Page 8 | Should I have let my 9 year old stay up to watch the bake off final?

My 9-year-old is in bed and asleep by 7.30/8. She's shattered and away with the fairies if not. We are up 6 / 6.30 am and she's quite sporty.

On a school night I wouldn't have let her stay up, at the weekend yes. She watches strictly and is off to bed afterwards. She's awful to get out if bed if tired. A brass band in her bedroom wouldn't have her up.

What were you looking for with your post? You had some agree and some not.

You know your daughter best. I had one who could stay up late with no harm done, and one who would just go to pieces without proper sleep. Thankfully, they were just far enough apart in age that I could legitimately say, "When you're his age, you can stay up as well!" Took quite awhile for him to catch on that he would NEVER be his brother's age, and by then, it wasn't an issue.

Do what is right for your daughter. She's not going to be damaged by this in the least.

I loved Ilya Kuryakin and was very happy to meet David McCallum years later. "God made the oysters, the oyster made the pearls, Ilya does the dirty work Napoleon get the girls". (though actually in truth I think I remember my older brothers and sisters talking about it rather than actually seeing it!)

I don’t know what this obsession is with the English and children’s bedtimes. It’s an example of brainwashing at its finest. I don’t mean to be rude but it’s not like this in other countries. I understand the benefits of routines and early bed but that someone feels a need to ask this question of others.....I just find that quite hard to compute. We all go through life being a bit tired sometimes, last night there was a storm here that woke me up and I’m a bit tired today. If my husband is working away and he comes home at midnight we sometimes stay up to greet him even on a school night! It’s not a big deal. None of us are machines.

My lovely little one didn’t mind watching it the next day and woke up and said she was glad she’d had a good night sleep and was looking forward to watching it tonight.

Of course she did...

What crazy? Seriously, these responses are really not judgey. No one's said you're a terrible mother. Some people have lightheartedly called you a meanie. Some people have agreed with you. Lots of people have said what they'd have done, and for plenty of people that's letting a 9 year old stay up - that's no way the same as judging you.

If you're happy with you decided that's great, but no need to accuse people of being judgey or exaggerating what people have said as if you've been picked on.

Are the teachers in your home country more understanding of tetchy children than British teachers are?

Are the employers in your home country more understanding of tired employees than they are in the UK?

Parents try to regulate their kids' bedtimes because it simply isn't worth the stress the following day, or the complaints from childminders and teachers about bad behaviour (which isn't bad really, just grumpy because they are tired).

Also stop bloody generalising about “ the English” - you don’t know “ the English “ you know a small proportion of them and as this thread shows many people are not that strict about bed times.

I am English! I just haven’t lived there for the last 20 years....it is weird though how after 8pm seeing a school age child in public in the U.K. is as common as a flying elephant.

I definitely would have let her stay up
She would have remembered the special treat for a long time

I don’t know what this obsession is with the English and children’s bedtimes. It’s an example of brainwashing at its finest. I don’t mean to be rude but it’s not like this in other countries.

This made me actually laugh! Like all the English are on one side putting their kids to bed early and all other countries are homogenously letting their kids party.

I've lived in four different countries and there's no homogeneity in non English countries like that. People are people wherever you go.

It's just one night. Let her, her year's been so mixed up, whsts the worst that could happen

“My lovely little one didn’t mind watching it the next day and woke up and said she was glad she’d had a good night sleep and was looking forward to watching it tonight.

Of course she did...”

My thoughts exactly ZoeTurtle...

I sniggered at that too, what a load of shit.

'Morning mummy ....I'm so glad I have had a good nights sleep

.. said no child ever.

Quite