AIBU to refuse a Year 9 staying up for the 1am match?

My son’s school is showing the match at 9am on Monday morning. We’ve to send him in wearing a footy kit and they are making a football breakfast for all kids wishing to watch the match. We just hope to keep the result a secret for them, he’s in year 6 and leaves in a few weeks.
Other son in year 10, email from
his school saying it would be unsuitable keeping students up so late and they hope we make the responsible decision of making sure they go to bed at normal time so they can come into school ready to learn on Monday. Mine won’t be staying up and neither will we but schools need to hit their attendance targets don’t they!

Oh, it's so much more than that, @Hattermadness, it's the equivalent of the moon landing. Apparently there's never going to be another WC, or England will never get to the last 16 ever again, so denying your children to watch this once-in-a-lifetime historic moment is a terrible thing to do.

I think a 14 year old should be able to watch it, but find all the posts about 'core memories' and how unmissable this not even the final match is is frankly ridiculous.

Maybe if we stopped all being a bit silly about it, it wouldn't be this big of a deal to the kids.

Let him stay up, it’s a one off and end of term anyway.

Of course let him watch. I hope you've reconsidered now. He can sleep 9pm-1am. And again 3-6.30am. 1 night won't hurt. Although reading that he'll be up on.his own without you or his dad so maybe it'll lose its excitement?

Not soccer but I can vividly remember our American football crazy, mid-teenage daughter staying up until the early hours to watch the Superbowl when her team was in it. That was nearly 40 years ago. We wouldn't have dreamt of saying she couldn't 😉She still got up for school next morning.

You are being unreasonable. He will probably be the only one in his class. My nephew's are in year 7 & 8 and have gone to bed now and are getting woke up for it. They're very excited.

He needs a solid 11 hours sleep & he gets up at 6:30am. 14yo goes to bed at 19:30 every night - really?

We're team, early to bed, get up & watch, back to bed and power through for the day in our house (years 10 & 6) - def not phone in sick/go in late but dad's friends seem to not go in at ths drop of a hat so I can well believe that lots are doing this.

11hrs sleep…he surely doesn’t go to bed at 7.15pm???

100% I’d allow mine to stay up…except I’m in Scotland so there’s no need 🤣

my 7yo stayed up for the 11pm games Scotland played and got up for the 2am one and went back to bed.

Send him to bed and wake him for the match? Or he stays up and he has to suck up being very tired tomorrow because it’s school as normal OR he stays up and you allow him to stay off tomorrow

We will all be watching 👀⚽️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🥳 Come on England! ❤️

Have I missed something?! It's not the final is it???
So glad we're not a footy house 🤣

Couldn't agree more Claudiebus.

its every 4 years and its clearly important to him, just let him stay up and go to school later.

Compromise. Early early bed. Your husband wakes him 12:55.
If they’re losing badly at half time (eg 3-0) then bed. If they’re not, stay up.
get him to agree to an early bed time the rest of the week and no grumpiness.
life is about communication, respect, sticking to agreements. This is an opportunity to teach him about that.

My 15 year old will stay up and have to be at work experience at 9am! Honestly it’s once every 4 years and it’s a life lesson in staying up late and having to just get on with it the next day!!

Ask him to go to bed a bit earlier and set rhe alarm. He’s 14 and could leave home in two years if he wanted to. I’m soft but Îd probably let him have Monday off it’s the end of the year anyway.

Tempting to go to bed now. Get up at 10pm to Watch Brazil V Norway on ITV + 1. Then only a short gap until England game.

Let him stay up. It only happens every 4 years and the memories will last a lifetime. Still remember Italia 90 vividly when I was a child. It's a one off and I don't think one sleep deprived grumpy day will affect his education in the grand scheme of things.

These are the things people remember their whole lives! A day at school isn’t!

Earlier bed, get up earlier and watch recorded is what we're doing. Xx

Yeah. We will be going to bed for a couple of hours and setting an alarm. It just has to be done!

My kids primary school is letting them go in late because they know all the year 5 and 6 will be. Year 9? At the end of term? Yes you are being unreasonable

Honestly I’m letting mine. All are ND. Ages 15/14/11. They’re all keen on the football. It’s once every 4 years. It’s the last two weeks of the summer term. If they’re a bit tired tomorrow i’m like so what. They’ll remember the experience as adults I am sure and that they were allowed to do it. I know it’s the kind of thing is remember from being a child. I however have no intention of watching it and shall be fast asleep way before 1am!

I’d let him him tbh.

My 12 year old is watching it with her dad and 17 year old brother, I have no interest so I’ll be tucked up in bed but she’s so excited I would feel terrible stopping her! She’ll be going to school at the regular time and no doubt will fall into bed tomorrow night.

My 7 year old stays up later than that on a typical night. (Neurodivergent before anyone comes at me)

It's one night, let him ffs

My y9 is watching it. He's had a sleep this afternoon, will go to bed normal time, wake up for the match then have a sleep when it ends.