to think that 7.30am is far too early to turn up at a friend's door asking to borrow money?

[MoomieAndFreddie]

bear in mind had a bad night with dc, youngest awake poorly in the night so was shattered and was not in the best frame of mind anyway.

at 7.30am we were woken up by banging on the door. tbh the only reason i went to answer it is because i am waiting for something to be delivered. normally i am awake at this time but still would not welcome anyone knocking my door as normally i am showering or getting dcs up, sorting breakfasts etc

anyway it was my friend and her 2 dcs... asking to borrow £5 as they had run out of gas. i had no money on me anyway so said i might be able to lend her some later on...its not the asking to borrow money that bothers me, i don't have a problem with that. its that i would have seen my friend at the morning school drop off anyway (as dcs in same class) so wtf was turning up at my door at this hour all about

then i did see her at school and she said she had sorted it and borrowed some off her mum

aibu or is she?

Reminded of an elderly neighbour who fell in the night, she was unable to move but didn't press her panic alarm until 7am as she didn't want to wake us.

It was Christmas Day and as she had been on the floor so long she had to be taken to hospital. Couldn't go with her as I was working at 9am

Went to see her that evening with DD aged 3. Sad day

I sent DD round the corner to my friend at 5am earlier this year, as I needed to go to hospital.
She kept her for 6 days, and left her own children on Mother's day to bring DD to visit me.
Friends are friends, I value mine and knocking at any time when they need me is fine.

Her children were 16, 14, 12 and 5 btw, so fine to be without an adult, incase that sounded like she abandoned small children!

She brought her DC over to your house to ask for £5 at 7.30 am and her partner was at home?
I feel really sorry for her because it's a strange thing to do when she could have just nipped over herself and left the children at home with him...or couldn't she leave them? Did she seem ok?

sack her. she has no right to bang on your door ever. or ask you for money. or disturb you in the morning (10:30 being the earliest acceptable time).
no. sack her.

You are not being unreasonable actually. I have been in similar situations countless times. In fact I had no gas last night when I got in late, and I still don't have gas now. I'm very cold but have 2 knitted jumpers on and DD is in my bed under 3 duvets so I can snuggle up to her later. I simply forgot to put my gas card in my purse this morning, and as a single parent can't just nip out and get it. I do not consider this an emergency situation, we can layer up and I'll give DD porridge and hot drinks in the morning to warm up. I certainly wouldn't ask a neighbour at that time in the morning. I was tempted to ask a neighbour to sit in mine whilst I nipped out to get some but decided not to inconvenience them.

I don't think asking a friend/neighbour for a small lend is inappropriate and I have asked people before, and I lend money to a lot of friends too... it's the time of day I feel is inappropriate. That is my worst point of the day, hectic-no time for talking to people at the door. Why on earth didn't she just call you? No credit possible... does she live very close? It's just so close the the school run, why take them into the cold to ask? Doesn't make any sense.

I have ran out of electric before and counted all my copper jar out into pound coins with my daughters Dora projection torch just to not inconvenience someone at an awkward time.

Not having gas the hour before school is really not an emergency! It could have waited until the school gates. Don't feel bad OP. I have a neighbour who sometimes knocks 20 minutes before I'm due to leave to walk to school with us, and I am not comfortable with her piling her kids and pram and standing in the living room whilst I try to finish getting DD dressed etc it's just not an appropriate time imo. I don't answer the door now.

My Gas and Electric will not cut off until 9am, it's to do with having small children at home and not having them in the cold/dark before school runs, could she find out about that? It might just be for single parents/ or dependent on provider.

What I have taken from all of this is a question- why didn't she just text/call you first to see if you had the money rather than just turning up in the freezing cold with her DCs in tow? Also why didn't she go to her mum first? They clearly aren't in a bad relationship if her mum did lend the money.

Also am with the others that you don't really need gas at that time in the day for anything desperate. If the kids need a wash then fill up a bowl of kettle water and wash them down, I had to do it when our boiler bust. What else do you need gas for? You won't die having a cold house for a couple of hours and you definitely don't need a cooked breakfast or warm cereal- what's up with toast, fruit, cold cereal?

I don't think yabu at all. That's an extremely early time.. She should have just text first and if she got no response then gone to her mum, or gone to mum first.

We haven't got an electric kettle. We have a whistling, on the hob kettle and a gas hob. We would have no means of creating hot water if we were in the situation above.

Just something to think about I suppose for those saying she doesn't need gas at that time in the morning/ could boil a kettle.

Also, no way of cooking porridge or making hot drinks either, obviously.

Ooh I feel cold just thinking about that.