Would you find this odd- nephew wondered around at night

[Lking6795]

Bit random but my nephew is staying with us for a few weeks as his student house not yet ready. He’s in our loft bedroom at the moment.

We had our youngest daughter in with us the other night and she was pretty restless with a virus so I was awake a lot. I’m pretty sure at 1am or so I heard my nephew come down from loft room and stand on the landing and yawn wait for a bit and then I think go upstairs again?!

I asked him next morning if he got up in the night and said it was really late he seemed to know what I was talking about but said I must have heard him go to bed or that he was going down for his phone. But it wasn’t that as I didn’t hear the stair gate opening at all from the ground floor to the landing and it’s really noisy so I definitely would. He didn’t come down to use the loo as there’s an en suite in the loft room. I asked him if he’s a sleepwalker but he said no. So I guess he was just standing outside our doors?!

Since he’s been fine. I have three daughters 6,3 and 1. They all love spending time with him and always have. (He’s my brothers son and there’s a big age gap between me and my brother).

I don’t know if it’s strange and I’m right to be a bit freaked out or if it’s an over reaction?!
My husband didn’t hear anything and thinks I’m a bit crazy.

Should I be a bit wary or get over it? My nephew is a kind and lovely young man in general!

The thing about sleepwalker is they don't know they do it. Just the people who encounter them doing it do.

My DS sleepwalks - he wouldn’t have a clue that he’d done it.
Or he just wanted to stretch his legs in the middle of the night and didn’t expect the Spanish Inquisition (nobody does!)
Either way, you’re definitely overthinking this.

This. He doesn't know he does it.

My teenaged DD was staying over with someone last night. She had not got to sleep easily, had awoken again in the early hours because the room was apparently very stuffy, and went just outside of it for a good 20 minutes, a lot of which was spent messaging her Dad and begging him to come and get her.
On DDad's side of things were questions like whether friend's parents (and friend) were awake, whether they would know about her intent to leave (i.e. could she wait until the hour was a bit more social, etc) and that it wouldn't look quite as much as if she was about to be abducted in the night.

After the 20 minutes of mini-panic, she felt a bit better, went back to bed, slept seemingly without difficulty. Was then perfectly fine to be picked up at normal, expected time.

Whether you risked waking a toddler or not, I don't understand why you wouldn't spend a minute or 2 checking, in this scenario. Toddler would be drowsy, you tell them to stay in bed until you get back in, if it comes to it.

My toddler is 22 months so wouldn’t understand any instructions she has hand foot and mouth at the moment and so I don’t want to risk waking her at all, not sure why it was on me to get up and ask him though and risk waking a poorly 1year old who had only fallen asleep again 20 minute before!

The sleepwalking explanation… he was aware he was up, he wasn’t confused by the question at all or confused if he was up at 1am or not. So any he wasn’t aware of it etc is not right, he is!

Like I say a bit of a mystery maybe he is embarrassed to say why? Who knows.

This is exactly what came to mind for me though I sincerely hope that I am wrong

Sleepwalking? I do that as does my son.

I'm 5ft nothing and step over our gates- both at the top of the stairs and the bottom. I'd imagine he's much taller and could easily step over.

Well I'm with you OP I would find it weird and a tad creepy.
I do listen to a lot of podcasts though so am always hyper vigilant.

Not sure why it was on me to get up and ask him though

1. mainly because you were freaked out by it and (you seem to imply) concerned about your other daughters - that would be more than enough for me. and
2. because I'd wonder whether the person standing in the dark in my home may also be unwell, or in need of something they could not find straight away themselves (e.g. a sheet or towel in case of an accident, not a glass of water or a snack).

I'm a life long sleep walker. I'm more likely to sleep walk when I've got things on my mind, going on holiday and being in hospital typically set me off. Just not being in his own home could be enough without meaning that he is stressed or unhappy.

You were alarmed enough as to why your nephew was strangely stood outside your door in the middle of the night to start an entire MN thread about it. Of course it’s your responsibility to check what he’s up to - it’s your house with your kids sleeping nearby. What if your nephew needed assistance? Don’t be ridiculous, OP.

Off topic but scrambled egg in the night?

I’d be alarmed too OP.

Teenage boy gets out of bed. Immediately your thoughts run to the fact that he's going to kill his family? Bizarre.

I wander why he's doing that...

From his vague answers it seems he can't really remember, sounds like he maybe did sleepwalk a bit or wasn't fully awake

this thread is so sad. The young boy woke up in the night in a strange environment, and the op and posters are worried he’s intentionally trying to access the young children.
My Mind would never directly jump to this about my nephew, what a wild leap to make .

Why are people alarmed .. someone woke up during the night ?!

How typical of MN that even the oddest behaviour can be normalised, while completely normal behaviour is often flagged up as peculiar!

Yes, op, it is odd to get up in the middle of the night with no apparent purpose other than to stand in the dark on the landing, yawning! I’ve had 3 teenagers and I would have found it quite disconcerting, if I’d ever been aware of any of them doing this! (Maybe they were all on the prowl at night and I just never knew!)

Sound odd to me but only because he had no purpose. Sounds like a good time to reiterate the underpants rule with your DD regardless even if all is innocent.

But for some of us it is normal. Just as it’s not your normal does not invalidate everyone else. I went to bed at 11. I got up 20 mins ago as I couldn’t sleep. I stood looking out the window for ages, and am now down stairs, I’m sorry if your world view is so narrow you’d find this the oddest behaviour. You need to accept we aren’t all like you.

ive half asleep tried to make sandwiches before then went back to sleep and not remembered but i left evidence when i was active.

And recently read a new article about that Netflix show where two teenage brothers randomly killed their parents (Monster) so maybe it’s just me having read that recently that got me a bit freaked out about a young lad standing outside our bedroom doors at 1am when we’re normally all asleep!

It was hardly random 🤨 The boys in that case alleged years of mental, physical and sexual abuse.

Not quite the same as the op's visiting nephew having the gall to what...stand up and walk around 😂

Exactly what I thought and he was probably feeling lonely being away from home.

I think he was possibly lonely as well. Always good to be vigilant though.