the best thing they had done, so that site will never be open to families again.  Some families kept their vans there for the season, and they had to move off as well. The miscreants were obviously in the minority, but quite a number of decent caravanning families lost the facilities of a convenient and well run site.

This is why I once suggested some form of "licencing", similar to the camping carnet that we are issued with when visiting continental sites.  This would enable the bad element to be excluded, instead of decent campers having to suffer for the minority.

Bertie.

totally agree with Fat Bum.

Someone asked me today why enjoy camping so much, one reason I told them was the freedom my son has, the sort of freedom I had as a kid.

This has nothing to do with disliking children, because to do that would be as bad as parents who don't bother about what their children do.  We have greatgrandchildren of our own. It is quite obvious that the other posters on the thread (with children) have a clear idea of what is, and what isn't, acceptable.

But I think that most of us, at some time, have come into contact with that element which would be better banned from campsites.  It certainly happened at the site , now adults only, that I was referring to.   Before that restriction came into being, I met people with children on that site.  Two families in particular had my deepest sympathy. Their kids were really well behaved and, as they didn't live too far from the site, they kept their vans pitched at the site and spent a lot of time with their children.  For one family, where the husband had to work away quite a bit, his wife, who did not tow, could take her children for weekends even during school time.

These people were also precluded from the site, even though they were good, regular visitors.  This is why I am in favour of the hard line against the bad element and banning them; not putting restrictions on what sites decent families, and their children, are able to visit.

Bertie.

There are unspoken rules about sensible levels of freedom for your little ones and not causing a nuisance to other caravanners.  It seems as though all the UKCS members know them.  Maybe that should be on your campsite booking form.....