To think 8 o clock on a Friday night is too late to get together with friends when there are DC aged 6 and 4?

[Greythorne]

I might be being precious.

My friend has invited us to go round to hers (no special occasion, just a get together cos we haven't seen each other for a while) on Fruday night at 8pm.

I will be working, get home at 7.15, have to pile the kids aged 6 and 4 in the car and head out at 7.30 to get there for 8.

It just seems like a faff. And dc2 will almost certainly fall asleep in the car en route.

She said, oh it's Friday night, they can stay up a bit late!

But both my dcs are usually asleep by 8pm on a school night, even Friday, cos they are so tired after their day at school.

AIBU to politely decline?

She is a lovely friend.

I wouldn't go, and mine are 9 and 11yr old but by 8pm they are getting tired. It seems a lot of hassle for an hour or so and then you'd have tired kids to get home.

And do we all have to have a really huge dilemma to post on Mumnset now? Maybe Grey just wanted to gauge reactions from others, so that she could guess if her friend might be offended.

no, that wasn't my point. Did you not read my post at all?

I have one child who would have been fine with this and could cope with a later night, and one who would be just terrible and by 8.15 you'd be going home anyway to stop the screaming. Some children are great at staying up and some are just awful even at 7.30 on a school night.

I don't know why having children who can stay up late is that impressive, and there's nothing wrong with all being too exhausted on a Friday night to go out. I wouldn't want to bother, because however fun, the price paid (not sleeping, up for hours that night, awful the next day) wouldn't be worth it. In my experience it's only for a couple more years anyway and by 7/8 it's all more possible again.