The Kind of Trouble Kids Can Find

[bplazo]

I think that you were very lucky that the cigarette did not do more damage. I have never allowed my daughter to have her own cabin because she has always has been a little sneaky and I do not believe most of what she says.

 

I feel for you because I have been there and done that and as I have told the story on this message board how my daughter and her friend both snuck off the ship in one port and a few other small mis-deeds I do think that it is important because some parents may think "not my child" but all children at one time or another will probably make an error in judgement. I "think" that I have caught her in most of her adventures but I am sure one or two has slipped by me.

 

Now that she is out of college and on her own, I kind of miss some of the drama :).

[JeanieTheMom]

 

So, I jump up half asleep and half dressed to accept my mother of the year award.

 

That part was hilarious!

I gave my teenage boys rules to go by before our first cruise. Among them were that they were not to go in anyone else's room, or have anyone in their room. Now I know why those rules were included!:D

 

I learned very early in my child-raising years never to say, "My child will never __________."

 

No flames here!

[clarkrock7]

Really it sounds like they weren't being that bad, not bothering other people or being *******es, just got unlucky and set off the fire alarm in the room. Coulda been a lot worse.

 

I think the not having other people over in the room is a good rule anyway, cause instead of a bunch of dopey teenage boys smokin/drinkin you might walk in on your 16 y/o with a girl in there and that's the worst for everybody!

[MrFunInTheSun]

Sounds like you handled this the right way. No blame cast to others and as you stated you all learned something new. Sounds like your boys have a god mom and has a good pulse on things dispite the recent event. It was a learning and family bonding experience. You'll never be able to replace that.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Please excuse typographical errors.

[MOteacher]

Thank you for your honest post. I always laugh when i read posts on here where parents say, "Oh, my child wouldn't do that! I trust them. They can have the run of the ship."

 

I am a teacher and am quiet aware what little darlings will do out of their parents sight. I also hear many, "Oh, you must be mistaken, my child would never (do, say, act like) that." When I saw with my own eyes what they did. Most of my students are great kids, but if you think they are not pushing boundaries when you are not around, you are wrong. That's what teens/pre-teens do.

 

Also, peer pressure is incredible. YOUR child may not have thought of something inappropriate, but it may be really hard to stand up in front of a new group of friends that they want to keep to the end of the cruise and say, "No, way". That is why they need parents to protect them and set boundaries.

 

Each cruise when I see young ones misbehaving I wonder how many of their parents would be adament that "my child would never do anything like that, THOSE kids must belong to parents that don't care." My guess is those same parents would be mortified if they really knew some of the things their children did on cruises when out of their sight.

 

Oh, and even if you ask your child what goes on with friends during the cruise, don't expect a full and truthful answer until your child hits their 20's.:D

[txmom11]

My mom tells what we call the "no child of mine" story of when my older brother was little. Momma went to the grocery store and there was a 2 or 3 year old throwing a tantrum. Momma told my dad the story ending with, "no child of mine would EVER behave that way." Oh yeah, you guessed it, the very next day, my brother threw himself on the ground and started BEATING his head on the ground in a tantrum. :eek:

 

I can't hear that phrase without chuckling at the thought of my very prim 1950's mom watching horrified as her little angel fell out in the middle of a department store.

[Andoria]

Thank you so much for sharing. I gave my 12 year old angel son a lot of freedom on our last cruise. Now that he's 13, I'm a lot less sure and a lot less smug. He's still a good kid but he's lost some brain cells while I've gained some grey hair. I no longer think "my son wouldn't do that."

[oncruisecontrol]

So, this time, instead of making them come in by 1, I told them they could stay out later but they had to check in by 1 and tell me exactly where they were going to be. Still wasn't allowing them to go to anyone else's cabin because that makes me nervous.

 

So, 2nd night of the cruise, they check in and tell me they're having a few friends in the cabin to watch a movie. Cool, no problemo. I remind them that the walls are VERY thin and they better be quiet about it or else.

 

 

If you will not allow them to go into anyone else's cabin, why would you allow them to have someone in their cabin? This is two sides of the same coin. Plus, I don't think I'd allow a minor whose parents I had not met (or received permission from) to enter any cabin for which I, as the adult, was responsible for. I do think, however, that after you were alerted to what was going on, you handled it properly.

[HImom]

Not allowing minors into one another's cabins unless a supervising adult is present makes great sense to me, especially with the invaluable story shared by OP. There is also the possibility that things might go missing from a cabin or a too much intimacy or any of many, many other scenarios.

 

Our kids have never cruised but when they had school overnight trips or camping trips, there were rules and we are grateful that we had few exciting calls about their behavior.

 

Did get one alarming call from camp when S WHILE BEING SUPERVISED by the troop leader & cut his hand with a hatchet & required ER/ED services. Remember one other kid who defied my STRONG recommendation that ALL edibles be locked up for the evening to prevent furry rodents from making visits--in the middle of the night asst. scoutmaster's son started cursing because his M&Ms were falling out of his backpack--a rat had eaten a hole thru it! Those two incidents are vividly in my mind. :)

[lego7191]

...and they ask if I heard about the poor lady who got woke up by security when her kids set off the fire alarm!!

 

Hysterical!

[hihello]

That's crazy. I would have killed him!

But really- congrats to you for being so calm- you really DO deserve a mother of the year award!

[babyher]

Thank you to teh Op for posting her story. It just goes to show how even good kids can do stupid things. I have 4 myself (2 now out on their own, 2 working and going to college) . Thank god never had REAL trouble with any of them (arrests or drugs or expulsion) But they gave me a few grey hairs along the way.

 

Not that they were angels who would never dream of doing this or that , but most of the incidents were because "Well Joe and Al thought it would be cool to try this, so we ..... " *LOL* Peer pressure is very powerful .

 

You can't watch them 24/7 and even if you know who their friends are and their families , you never know when some "cool idea " will come up and yours will go along with it, or just think it no big deal and not think it all the way through until it all goes kablooey" and you are getting a phone call.

[AngAndBoys]

If you will not allow them to go into anyone else's cabin, why would you allow them to have someone in their cabin? This is two sides of the same coin. Plus, I don't think I'd allow a minor whose parents I had not met (or received permission from) to enter any cabin for which I, as the adult, was responsible for. I do think, however, that after you were alerted to what was going on, you handled it properly.

 

I didn't used to...it was one of the things I let up on this cruise. On the last bunch, I always met the parents and the kids first. I went way too lax on that...again because we had done so well with no incidents before.

 

I'm not totally naive, usually, but I definitely dropped the ball this time. I know it.

[AngAndBoys]

That's crazy. I would have killed him!

But really- congrats to you for being so calm- you really DO deserve a mother of the year award!

 

Ummmmm.....I was not that calm that night. I got over it quickly, when I had time to think and cool off. I just about had my son in tears asking him why was it not enough to be taken on a cruise and given freedom so he had to take total advantage of the situation. And then I pointed out to him that even though HE did the deed, it was ME who had to answer for it, sign the papers saying I wouldn't allow anything like that to happen again, and would be held responsible for the charges. I believe I told him to take a good look at the security people and understand that they saw him as a spoiled little brat who was given his own cabin and tore it up and is that the kind of impression he wants to make on people and etc. I didn't kill him though...the security people were watching!:D

 

One good thing though, I did not have to listen to any more begging and pleading for more priveledges from any of them for the rest of the cruise. They definitely got the lesson and understood why I make rules sometimes.

[oncruisecontrol]

I didn't used to...it was one of the things I let up on this cruise. On the last bunch, I always met the parents and the kids first. I went way too lax on that...again because we had done so well with no incidents before.

 

I'm not totally naive, usually, but I definitely dropped the ball this time. I know it.

Not saying you dropped the ball.....It's just that in this litigious world we live in today.....well, you know. People are so sue-happy. The parents of the other kid who brought the booze and cigarettes to the cabin could likely have blamed you (since the cabin was in your name) for "allowing" their kid to be there especially if the damage had been more severe or people (i.e. their kid or anyone else other than your kid) had been hurt. They likely may not have wanted to own up to their own responsiblitiy in allowing their kid in someone else's cabin (or maybe not even knowing where their kid was, as could have been the case). You learned an important lesson, and handled it well.

[Andoria]

I didn't used to...it was one of the things I let up on this cruise. On the last bunch, I always met the parents and the kids first. I went way too lax on that...again because we had done so well with no incidents before.

 

I'm not totally naive, usually, but I definitely dropped the ball this time. I know it.

 

 

Your kids screwed up (as kids do) and it isn't always the fault of the parent. I bet even if you had the same rules the next time around, your kids wouldn't invite anyone back to their room. Can you imagine how scared they must of been when security came?

[kjunea]

I think you are awesome! As a teacher of 8th graders, I often see parents who suddenly can't understand how their wonderful child has turned into a monster. They often start off the beginning of the school year thinking their child can do no wrong and by the end of the year are asking for help controlling them! I think you did a great job.

[Cushing985]

In 20 years you all will be laughing about this...it will truly be a family legend.

 

If anyone flames it will be those who don't have kids or if they do, their kids just haven't been caught yet.:eek:

[hansolosmom]

Someone asked about teen drinking earlier in this thread. Last year on Princess my 13 year old told me about all the kids in the teen room talking about drinking. Most of them pilfering something from the mini-bars in their rooms. Thank goodness he really is one of those kids who wouldn't do that. ;)

 

 

After reading your story all I keep thinking of is that scene in Animal House where they tell Bluto 'you screwed up, you trusted us'

 

Thanks for sharing and I'd really love to know how the other people on the ship found out.

[oncruisecontrol]

Someone asked about teen drinking earlier in this thread. Last year on Princess my 13 year old told me about all the kids in the teen room talking about drinking. Most of them pilfering something from the mini-bars in their rooms. Thank goodness he really is one of those kids who wouldn't do that. ;)

 

 

After reading your story all I keep thinking of is that scene in Animal House where they tell Bluto 'you screwed up, you trusted us'

 

Thanks for sharing and I'd really love to know how the other people on the ship found out.

 

Totally off topic: But Star Wars fan or (and) a Harrison Ford fan?

[CMM]

As a parent I appreciate you sharing this story.

[spleenstomper]

I just asked my teens and according to them :rolleyes: lol they didn't see any teens drinking on the conquest. I'm sure it happens, though...

[AngAndBoys]

Someone asked about teen drinking earlier in this thread. Last year on Princess my 13 year old told me about all the kids in the teen room talking about drinking. Most of them pilfering something from the mini-bars in their rooms. Thank goodness he really is one of those kids who wouldn't do that. ;)

 

 

After reading your story all I keep thinking of is that scene in Animal House where they tell Bluto 'you screwed up, you trusted us'

 

Thanks for sharing and I'd really love to know how the other people on the ship found out.

 

Yeah, I always have them lock the minibar in our cabins. Remove temptation. But yes, there seemed to be a lot more kid drinking going on than I've been aware of before. Next cruise I think I'm going to do hourly breathalizers. You can buy them. That should fix their little red wagons. I could probably charge other people to test their kids too. THis could be fun and profitable.

 

As for how it got around the ship....I'm sure the kids told each other and some told their parents. I told 3 people I had met what happened...and on and on it goes. That's "big news" on a cruise ship with 1500 kids on it. I wasn't secretive about it. Generally, I don't have enough sense to be embarassed. Mostly because I don't think that way. I mean, I wouldn't automatically assume the parents or the kids were awful. THere's always a rest of the story.

[BeagleOne]

it's our cabin so we can have friends in there if we want to!".

 

 

I wonder what their reaction would be if you pointed out that it's actually YOUR cabin since you are paying for it, and they're lucky they're not split up with one parent in each cabin? :D

 

OP, hilarious story! I especially like the mother of the year line and the way you dealt with your son in front of the security staff.

[spleenstomper]

I think that is a great idea about the breathalyzer-- our friends have one, so I wouldnt even have to buy one.. Could borrow it for the trip.