6yo playing out until 10pm

[eatmytoast]

I don't think IABU but this is not sitting right with me.

I live on a new build estate, my house is right at the start of the development.

There is a boy aged 6 who lives at the furthest back end of the development, however, he is playing outside at our end until 9.30 ish most nights, last night it was 10pm!

There is absolutely no way that his mum can see him from her house, he is completely unsupervised.
I would say it's safe enough apart from cars but surely not for a 6 year old?

Well, I've read some nasty things on MN, but Dina, you take the biscuit. I think it's best the rest of us disengage because you are obviously getting a weird kick out of it.

There are so many benefits to playing out without adult supervision: socialising, physical exercise and just play fun, it is sad that so many people are convinced that good parents don't allow this sort of thing.

Also, I never 'played out' as a child. It did not make me in the least bit 'sad' instead I spent the time reading which was far more beneficial than running around on the street with a bunch of ingrates.

ODFOD

Well this thread has taken an odd turn

Also, I never 'played out' as a child. It did not make me in the least bit 'sad' instead I spent the time reading which was far more beneficial than running around on the street with a bunch of ingrates.

Hahaha. I imagine doing both in balance is the healthiest thing all round.

Agreed. I like my 6yo to be in bed by 8ish because she doesn't really sleep in and gets ratty without enough sleep but I don't really care what time other kids go to bed. And certainly I have no problem with her going outdoors after dinner - she and her little friend next door will often come in, reluctantly gulp some tea down and dash back out to play. The image of this little boy though is that he's out after the other children have gone in and the street has stopped being a community of kids playing and looking out for each other and started to just be a street.

@gahbuggerit

Are you suggesting that their uni/great careers are down to them having 12 hours of sleep a night when they were 6?

Yep probably. It's been proven that young children (under 10,) who get plenty of sleep, and are in bed by 8-8.30pm do better at school. Ergo, they'll do better in college and uni.

It's pretty obvious!

People are commenting about people being judgemental, but some are also being verrrry defensive, calling people snobs for doing the best for their own children, and insisting it's OK to let kids of 6 and younger to stay out til 10pm, (and up til midnight probably!)

It's really not. Sorry to disappoint you. Not saying anyone is a 'bad' parent, just that they're probably not doing the best thing for their young (infant age) child by letting them stay up til after the pubs close!!!

I think your kids are the ones being neglected dina, of any love by the seems of it.. I can't obviously judge based on some comments on a forum but you do seem quite cold.

Dina is the same poster who wanted advice on where to buy a house a few years ago...but there had to be no social housing in the village. So yeah user1497435493, I'd say she's a snob.

Poor sod - never played out on roller boots !

Lemonnaise, that was mostly for aesthetic reasons though

Poor sod - never played out on roller boots !

You've just brought back memories for me, loved my roller boots, I spent hours outside on them

I bloody loved my roller boots - I'm so lower class !

Please, they get the best of everything. I am cold to everyone but my family because they just take up so much of my energy. You see I do this thing called interacting with them instead of dumping them on the street.

I am a terrible snob though, can't help it, I think it may be congenital, or even genetic. Always have been. Or maybe my high standards comes down to never being exposed to this kind of behaviour growing up. Who knows? Either way at least my children won't be run over in the street.

As it happens, user1497435493, I do think that a 6 year out at 10pm, unsupervised and not visible from his parent/ carer's home, is unacceptable and that this is neglectful. My 8 year old can't play out unless his 11 year old brother is there, and said 11 year old is restricted to a particular area and has a coming in time of 8pm. School nights, bedtime is strictly enforced and I agree that children need sufficient sleep. What makes Dina a snob is her choice of language and attitudes to class. Fucking social climbers, always the worst ;)

But that is normal language? Not a social climber at all, just trying to live my life without having to look at these things. You have to understand that I where I grew up we didn't have mixed social housing very much so I'm not used to dealing with street urchins (see, that's an example of snobbish choice of words).

Dina your roots are showing.
Having the social skills and social climbing attitude of Hyacinth Bucket is not something to which one should aspire.

Either way at least my children won't be run over in the street

Why would my child be run over in the street just because she plays outside? There's a huge grassy area 10 steps from my front garden that the kids play on, there's very little traffic in the street. Your kids must be bored out of their minds.

A lot of the children that I have seen are literally running around on the road. If they are in a designated play area then it's not that bad. During daylight hours with a group of other children it's almost safe even.

I'm not sure who the Hyacinth woman is but if she were a true social climber she would have changed her name, flower names are very middle class ;)

Don't even ask how I know that, British people take class to a whole new level, I've learned a lot since moving here that I really didn't need to know

insisting it's OK to let kids of 6 and younger to stay out til 10pm, (and up til midnight probably!)

Why midnight? Your kids may take two hours to wind down at bedtime but mine and plenty of others wouldn't. Having said that I agree with most posters that 10pm is too late. It's a safety issue when he is playing out after dark. We have no way of knowing if he is getting enough sleep because we don't know what time he is getting up in the mornings and his bedtime is none of our business!

Allowing children to play out and allowing children to stay up late are both the parents' decisions and certainly not neglect. In this case the parents are regularly allowing both, it does seem extremely laid back but I certainly don't think it constitutes neglect.

There are a lot of judgmental people in the world and many of them seem to be on this thread! Dina Many of us are proud our children can play independently of us even though we also enjoy playing with them. My children get time to play alone, with their parents and other adults, together and with other friends and neighbours (my youngest is too young to be unsupervised but I am preparing her for a time soon enough when I will trust her to play out without me). To suggest that every child who plays out is not interacted with at home is ignorant.