Should I have let my 9 year old stay up to watch the bake off final?

[Cheeryminimum]

Yes - YABU
No - YANBU

She’s 9, she’s quite grumpy without sleep, we have to get up at 6.45 for school. Usual bedtime is 8pm (lights out) - bake off finished at 9.30. We usually watch it a day later on catch up.
I’m just going to bed and I can see that one of her friends has stayed up to watch it and now I feel like a meanie!

[ClaireP20]

@Ohalrightthen

It finishes at 9.15pm, and she's 9 years old. She'll definitely get it spoilt for her at school tomorrow. I think that was pretty mean, sorry!

It was so mean...

[Lalliella]

Aww poor DD. You’re a big meanie!

[ClaireP20]

@Pomegranatemolasses

Crikey there are a lot of parents who send their children to bed extremely early!

Lights out for a 9 yo at 8pm seems extreme to me, but I'm in Ireland and we definitely have later bedtimes here.

It is ridiculously early for a 9 year old. Also, why does she have to get up so early for school?!?! Very odd.

Not letting her stay up to watch it, ridiculous. Talk about ruin the magic, poor cow. I bet you have never given her a midnight snack or done anything a bit naughty, have you..

[ClaireP20]

@theBelgranoSisters

Do you remember being young once?
What it felt like to follow pedantic bedtime rules and desperately wanting to watch a show but being sent to bed.
Occasionally throwing caution to the wind and -god forbid-feeling a bit tired the next day boreborebore etc..its just prep for the real world, my teen DDS have always been allowed a choice-if the struggle the next day its their problem, no "outs" if they made the wrong choice!
Next time indulge them, watch the faces light up and have a good family late night in.

Exactly, bloody live a little! It's hardly midnight!

[SleepingStandingUp]

Do 9 year olds really discuss Bake Off at school??

[LoveMyKidsAndCats]

I would have. It's only 1 night.

[notyourmummy]

Really? My 9yo has lights out at 7pm, occasionally 7.15 at weekends.

[Krampusnacht]

Lots of extremely early bedtimes for 9yo on this thread

[DangerMouse17]

8pm is not ridiculously early. Kids that age need 9 to 11hrs of sleep. Some kids may be going to bed later and not having a full 9hrs, but they wont be thanking you when brain plaques build up and they get alzheimer's as adults. I think some parents need to try and recall when they went to bed as kids, I'm certain it was "early" for the majority...but in this day and age when we are trying to cram loads into a day, bedtimes for kids are getting later and later.....

[DangerMouse17]

I realise its somewhat ironic that I'm posting on this thread gone midnight....must get to bed!

[Krampusnacht]

@DangerMouse17 we didn't have set bedtimes when I was a kid, we just went when we were tired or fell asleep on the sofa and got carried to bed. Weekend nights from being really small I was at my grandmas as my parents worked til after midnight and then they'd collect me and I'd fall asleep in the car on the way home!

[Quaagars]

Not letting her stay up to watch it, ridiculous. Talk about ruin the magic, poor cow. I bet you have never given her a midnight snack or done anything a bit naughty, have you.



Now slightly jealous of your seemingly perfect 9 year old who can stay up until midnight for snacks without being an utter fuckwit for days afterwards lol

[BiBabbles]

Like a previous poster suggested, maybe ask if she wants to watch part of it before school?

For me, it would depend on how interested they were in it, their recent behaviour, whether they'd asked to stay up and so on.

If they'd asked, and had been interested in the show all along, and there hadn't been any concerns lately, I might, but I wouldn't really think to do so unless they asked or were really into a show. Like you OP, I'd probably notice others talking about their kids staying up and think on it in hindsight. Maybe that makes me a meanie too.

I know this is AIBU, but people seem to be taking the bedtime a bit personally. Some kids work better with early bedtimes. I have a lark 13-year-old that takes herself to bed before 8 some nights even with a later bedtime. We've talked about her staying up later with her older brother after her next birthday and she was pretty meh about it. She'd rather get up early before the others and have quiet time and watch things with one or both of us then than stay up late. We do late nights sometimes, but it's not every child's cup of tea.

[jessstan1]

@Krampusnacht

Lots of extremely early bedtimes for 9yo on this thread

Yes, I thought the same but didn't feel brave enough to say :-). I never got mine into bed that early even when younger than that but - it didn't bother me or my husband.

Anyway it's all over now and there's no point in the op beating herself up over what is done and dusted.

[theThreeofWeevils]

"Bedtime means Bedtime"

[BubblyBarbara]

You did the right thing. Spare the rod and spoil the child my mother used to say

[wincarwoo]

Yet more bedtime judgyness. I don't see what other people's bedtimes have to do with you all. They know their children.

[PaperMonster]

My nine year old usually watches it - we’re watching the Final on catch-up as I was too unwell to stay up to 8pm!!

[VettiyaIruken]

Yanbu.
It's just TV. 🤷‍♀️

[nosswith]

I would not, given there is catch up available.

[DappledThings]

I have no idea what is an appropriate bedtime for 9 year olds, I'm just fascinated to learn that Bake Off is something children are interested in. I had no idea it was a thing in that age group

[formerbabe]

@Krampusnacht

Lots of extremely early bedtimes for 9yo on this thread

My dd is ten and bedtime is 8...sometimes a bit later on weekends but it's never past 9pm...her choice rather than mine, by 8.30 she's asking to go to bed. She really needs plenty of sleep. I'm amazed by people whose kids go to bed late...my dc are so grumpy if they're tired. I don't want to send them to school grumpy and tired.

[lottiegarbanzo]

Yes, MNetters in 'other people's sleep patterns are different to my family's' shock!

It does show what a public service MN provides, providing evidence (even if some it may be made up) of real lives, that are not precisely the same as the reader's. Plus, how necessary it is for some people, to be confronted with such evidence, because they could not begin to imagine.

[bonbonours]

We couldn't start watching until 8.30 because I was working but I still let my 10 year old stay up because if we didn't watch it on the night I knew we would end up seeing or being told who won which would spoil it. He loves baking, maybe he'll be the next Peter...

[RainingBatsAndFrogs]

If she has been watching it avidly and had a favourite to win or was excited about who would win I would have let her stay up, yes.

Especially as it is something you do together.

But hey...

Enjoy it this evening.

Now you know who won