To keep my three nephews up all night?

All families are different. Some people can’t imagine a night away from their DCs until the DCs are much older. We had 5 very involved grandparents and a very involved aunty when our two were tiny and they started having the occasional sleepover with my PILs (who live near us) from about 18 mths old. And there were definitely different rules when they had them. That said - don’t know how it might impact their careers but they have both made it to uni…

You sound such a fab aunty, OP. Have a lovely time with your nephews!

@Upfiner you sound like a great aunt. I have routines and rules in place at home but they go out of the window when staying elsewhere. You sound fun and happy to let them lead you, I’d be totally fine with that. Enjoy your evening with them @Upfiner .

ruining their future careers 🤣🤦

For a few years our kids stayed up late to ring in the new year which was really the Dubai new year on TV. Then we'd have a celebratory drink and let them go for a midnight walk then bed. Good memories!

If she’s doing them a favour then the parents should keep quiet about rules. I’m sure they’ll be fine. Both be knocked out by 10pm. It’s really not the end of the world.

BTW here is a little tip for encouraging them to go to sleep somewhat earlier than they otherwise might, while still letting them have the impression they are staying up wonderfully late.

Start everything early. Feed them early. Draw the curtains and turn the lights down. If their usual bedtime is, say, 7:30, then by 6:30 have them changed into PJs with cuddly toys in hand. Start mumbling "are your parents definitely okay with you being up this late?", "Maybe you should go to bed? Are you sure you aren't sleepy?" Keep saying doubtfully, "I really shouldn't. Well... just a little longer then." Don't mention the actual time, in case the eldest realises it isn't all that late after all.

By 9pm they will feel like it's midnight. They will have had the delicious feeling of Being Up Late and auntie bending the rules for them, without the consequences of actually being up super late. This also works for children who have friends to sleep over.

I have done this with my grandchildren. Only Fridays and Saturdays. Parents don't mind.
Why wrestle and nag?If there isnt a problem getting them off to sleep,then you wouldnt do this. Baby will drop ofc to sleep anyhow and 2 year old will snuggle up to big brother.
My grandchildren did not wake up crabky. They slept longer. Everyone hapy

If the parents don’t mind go for it! Although I did similar, not for lack of trying to get to bed from 10pm onwards - they were probably 3, 5 and 8, and it all went downhill. About midnight the 3 yo stood on a glass topped coffee table and smashed it, bed was enforced very soon after that!!

Could it be that your post is the vivid imagination of a bored and lonely poster?

This is a great way to produce children who are rigid in their routines, inflexible in a sudden situation, and cope badly when their normal is upset. Why would you encourage this? It’s lovely for kids to go and have an adventure at someone else’s house.

@99bottlesofkombucha sounds great to me, it might bugger up the next day a bit but the pros outweigh the cons, certainly for the parents. Enjoy!

The children will probably bounce back within 24 hours or less. I hope your friend wasn't serious about those insanely dire predictions.

It's one night, what harm can it really do to the two eldest children? And if the youngest won't settle at their normal bedtime and it means you can all have a nice time together then one night out of routine isn't going to do that much harm. My DD would have been up with the larks regardless of her bedtime so at those ages I'd have asked for you to try and get her to sleep earlier to take that into consideration but if your nephews will sleep in then it doesn't sound like they'll be too affected.

Enjoy them when they're little and want to watch Disney movies and snuggle, your sibling is clearly on board with your plan so why not.

Well, it started in 1979 for my mum and dad when my sister was born, carried on in 1983 when I was born and continued, happily, all through our childhoods. God it was lovely snuggling up to our grandparents at their house on a Saturday night, watching lovely films and eating my nannas lovely buns that she made for us. We were often joined by our cousin! She’s even older than us. So, no it’s not a ‘modern thing’ at all, it’s a normal thing in families where parents don’t shun the outside world, take care of their marriages and individual interests and don’t reduce themselves to just ‘mummy & daddy’! Strange you think it’s a modern as the vast majority of my friends experienced the same lovely childhood that we did.

It's hardly a matter of budget. Social services don't have the legal remit to intervene in a situation so utterly harmless. Why on earth would they?

Why on earth would social services intervene with an Aunt organising a sleepover with her nephews?? A sleepover where the children will be placed in a bed once asleep and have a lovely evening of treats and movies? Mind boggling.

There are children right now who are neglected, who are being horribly abused and social services don't have the resource to save them, but posters here think their time should be spent (wasted) policing harmless sleepovers. SIGH.

Can I come? Seriously you sound like a fabulous Aunty. Those kids will have such lovely memories. Good onya!

some of the comments on this thread are so bizarre. Why are some people so rigid and uptight about children’s bedtimes and routines? On the rare occasions that my mum looked after my daughter overnight, I always left it up to her to do exactly what she wanted to with bedtime, TV, food etc. I wouldn’t have left my daughter with anyone I didn’t trust, and I was 100% happy with my mum taking care of her - she had managed well enough with me and my brother. I knew that they would be binge watching Shirley Temple films until my daughter fell asleep, and would be eating my Mum’s corned beef pie with baked beans and mega buttery potato, followed by tinned rice pudding and jam, and a Muller corner yoghurt with black cherries, which my daughter loved. I was always really pleased that they had special time together, and if my daughter was a bit grouchy and over tired the next day, it never bothered me - she would be back to normal after a good night’s sleep.

the only thing that surprises me in one of the OP’s posts is that she gave children chocolate yoghurt for breakfast - Ive not seen chocolate yoghurt for as long as I can remember, since the days of the Eden Vale choc top yoghurts and woukd love to know where I can buy it! 😆

Poss the chocolate pots (Cadbury's and Nestle both do them) which are generally sold in the yoghurt aisle? Absolutely delicious and whilst I wouldn't promote as an every day breakfast, can't see the harm in having occasionally! Not that different to a pain au chocolat . . .

@Bellesbest Get a grip.
Who are you; The fun police?

I have no issues in a child staying up late but the intention to deliberately make children stay up is plain weird. sure if they have fun I wouldn't send them to bed but the idea it has to be a thing makes no sense

They'll be just fine.

Wow this thread is weird 🤣. One night up late is going to cause no harm whatsoever. And it's not like you are for ong them to stay awake, making it cosy for them. Enjoy.

For what it's worth my DD what a night owl never asleep before 1030/11 at earliest. We gave up spending our nights trying to force her to sleep and just went with the flow, luckily dh a night owl too as I am not. No lasting damage done straight a student but does have an attitude 🤣

* told my friend who has two sons and she thinks that this will impact their whole week and their schooling and routine and probably exam results and future careers.*

Sure she did 😆

I do this with my own kids (5 and nearly 3) probably once a month - bring the mattresses down and we have watch a film, eat snacks and have a sleepover. They love it, and I find the younger one usually falls asleep earlier than the older one anyway!