Kirstie Allsopp has doubled down on letting her 15-year-old son interrail across Europe for three weeks over the summer, but admits she ’emotionally struggled’ while he was gone.
The Location, Location, Location presenter, 52, received mixed opinions online after revealing she allowed her 15-year-old son to go interrailing across Europe with his 16-year-old friend this summer.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday, Kirstie questioned if parents being fearful of their children exploring the world is due to the 24-hour news coverage and a belief that the world is a ‘worse place’.
Kirstie agreed to it as she feels he is a ‘very sensible young man’, but admitted she struggled emotionally as she missed him over the summer break.
Reflecting on how perspectives have changed on allowing young people freedom, she said: ‘In previous generations, people did things far younger.
Kirstie Allsopp has doubled down on letting her 15-year-old son interrail across Europe for three weeks over summer
The Location, Location, Location presenter, 52, received mixed opinions online after revealing she allowed her 15-year-old son to go interrailing across Europe with his 16-year-old friend this summer
‘We are looking at a mental health crisis with young people. A lot of people are talking about it and writing about it.
‘We have to ask ourselves – how much of this is because of our fear and our worry, and how much of our fear and worry stems from 24-hour news and a lot of belief that the world is a worse place?’
She went on to add that her elders had taken on major pursuits as teenagers, including her father-in-law joining the Arctic convoys of the Second World War aged 16, her mother-in-law going to university in South Africa aged 15 and her father joining the army at 17.
The discussion came after Kirstie found herself under fire last night after she allowed her 15-year-old son to go interrailing across Europe.
The TV presenter revealed on social media that her youngest son Oscar Hercules was returning home after three weeks of travel across the continent, alongside a 16-year-old friend.
However, some users claimed that her child was too young to be travelling around the continent without adult supervision.
One told the mother-of-two on X that ‘if things had gone wrong, you would have taken responsibility and never forgiven yourself’.
Another added: ‘You can’t wrap them up in cotton wool but it can be a dangerous world and 15 is not mature enough for all encounters.’
Kirstie defended Oscar saying that he and his friend independently organised the nine-stop trip around Europe.
Kirstie defended Oscar Hercules, who turned 16 this week, saying that he and his friend independently organised the nine-stop trip around Europe
In defence of allowing her young son to travel without parents, Ms Allsopp said she had travelled at the same age
The Location, Location, Location presenter added that ‘if we’re afraid our children will also be afraid, if we let go, they will fly’.
She wrote: ‘For obvious budget reasons interrailing isn’t on the cards for everyone, but in this increasingly risk-averse world it’s vital that we find any ways we can to give our children the confidence that only comes from trusting them.’
Kirstie added that ‘if we’re afraid our children will also be afraid, if we let go, they will fly’.
Kirstie, who also has 18-year-old Bay Atlas with Ben Anderson, also came under criticism from those claiming that she would not let a 15-year-old daughter take part in the same trip.
However, Kirstie said she had travelled at the same age, adding that ‘sexual assault is far more likely to come from someone you know than a stranger and boys are more likely to have a violent interaction with a stranger than girls’.
There is no minimum age for teenagers to go Interrailing, although the European network says that it requires written consent for minors to travel without their parents.
The Mail has approached Kirstie’s representatives for comment.