To think that children as young as five

[MammaTJ]

should not be running around the streets at this time of night!!

That is all really. Load of kids making a racket outside my house. DD age 6 and DS age 5 in bed, sound asleep. Why are the running around?

You and me both Usual

We spend our evenings as a family, playing board games, having a film night, watching sports, or playing computer games together

You do realise you can do all these things and allow your kids a social life of their own don't you?

I manage it perfectly well with mine.

Anyway, all you with routines, isn't it bedtime?

My DDs would piss themselves laughing if I asked them to spend the night with DP and I playing board games...... Am actually hee-hawing at that idea!!

Worra - I HAD DD at 16yo. I see no problem with being respectful towards your neighbours by not letting your DC's run around shouting at night.

Next year when DD turns 15yo, she will be allowed out till 7.30pm in the summer.

I was working in a shop at age 12! >

My hours were 5pm - 8pm mon-fri

10am - 1pm sat

But the sun's still shining at 7.30pm.

Harsh.

7.30?? Are you sure? That seems kinda late to me......

Seriously, am about tae shit ma breeks here......

Good luck with that then.

It's all so joyless.

Worra - I HAD DD at 16yo.

Next year when DD turns 15yo, she will be allowed out till 7.30pm in the summer

Now I understand...but your projecting doesn't make it fair.

You're restricting her life ridiculously

Your parents were ridiculously strict and yet you had a baby at 16

Does that tell you nothing?

Give your DD her life back or you may regret it big time.

I'm off to bed, been avoiding it. Strange as it may sound as soon as I put a foot on the bottom stair, the baby (she's nearly 18 months, but I'm in denial that she's entering toddlerhood!) wakes up. Is there a sweeter sound at midnight than "Mammmmmmyyy"?

....I don't have a problem with my kids being out playing until it is dark if they don't have to be up really early, but i do tell them not to make a lot of noise as I have neighbours with toddlers who I know are in bed early.

And I must be a terrible parent cos they are still out.......sleeping in the tent in the back garden as they were last night too

wiggles kick her out to play in the street and get yourself a good night's kip

I think I win, having a DC at 16.

Had to be far more responsible than I did when I was working at 14...

I really don't see it as that unusual, she is allowed out LATER than a lot of her friends, and therefore is often in earlier than that. Maybe it's more unusual here to let DC's play out late?

DC's play out, barely see the eldest two from breakfast time till their 'in time', unless they are home for lunch then off out again, so it's not as if they don't have any freedom, we have a country park literally across the road, where they can go and build dens, play in the park, go on the skate ramps, have picnics etc.

I just see that it is good to spend time as a family too. And why would your DC's laugh about board games? We play things like the game of life, pictionary, trivial pursuit, risk, things like that, for the older ones, I wasn't meaning guess who or connect 4 though we do still occasionally have knockout challenges of connect 4 necessarily.

It's something we have done since they were tiny. Even when we play trivial pursuit, 18mo DS3 will help me count my moves, usually wun, doo, free, more...

Is that REALLY so odd?

Yeah, but she's really loud and a good climber - feck knows where she'd end up. She tried to climb into the enclosures at the zoo today , not blessed with the smarts either!

Night Night

.....I worked part -time (all day Saturday washing dishes until 11.30 at night - travel home on the bus from city centre on my own) - and I had a full time job and bought my own flat at 17........surely I must be in running!???!!

Yes I think it's very odd to expect a 14 year old to be in at 6.30 every night and playing board games with her parents.

It's nice to do these things sometmes but not every night.

Of course it's not odd. My DDs would just prefer to be out playing with pals. We do wii games board games in the winter when weather is crap and it's dark outside

No the board games isn't odd at all...my kids (aged 20, 13 and 9) love playing family board games.

But it's the way you come across as so very rigid...with your "7.30pm next summer when she's 15"

That really is odd but after you describing your upbringing, I suppose it's not odd to you IYSWIM?

So despite being a mother you were picked up from activities at 9pm and that was the first time you stayed out that late?

Um, no, my FC's that I had when I was 15 let me out far later. And I fell pg. and how is it 'restricting her life'?

If none of her friends are out either, what is she going to do? Sit on a corner looking glum? Or come in with me, and play a board game or watch and dribble over in DD's case the Men's gymnastics?

I honestly don't see how it is restrictive for her to be allowed out for up to 9-10 hours a day, just with a set time to be in by. Plus, I dish dinner up then. Do you propose she doesn't eat? And if her friends aren't allowed out at that time either, then what is the point in her going out?

Where do you live that all the teenagers have to be in for 6.30 every night?

No, it was when I became a mother at 16 that I was allowed to choose when to stay out till. Though tbh I was in far earlier than 9pm then, as I had to do bath and bed for a baby...

I think the first time I stayed out later than 9pm was when it was my 18th birthday and I went clubbing for the first time. Why is that so bad?

Yes I propose she doesn't eat....that's it of course

The only teenagers that I know have to be in by 6.30 are tagged

You're not making yourself very clear to be fair

You've said the first time you stayed out til 9pm was when you were 16 and then you said you were allowed out much later when you were 15?