Tell me honestly, am I being overprotective? My eldest is 11 and I have the rule that he has to be back in our garden at dark, but this means that this time of year he has to be home dead early so he says that's unfair. We live in a really safe area (northeast suburban village) and he's rarely ever alone. He's a good kid and rarely has homework because he does it all at achool so he can go out after school. His friends are all really lovely boys with great parents too, so it's not them I'm worried about. It's everyone else!
But he's always asking:
"If I can stay out til 7:45 on weekends in the summer why do I have to be home at half six on weekends in the winter?"
My answer is that thing I always swore I'd never say: "Things can go wrong alot easier in the dark than in daylight."
My Mom used to say that to me and I hated it, but now I think it's true. Is 11 old enough to be out after dark if he has a phone? I don't worry at all about him in the daylight, and I totally trust him. Its just that Cave Mom Instinct that thinks he should be back in the cave after dark or he'll get eaten by a sabretooth tiger. Whats the verdict??