In non pandemic times do your kids have friends over to play?

[GoldStarAngel]

My kids are meaning we don’t do this. Obv we haven’t been able to for a long time due to covid but we didn’t much before. I have three kids of primary age and if one has a play date the others just annoy them and if they go to someone else’s house the logistics of fetching them often difficult due to bedtime etc of the others. We facilitate as much as possible but it’s difficult. Which is a shame as I used to go to friend’s houses a lot as a kid. On the other hand we go to the park near school at least three times a week after school and they are friends with all the kids who do that and play with them each day in the park, but these aren’t necessarily their close friends.

Not during the week as both DH and I work FT but absolutely in normal times. I’ve just been discussing it with DS2’s best friend’s DM (they’re in Reception so haven’t been round yet). I’ve found the need for supervision falls dramatically as they get older, which is fab (so DS1 and his mates (8) get out Lego and appear for snacks).

Yes but I hate it on weekends though as I work FT.

We do quite regularly but we're lucky that I work part time so i can pick DD up from school everyday so it isn't too much of a chore.

One of her friends has younger twin siblings so I always dropped her home afterwards otherwise the (single) mum would be coming out at bath/bedtime to pick her up.

DD is an only child which also makes it easier for us.

Yes lots. Do attend a primary school with a tiny catchment area so all school friends re in walking distance.
I love having a house full of kids and seeing them having fun. I also enjoy it when the dc go to other kids houses

Yes, pre Pandemic, and at primary age, mine were socialising either at our or out at a friend's several times during the week plus at the weekend. Once they hit secondary, it moved to weekends only due to later timed sports clubs and music commitments, plus homework eating up their evenings.

I used to hate it but I still did it as the kids loved it. Both having friends round and going to other people’s houses. Now they are older I enjoy it rather than endure it.

My daughter has a best friend at school so i do with her plus a lot of our personal friends have boys so it’s nice for her to have a bit of girl time. My son is more of a floater and more happy to just see people at the park, and play with our friends kids. Plus boy play dates never seem to go as well!

I do lots in normal time during the week as it's a cost effective way of entertaining the kids though I like to try and keep the weekends free of them.

I used to save sleepovers for school holidays although post 10 years old sleepovers are easy to host as well.

Very rarely. The only evenings we aren't working mid-week are the ones that our children do their hobbies (football/swimming/judo etc). Plus our home is tiny so visitors make it feel even smaller.

Because we both work full time the weekends are pretty much strictly family time unless there's a specific reason to meet up with friends like a birthday or joint venture somewhere.

I'd love to be one of those families that has time and space to entertain children's friends but it's just not a reality in our world if we want to keep paying the bills.

Yes absolutely. On Fridays, it’s parents as well + 🥂.

Sometimes, but it's really hard to arrange. Around here people only seem to want to do playdates after school (very few other families in her class with 2 working parents). Dh and I both work and while we work flexibility and one of us always collects dd from school, we need to go home and work after. We can't properly supervise them and it's really disruptive if I have something pressing I need to do. No one really wants to arrange anything for the weekends. So we do it maybe a few times a year, but it's a bit of a PITA to be honest.

Also, last time I had a friend over after school, the mum was half an hour late to collect her, so I was half an hour late to collect my son from nursery! I had no car seat for her and I couldn't leave them alone. That's put me off organising anything if I need to do anything else that day.

Yes, all the time. I often have at least 2 extra kids here at any given time. Sometimes just for tea and playing out, sometimes for sleepovers. My DC get a lot out of it, and their friends say our house is like their home when they're here - which is nice!

Yes we definitely do. Once a week is about average. I agree it’s difficult if there is a child without a friend, so I try to invite a friend for both of mine, or one has a friend over when the other has been invited elsewhere. Appreciate this would be harder with three DC, I only have two. I am also a SAHM which obviously makes it easier.

As the weather gets warmer why don’t you do park playdates - say you’re going to the park and would x like to come too - that way one of your kids at least gets a play with their specific friend and the others will have the playground kids to play with.

Yes mine always did. Collection 6pm.

Yep our house is always full of kids and I love it.