In 28 hours, I will be taking my 12 year old son James to get a bus to take him to the airport, and he is going to Switzerland for a week
He will be hiking, swimming in glacial lakes, tabagonning, and having a wail of a time with the scouts!!!!!
BUT, I am going to be a nervous reck!!!!!
12 years old and going abroad for a week of fun
Still want to say, NO your not going LOL
Packing tomorrow and then taking him at 1.30am monday morning.
EEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
Lea :)

My son has just arrived home from cornwall with army cadets said he had had a whale of a time he is a lovely colour but it has been a very hard week, we have had tears but wouldn't come home which made me worse (he is autistic) so hard to judge his feelings.  Glad he's home and worse part is he wants to go again next year.

so doig what boys love best and mum hate most?  Bet he will so enojy his week and come home with nothing more then a bruise!!! :D

I understand how you feel, I was a nervous wreck when my 13 year old daughter went to Florida with her dad and his family for two weeks, two years ago.  I was even worse when someone told me a hurricane was heading towards them. Fortunately she came back safe and sound and the hurricane wasn't too near them.

Awww, he will have the best time ever.
When my eldest went with scouts camping...he came back with clean underwerar, he never changed any!
His pjs he put on top of his clothes coz he couldn't be bothered changing, he was a dirty, smelly, mess, but so so happy. ;-)
Let go mum...he's turning into a big boy....
Karenxx

Stop! Far too much information Karen :rolleyes: :D

Course you want to say NO.....tis only natural :).........LOL. he'll be fine, come back full of it, and all the things he's done. Then crash out and leave you all his loverrrllyyy stinky washing to do :D :D :D

I have just packed his rucksack :( :(
I got a 45 litre one. BIG MISTAKE. It is too small LOL. Oh well, everything is in and it is closed lol.
Just got to go to shops to get him pack up stuff now!!! And a couple of disposable cameras.
Dropping his bag off at 5 so they know they have everything.
I am a bag of nerves.
I feel sick, I am shaking :( Its all too real now he is packed :( :(
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Lea :( :(

New 65 litre rucksack bought, packed and at the scout hut ready.
Dum de dum de dum de dum,
I cant sit still.
5 1/5 hours til I drop him off!!!!!
I am more nervous than he is LMAO
As for wearing clean clothes, they are all packed, but I bet they all come back clean!!!!!
Lea :)

Conor survived being away in Belgium with the school for a long weekend earlier this year Lea and Sophie coped with being in Paris Disneyland with 3 other 16 year old friends this week ..I was STILL worried :D :D He will be FINE ...get yourself some bottles of wine in gal and enjoy the peace and quiet :)

Well he has gone!!!!!!
He cried just before we went.
And I cried buckets when the bus went round the corner out of site :( :(
He is now only about 10 miles down the road and I am sitting here worried as hell!!!!
Am I the only mother that hugs their children??
I give them huge hugs when they are just going into school.
Before James got on the bus I kept hugging him. But most of the other parents just seemed to give their kids a quick kiss, or a quick hug.
Now sitting here with a glass of wine, wishing it was stronger than 7.5%!!!!
There is no way I am going to be able to sleep!!!
Lea :)

Don't worry Lea he will be fine and have the time of his life!  I know it's hard to let go but we have to!  Today I'm going on a trip to Spinalonga and only leaving Bet with her Mum but even though I keep thinking 'I do hope she is ok'  How silly is that!  Hannah went to Germany a couple of weeks ago and was fine.  Some lads and lasses don't think it's cool to hug but I bet they had a hug at home before getting on the bus and I bet a lot have packed a little something from home which will be well hidden!  Chin up girl xxx

He will be fine Lea, having a ball before you know it. Of course you are worried, you're a mum, thats our job :D  My daughter is just back from her weeks riding holiday in Yorkshire and she had a fantastic time. She was there last year (age 12), on her own and really liked it, I'd never have done that at her age, I'd have wanted my mum with me (wuss). This year she wanted to stay another week and is already asking me if she can go for 2 weeks next year!! My elder daughter has done umpteen school trips, the first at 13, to Baltimore and New York the summer after 9/11 - I was so worried but she was absolutely fine even though they stayed with families for a week, again something i would never have done. She has been to the Belgian battlefields twice, Spain and back to Baltimore/NewYork since then and loved all of them. She is off to Spain on Saturday for two weeks with a school friend, (managed to put themselves off travelling round europe by train as it cost too much, thankfully). they are going to our Timeshare company so should be Ok I hope. And I give them BIG hugs everytime too - nothing like embarrassing your kids in front of their mates, I love it :D :D

He will be back before you know it and will either tell you nothing or talk of nothing else for a week.
Marion

LOL, Lea - he'll have a whale of a time :D :D :D Poor you, tho' :D :D

My son went by himself to stay with our friends in Slovenia and Croatia when he was 11 - while the war was still on :D :D :D I felt very nervous when we signed him over at the airport. Although the war wasn't on in the part of Croatia that he was staying, his travel insurance stipulated that it would cover him if he was run over by a car, but not by a tank etc :D :D :D He was away for two weeks and when we collected him from Heathrow. he cried his eyes out as he didn't want to come home :D :D All this from a boy who wouldn't go on any school trips !!!

It's just so good for them to do these things !!

Daisy

he cried his eyes out as he didn't want to come home

This made me laugh, and bought back fond memories of being about 11 yrs old, the summer between junior school and 'big' school. Parents on holiday in cornwall, and me booked into a pony trekking centre near Truro. I had themost fantastic week and cried my eyes out coz I didnt want to come home :D :D

Lea, its fine to hug your kids, when they feel embarased at it in public (some can go through a stage where its 'not cool') then hug them at home.....but they soon don't give a damn whos watching ;) You will worry like mad, he'll be having a great time, the next time may be eaiser....maybe :D :D :D

heres a huge ((((((((((HUG)))))))))))))

.....and it doesn't get any easier as they get older either, our eldest went to New York a week before Christmas last year, she was there for her 18th birthday, but she had a fantastic time and is now frantically saving again to go again next year.

I hid little notes in between her clothes in her suitcase, which I thought would make her laugh, but infact did the opposite :(  As much as an 18 year old doesn't like to admit it, I think she missed us as much as we missed her.

Well after doing 210 miles on the back of a bike today, realising Ric had all my contact stuff and glasses in his bike, so dashed up to him (50 mileS)at 7pm. Went to bed and left his at 1.30 to get back here for 3am to pick James up,
The Bus has BROKEN DOWN :( :(
Darent go back to sleep otherwise I will miss mt alarm clock this time LMAO,
So now got to hang around until 4am to pick James up.
But the good side is, I got back from my weekend away top a postcard that had more AWESOMES on it then I dont know what LMAO
Lea :)