My daughter won't zip her jacket on camp

[Globalti]

The problem is that, with the gradual disappearance of trust from society, people like Scout leaders have been given strict rules they must follow. It's happened in every walk of life and has been made necessary because society used to function mostly on trust, admittedly it didn't always work but it did on the whole. Now we are all better educated on what we should expect from people in authority so after some spectacular disasters we have given everybody rules. So when somebody who has lost the ability to think and accept risk tries to enforce the rules they get upset if others refuse to comply.

 

[Paulus]

A good starting point is to as her why she wont fasten her jacket.

Maybe it is more that the leader has asked her to do something, and the child has refused to follow the instruction.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Maybe find out why they insist on coats being fastened up.

This would be my starting point, we used to go stay a couples house, all the kids used to play outside, theirs would be in t-shirts ours in fleeces, it was just what their kids were used to. Neither have grown up to be a mass murderer yet.

 

[steveindenmark]

[QUOTE="classic33, post: 5616560, member: 299"Maybe find out why they insist on coats being fastened up.

This would be my starting point, we used to go stay a couples house, all the kids used to play outside, theirs would be in t-shirts ours in fleeces, it was just what their kids were used to. Neither have grown up to be a mass murderer yet.[/QUOTE]
YET... ....

 

[Deleted member 26715]

YET... ....

Who knows what the future holds

 

[Lullabelle]

Can she do a zip? Maybe she has a problem but doesn't want to feel 'different' because she can't do it.

 

[winjim]

My 3yo likes freezing cold baths and frequently even in the depths of winter will refuse to wear her coat. When I pick her up on it she just starts singing.

Let the storm rage on...
​

That bloody film must be responsible for a surge in hypothermia cases.

 

[Julia9054]

As others have said, question your daughter to find out if she has a genuine reason why she won't do up her zip. Do not question the organisers. This teaches your daughter that she can pick and choose which instructions she follows and that mum will back her up. At 6, she does not have the judgement skills to assess which instructions are important and which are not which means that she may choose not to follow instructions that are vital for her safety. Being part of activities like this are vital for a child's development as it teaches them how to operate as part of a group. Being part of a group involves cooperation and the ability to follow instructions

 

[Ming the Merciless]

There are two things going on.

She disobeyed the instruction of an adult she was in the care of.
She didn't want to do her jacket up.

The latter I would say she'll do naturally when she starts to get cold. I run warmer than most and can be in shirt sleeves when others have insulated jackets on. Your daughter may be the same. The former depends on how you are bringing her up, and how you want her to be.

 

[DRM]

To be honest I think the leaders are doing their best to act in the best interest of the girls in their care, the problem being when at camp, a child can get cold without realising it, until it’s too late, then you have to deal with a cold, homesick child, who won’t settle until a parent comes to collect them, and then won’t want to go to camp again, don’t forget she’s only 6 and can soon get cold and upset.
I’ve also seen some of the kit that gets sent to use at camp, a lot of which is not really suitable for keeping kids warm and dry.
I don’t think that the leaders are being overly harsh, it’s really hard to organise and run these events, and there are strict rules in place to ensure the kids are safe, when I ran the Beaver colony (similar age group) it was more cajoling them to do things and have a go, followed up with praise for having a go at an activity wether or not they completed it, the RSM bit only came in for the Scouts when they were using sharp things like axes/knives or cooking on open fires, they were very sensible about those things without having to be reminded too often, but they were also a lot older, the rest of it was making it fun, regardless of age.

 

[derrick]

If i was in charge of a group, i would expect them to do as there told. It;a all down to discipline. I blame the parent.

 

[Adam4868]

A zip ? My daughter is 14 and I can't think of many things shell do if I ask !

 

[Jennifer92]

Ok peeps, a little update .

First things first, I'm not complaining about the leaders asking her to zip her jacket up myself on many occasions so in reply to @derrick, I want an apology, even if it was sarcasm because that is hurtful!!?

Next, I did sit my daughter down and explained to her why the leaders want her to zip her jacket up then asked if there were any reason as to why she disobeys the leaders and her reply was "sometimes I don't feel cold or don't mind getting wet sometimes" to which I just replied "ok but I think the leaders don't want you getting soaked and dealing with soaking wet clothes all camp weekend so can you please just obey the leaders next time".

 

[Accy cyclist]

This is thrilling(!).Will she or won't she zip up that jacket? I remember something a bit similar years ago on Crossroads. Benny faced the sack as he just wouldn't promise to put the toilet seat back down after he'd been.

 

[gbb]

The way i see it is the child is in the care of others and in the interests of her safety, i'd expect her to carry out a reasonable request. Look at it this way, she's 6, quite likely to make a wrong decision. Suppose the leader asked her not to stand too close to something (something that might hurt her say) and she refused to comply ? Where do you draw the line ?

I'd talk to GD about it and find out why, then agree or disagree in principle, but also let her know she really should follow instructions, for her safety... and the organisers sanity. There's an enormous responsibility placed on their shoulders, they deserve at least that their charges to do as they're reasonably asked.