After bedtime

[EddieH]

This 4 yr old was really excited at the finish "I ran lie a bullet" was his expression

[Mrs H]

I just don't know what to do about this any more.

I floated MADO on the back of my "Free Range Kids" idea and it went down an absolute storm with the families and I half wondered a while back whether the tide had begun to turn in officialdom but there are lots of words being spouted from the powers that be supporting the idea of unwrapping the cotton wool but I see precious little evidence that it is getting easier to make it happen - rather the opposite.

I do wonder whether what we are being handed is an interpretation of certain requirements rather than the requirements themsaelves.

The reason I say this is that some years ago BOF central tried to insist that no junior was identifiable from a photo in a club magazine. I questioned this as children are freely identified in my local newspaper and took it direct to the Child Protection in Sport Unit who deemed it to be okay as the magazine was distributed to a known audience. BOF seemed a bit taken aback by this.

I wonder if it would be worth questioning other specific requirements direct with the provider rather than the middle man.

[EddieH]

I'd go with that Mrs H, and like you on this one, I am being serious.

[seabird]

I just don't know what to do about this any more.

Plan Night Courses for Juniors and advertise them as Family Friendly. If you attract newcomers strongly encourage them to either accompany their children or shadow them closely. Most do that in any case. Orienteering parents by and large know the capabilities of their children.

Although - I recall once having strong words as controller with an orienteering parent who had sent their child out on a daytime technical course beyond the child's experience and capabilities in snowy conditions on moorland - necessitating a search. (May not have handled the matter as well as I would hope - but that's another story) Of course we found the child in question as happy as Larry when we encountered him. Not a care in the world! Life is rarely entirely black or white.

[Big Jon]

"Life is rarely entirely black or white."

but on a snowy day on a moorland life would have been pretty close to black and white...

[graeme]

Are there any rules about whether children can do night-O?

I think I'll take the answer as a "no", and suggest that maybe we should all shut up before BOF decides to create some (that's why I didn't ask formally).