What were DS (9) and DS (7) doing outside at 2.30am?

[TroublesomeTrucks]

My DSs aged 9&7 are in serious trouble this morning. Background: our front door is set back from the road and the house is long and narrow along the road. DSs bedroom (shared by their own choice) is at one end almost above the front door.

Last night at 2.30am the door bell camera caught the pair of them going out of the front door and walking round to the front of the house, I would guess to approximately where their bedroom window on the front of the house is, before coming back in about 30 seconds later (staying inside the front garden, so nowhere near the road or pavement). They were empty handed so if they’d thrown or droppedsomething out of the window they didn’t find it. They claim they ‘wanted some fresh air’

I don’t know if it’s connected, but they were already in trouble because when it came to handing over their chrome books at bedtime, they told me they couldn’t find them (not unusual) but then I caught them using them under the bed covers.

What the hell were they up to????!

@TigerLilyTail I did plenty of dumb shit lol, but never left the house in the early hours...looks like I was missing out

@Mummy7777

I'm 40 now and I never did this...for the people that did venture out how long ago was this??

I'm 50 and did this sort of thing.

@Mummy7777

I'm 40 now and I never did this...for the people that did venture out how long ago was this??

I am an 80's child..

Other adventures include tree climbing, walking other peoples dogs for miles, cave exploration (though to be fair my parents were cavers so thats not unexpected), riding ponies for miles - not all these activities involved following the rules precisely (or in some cases.. at all)

Some friends and I snuck out at night to sleep in the barn with their ponies... the ponies were quite happy as we brought snacks, but we went screaaaaaaming back inside (And thus got caught) at around 5am, when we found a HUGE rat trying to get into our snacks (and the huge rats were one of the reasons we'd been told not to do this!)

Im a 80's child too, we camped in the garden a lot so could easily wonder off, we were also obsessed with going to the graveyard at night just for the thrill, it wasn't far from our house.

I had a slumber party (what sleepovers used to be called in the olden days) when I was, I think, 10.

We all sneaked out the house at about 1am, ran up to the top of the street where the main road was, dared each other to touch the white line in the middle of the (deserted) road, squealed like the idiot girls we were and ran back home. Obviously my parents woke up when we were sneaking back in and gave us what for.

A couple of years later I arranged to meet my best friend in the spooky lane between our streets at midnight just...because. Noone caught us. It was completely frivolous and pointless.

I'm in my 50s and I don't think this sort of nonsense was exactly rare.

OP, this is terrifying!

It’s extremely likely that they’ve taken up gambling and drug dealing! I suggest you make an appointment with CAMHS as a matter of urgency and report it to 101.

Also, remove their devices for at least 18 months.

When I was ten and on a school trip to the Isle of Wight circa mid 70s there were six of us girls in three bunk beds in a room in a woman’s house on the ground floor and in the middle of the night we climbed out of the bedroom window and just wandered about her front garden stifling giggles and spooking at imaginary shadows we thought were moving and we were having a grand old time in our opinion until Janis Brown a rather quiet and unassuming child suddenly burst into tears and started sobbing very loudly and wailing that she didn’t want to get into trouble and of course the lady of the house woke up to that and we were all ushered in whilst she spoke to us very sternly and bloody Janis got taken into the kitchen to be consoled and given a glass of milk and a biscuit!

The next day we were given a right old dressing down by our teacher and on the day out we weren’t allowed an ice cream that day except for, yes you’ve guessed - teachers pet - Janis bloody Brown!

I don’t think we ever snuck out but at sleepovers with cousins we’d go exploring round the house in the night time and attempted many, many midnight feasts (usually we were all asleep though!).

My DS, younger than the OP’s children, knows how to climb out of his bedroom window. It feels more daring than it is because it’s actually fairly safe although I’d only really want him doing it at this young age when an adult is keeping an eye on him.

@TonyBlairsLover

Defo seems sus. Are they speaking to an adult? That’s my thought. I’d keep a close eye out

I'm not usually one to jump to conclusions but this was my first thought, particularly the older one.

In addition to refusing to hand over the chrome books it seems odd... I would send them on a media ban as 'punishment' as you investigate in addition to installing dead bolts onto the tops of the doors.

Do they understand the seriousness of sneaking out in the middle of the night? Has anything like this happened before? Has anything strange happened on the camera in the last week or so? Anyone hanging around/vehicles parked etc?

I was about 8 and DSis would have been about 4, when my mum had a friend over for morning coffee. She thought DSis and I were playing quietly in my bedroom, what we were actually doing was using Dad's ties to create a very long 'rope' to which we tied one of those paper basket things you used to get at pick your own strawberries.

She heard a tap, tap, tap on the kitchen window and looked out to see said strawberry basket banging on the window. She rushed upstairs to find DSis and I had climbed out of my bedroom window, onto the roof over the top of the kitchen to deploy this basket against the window. I honestly have no idea why we thought this was a good idea but I suspect probably Enid Blyton books, or possible Malory Towers.

@bongsuhan

You genuinely don't see what possible dangers could occur from two little boys leaving the house in the middle of the night whilst their parents sleep?

@DramaLlamaAlwaysLaughs

Didn’t you ask them what they were doing? Followed by a lecture about the dangers, then a series of restrictions until they grew up and weren’t so bloody stupid

They’re 7 and 9 so a while until they ‘grew up’. I’d certainly give them a lecture about the dangers of going out like that and I’d put the door keys where they can’t reach.

My sister and I, at similar ages, climbed out the bedroom window (bungalow) in the middle of the night. We wanted to test whether eating carrots really did help you see in the dark!

Please don't take the door keys upstairs with you or put a bolt out of reach. A fire or parental illness may require the children to open the door.

A door alarm is a good idea.

@JustJoinedRightNow

Sorry but the posters saying it’s a case of them reading too much Enid Blyton - are you being serious? My children are around the same age and would not read Enid Blyton books, much to my dismay. I honestly don’t think OP’s kids are reading Enid Blyton and deciding to sneak out for an adventure.

I would be confiscating the tablets for the foreseeable future - they must have used them to set an alarm to wake up.

My DD is 11 and read loads of Enid Blyton when she was younger 🤷‍♀️

My DS, younger than the OP’s children, knows how to climb out of his bedroom window. It feels more daring than it is because it’s actually fairly safe

A few years ago, when I was in my early 40s, DB said "Do you remember Dad tying up the bedroom window with a rope and a weight so you couldn't climb out? He caught you once hanging out with just your legs in the room."

I remembered nothing about this, despite having a pretty good memory of my childhood. The window had no kind of restrictor on it, despite being big and opening out over concreteodd considering the estate was built in the 1960s for young families. (Other surprising death trap features were the radiators with sharp edgessplit my lip falling on onemunicipal climbing frame with sharp edgescracked my head open on that one, and classroom windows that opened outwards with sharp corners at child eye height--nearly blinded a schoolmate when I accidentally chased her into it.)

I think it's a sad reflection on people's perceptions of today's society, rather than the actuality, that their first thought is something to do with grooming and the internet. 7 to 9 year olds are still very much as they always were, as indeed are pervy groomers, and the overwhelmingly most likely scenario is that of them having an adventure, probably without much thought.

@lameasahorse of course, I did this when I was 15 though! I had a sleepover and we snuck out in the middle of the night to a friends that lived 5 minutes walk away. It was 5 of us and my parents never noticed we left and came back. lol. But at 7 and 9, was not up at that time even during sleepovers! My daughter's age is 9/10 and she had a slumber party w 6 girls total and they all fell asleep by 1:30/2am. I just find it strange that brothers would be up so late on a regular night. I thought my kids were up late the past few days (10:30/11pm)! They would not be up in the middle of the night like that, so I was just curious why other kids would be up and about at night. Even when I was younger, I did not have a bedtime. My mom just let me put myself to bed...I would go around 10/11pm (too late I know!)....but could never manage 2:30am. Of course during sleepovers when older yea...we would be up until 5am or even all night long (but this is older like 12).

I forgot to mention, we live in the city and maybe its different when you live outside the city, as I think kids that age would def not go out (not safe!) in the middle of the night like that. But for example, when I was little and at my neighbours house late and it would be dark, I could walk home (we lived outside of the city and I would just cross the quiet neighbourhood street). But now, I could never let me daughter do that when she reaches the same age.

Lots of jolly midnight feast Enid Blyton stories about 9 year olds leaving the house in the middle of the night. At the other end of the scale there's the case of Asha Degree. Not so jolly to say the least. I would be removing the chrome books until they told me why they really went outside. Separate them and one will crack and tell you the real story.

I think the risk of fire is really serious OP make sure they can escape.

@MoniJitchell yes we read Enid Blyton here too. I thought most children still did because I’ve spoken to other parents about my Year 1 child getting into the Famous Five and they’ve said their children are too. When I’ve asked for recommendations on books to read to DC people always recommend The Enchanted Wood / Farraway series.

To answer some points / questions - the relevance of the chrome books incident was just that they were already in trouble and knew it - I had already confiscated the chrome books and they won’t be getting them back for a while. They have parental controls and are regularly checked.

Also, I will not be locking the door and taking the keys away, to me that is far more dangerous than current shenanigans, imo.

Regarding the motion sensor / door alarm, the motion sensor sends an alert to my phone, which did wake me up so I’m happy they can’t sneak out without me knowing. The only reason I didn’t catch them in the act this time is because they were out for so little time, by the time I got downstairs they were in again.

Also, if it makes a difference, we live in a safe little village, so them being out it not ideal, but not nearly as bad as in the centre of a big city.

I have no idea how or why they were awake at 2.30, and they know if it keeps happening they will not be allowed to carry on sharing a bedroom.

I woke them early this morning to do some cleaning in penance. They are tired now, but it serves them right and will help them sleep more sensibly tonight!

They also knew they were on camera - their attempts to duck underneath it were hilarious.

I would check the history on the Chromebooks.