Not sure if this is the right thread but whatever.
It's late October and my mom lets me go on a camping trip with her, my brother and some of her friends. When we get to our spot we meet with everyone else and i decide to get started on my shelter. It's about 2 hours to sundown and i'm finally finished. So i head back and see someone else allready made a fire. And i'm tired from working and in an act of stupididty and carelessness i put my knife on a table instead of my sheath. So one of my moms friend get mad at me wich she should because there were young kids there. So i say sorry and put it back in my sheath. Bet then she actualy and truely said "why would you even bring a knife?" and i could'nt think of a responce. I should have said something like "because i dont camp in an RV!". But that's not all. Shy says as if she's my mom "I don't want to see that knife out of that sheath.". So i tell my mom about it and she says "I'm your mom. Not her. If i think your doing something wrong I'LL do something about it." So i decide to get beck at her by making a frog gigging spear right in front of her! It pissed her off pretty good. She did'nt say anything but i could tell. But then just when i star to feel good a guy with a handle bar mustache tells me i built my shelter out of my camp zone AND I wast allowed to build it in the first place! So now i have to improvise a bed of leaves and sleep in a wool blanket i brought just in case. Now its about 1 am and just when i thought it couldnt get any worse it starts to rain! and all i could think was "only about 40 more hours of this" And that's the story.
EDIT: Ok people seem to be hanging me before my hearing so just some clarification. This is a story about something that happened over 6 months ago. I know it was stupid and immature. I'm normaly my calm bush hippie self. I can handle things as stupid as "why bring a knife camping?" but dragging it out even after I apologized? Something snapped. And my judgment was already beaten up from working all day for nothing. I'm not saying that made it ok. That's just what happened. And its not like you didn't do dumb stuff when you were young. I may be a buddhist but even I know Jesus once said "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone".
Ok mate, as I see it there are four players in this game and this is what deserves to be allocated.
1] You
2] Unrelated Bloggs
3] Your mother
4] Handle bar bloke
Your role]
And i'm tired from working and in an act of stupididty and carelessness i put my knife on a table instead of my sheath.
Fair enough, you've admitted you were stupid. It could have been lost or stolen. When you consider how many people here have admitted losing their knives you are far from alone. Many of these people are adults too. It could be worse, you could have cut yourself doing some dumb stunt and posted pictures of it up here for all to see. Believe me, people actually do that. If you've learned something from that may be we wont see you joining the ranks of those people in the future. Win.
Bet then she actualy and truely said "why would you even bring a knife?" and i could'nt think of a responce. I should have said something like "because i dont camp in an RV!".
You were slow on the uptake here. When dealing with bellicose people the correct response is to mind my own f-in' business.
You pitched your camp in the wrong spot and got moved. Ho hum, happens a lot it seems. Look up Guerilla Camping. You were compliant once you were rumbled, big deal.
The role of Unrelated Bloggs]
She's just a dickhead. She has no authority over you, what your mother said confirms that. If she doesn't understand the role of knives in the outdoors that is her problem, it is not incumbent upon you to educate her. Do not be forced into a defensive position unnecessarily. Further, if she is unable to provide necessary supervision for the young kids in her charge then she is the one out of place, not your knife. All too often, either by dint of personality defect or common incompetence, do people try to shift that locus of responsibility. That is most notable when they are having problems coping. They blame knives, guns, toilet duck, whatever in an attempt to absolve themselves from the responsibility of supervisor. I can't be watching all the time is nearly as lame as the phrase pester power. She is simply nervous that she has bitten off more than she can chew and is trying of file the corners off the world to make up for her shortfall. Attacking you is just part of her MO.
Your mother]
I don't mean to insult her but as the information stands here she lacked stones. "I'm your mom. Not her. If i think your doing something wrong I'LL do something about it." clearly indicates that she is telling you that she is the authority figure not her mate. Ideally, what should have happened is that she should have challenged her buddy. She should have said to her buddy, if you have a problem with the conduct of my son then you come to me. That she didn't was weak, and I believe she failed you there. So she has some learning to do too.
Handle bar bloke]
He is either right or wrong. As annoying to you as it may be provided he was courteous and polite then he's just doing his job. That's supposing it is his job. Either way you were possibly at fault.
Hope your next trip works out better.
I try to teach my son right and wrong and more importantly consequences of your actions; honesty, integrity and respect are important values and they go a long way with any endeavor in your life.
