What age were your children when you gave up on child free evenings?

[PullingMySocksUp]

Especially if you go to bed early ish, 10, 10.30pm?

I feel like we are fighting a losing battle.

Recently. My eldest DS is nearly 13 and now either goes to bed around 10 like me or I'm in bed first and he goes after

I feel we are nearly there. DS is 11, and since he started secondary school he's going to bed around 9, sleeping by 9.30, but I can see that moving later in the next 12 months or so.

Maybe 8 or so? Mine have always been fairly late going to bed, we just rolled with it. Now they are teenagers we are out most evenings ferrying them to and from sports too.

my child is happy to spend her evenings in her own bedroom, so since she was eleven and got her phone and tv in her room, we rarely see her except for mealtimes. She rarely watches any tv with us, so although she is in the house, it is as if she isn't.

It shouldn't be a battle though, I like having mine around in the evenings.

What are they?

The 11year (ASD) has never gone to bed at a reasonable hour.

My older one is quite happy to hang out in her room with I pad or a book or drawing, so I don't feel like I've lost my evening as such unless you mean sex...

Oh I am worried about this! Mine are 9 and 11. 9 year old goes to bed at 8pm and 11 year old at 8.30pm, which seems to be quite early compared to others, but they really need their sleep, and I really need my evening

We have just got there I think - eldest DC is nearly 12, just started secondary. He goes to bed around 9.45 which seems very late, but he just doesn't seem to need more sleep.

It's actually been an easier transition that I thought - we can relax and enjoy a lot of the same TV shows together. And although I do miss adult time sometimes, I'd much rather hang out together than all be in our own rooms.

Mine are 13-20 and I still tell them to go up at 9.30pm if they haven’t already gone to bed. On a school night it might even be 9 ish.

I just say “it’s adult telly time now, so go up and read a book, I’m going to watch Love Island/Power/insert TV show with lots of sex & violence!” On weekends I might leave it until 10-10.30 but then I stay up until midnight at least.

(Helps that 20 y/o doesn’t watch TV so would rather be on his laptop in peace anyway!)

Since they were born lol. Never bothered me as like them being there.

My 13 year old is getting to that stage now. He's out 2 or 3 times a week at activities so he's up late as a result of that and we have to ferry him around. I only mind if we wanted to watch something not suitable for him.

We do end up staying up later to have some adult alone time though - which isn't great as we end up tired!

I like it when we are all together. Sometimes we are all together in the same room but doing different things. DD watching something on her iPad with headphones, DS gaming on iPad with headphones. Me reading or on Mumsnet and DH on his computer doing family accounts or similar.

As soon as mine started to vw around in the evenings, they were also old enough to be pleasant company, and didn't need hands on parenting. I frequently go to sleep before my dcs. We just lock up, and they hang out in their rooms until they go to bed.

As there is a 7yr gap between my two, youngest 5 goes to bed 7.30-8 and oldest 12 goes to bed 9.30-9.45. But oldest goes to his room at same time youngest goes to bed. He can read/ watch DVD or play on his tablet till bedtime otherwise I have no adult tv time which is usually after chores finished 9-10.30 on a normal night. Usually catch up TV!

We are all ‘loners’ in our home so we rarely sit together in the evenings anyway, DH & I would hardly ever choose to sit & watch the same tv programme for example. After the evening meal we would all tend to do our own thing (we have an only child). One of us might be in the living room, one in the study, someone having a bath for example . Sunday evenings were traditionally board games or cards which was nice but that was probably our only ‘together time’. My favourite thing to do is go to bed early, on my own, with a good book.

Mine are teenagers and I go to bed before them at least a couple of times a week.

However, they are out doing their activities a couple of evenings and meet up with friends at the weekend sometimes, so we get adult time then.

It just changes when they get older, but I love being able to watch films etc with them or go out for a meal/cinema without worrying about their bedtime.

My early teen still.goes to bed quite early during the week. He needs loads of sleep and always has. 9 pm ish onwards the living room is mine anyway so I can watch stuff like killing eve. I don't feel bad about it. I need my grown up time.

Dd is 13 and I am often following her upstairs.

We have a bit of a compromise where we have a series we can watch together a couple of nights and a couple of nights where she goes earlier but reads and we are both out some evenings so at the moment this works quite well for us.

Tbf though she is pretty good company anyway

Ha, funny responses.

It’s not so much that I don’t want them around, just that I need a break! Smallest is still very hard work.

I’d also like some time to talk to my DH.

11 year old goes to bed later now but I get him to go upstairs at about 9, sometimes a bit later. I need alone time too and to watch my programmes.

I just say “it’s adult telly time now, so go up and read a book, I’m going to watch Love Island/Power/insert TV show with lots of sex & violence!” On weekends I might leave it until 10-10.30 but then I stay up until midnight at least.

^ this

I send mine upstairs from 9pm. My friend has a den/snug she escapes to with her husband from 9.30.

Dd is 10 and child free evenings haven’t happened for 10 years due to her sleep schedule.

We do occasionally say mom and dad need down time tonight so we do medicine and tooth brushing early and then she can watch a movie or something while we hang out in another room. This works best for us wanting to watch tv that is not appropriate for her.

My DD has never gone to sleep easily so since birth! I go to bed at midnight which isn’t ideal. My body clock says I should go to sleep at ten but I’d feel cheated of an hour to myself.

Since she started school. Was waking later than when at nursery. OH goes to bed v early, so it's me and her!