All grown up

I know we all say it…but really….where does time go?

It was only yesterday that I brought my baby boy home from the hospital and now he can legally leave school, although he’s not……has done his GCSE’s and is off on his first FESTIVAL!!

I won’t go all mushy and embarrass him by saying how proud I am of his totally brilliant GCSE results……I never doubted that he would do well anyway, but even if he hadn’t it wouldn’t have mattered.

Anyway the point of the post…the dreaded festival……where were music festivals when I was sixteen? I don’t remember ever being aware of Glastonbury or any other ones. Now there is a choice of Creamfields, Global Gathering, The Big Chill, V Festival to name but a tiny few……….

When Big H first asked if he could go I had to think hard about it…he was only fifteen at the time….but after a day or so thought that he could, theoretically, go abroad on his own if he wanted and he would have done all of his exams, I have to trust him …..So….my son is off camping for four nights, having I expect the time of his life…… being a person that would never be able to take the chance that the ground would be hard, the weather hot and dry thus avoiding mud and its consequences, I haven’t a clue on what he or I should think about when sending him off.

Earlier this year I did for a fleeting moment  consider gathering some friends to go to this festival…..I am so thankful I didn’t as the weather is diabolical and there is absolutely no way you would get me camping for the next few nights.

After doing a Twitter plea here is the advice my lovely twitter friends gave us:

• Use the toilets as early as possible as they normally clean them in the morning or use the loos in the main arena
• The toilets [in arena] are normally cleaner than the portaloos in the campsites
• Take nothing of value
• Don’t smoke in the tent…very dangerous
• Don’t worry about packing food the town centre is close enough to go and buy drink and food
• Do not buy what appear to be chocolate chip cookies from aging hippies…..they’re not chocolate!
• Make sure tent is kept an eye on
• It’s a good learning curve
• Take wet wipes
• Don’t leave anything valuable in the tent
• Don’t buy anything from anyone!

So he will go off….hopefully with my words ringing in his ears…”I DO remember being sixteen but PLEASE be sensible and SAFE!”

GULP!

Tagged as: children, festivals, growing up, letting go, teenagers