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Original poster

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

197 replies

TroublesomeTrucks · 11/04/2022 10:25

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’Hmm

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????!

OP posts:
BeautifulDragon · 12/04/2022 20:25

Mine are the same age.
They wouldn't be brave enough to even go downstairs in the dark without us, let alone leave the house!

I'd be really upset if mine did this (even if it does make me pearl-clutching & uncool) but I agree they were probably just arsing around.

We don't even need keys to lock/ unlock our front door, just a turning latch thingy, because anything else is a fire risk.

I'd be tempted to get an alarm tbh. Going for a walk around the garden is one thing, but walking out the front door in the middle of the night is not safe.

UsernameAlreadyTaken101 · 12/04/2022 20:26

Google 3 am challenge. It could be that. Check their Chromebook history. This was doing the rounds in primary school a while ago.

LaDamaDeElche · 12/04/2022 20:30

@StrangeCondition

I'm so surprised about the comments on this thread, I'm actually shocked that kids of this age are able to get out of the house in the middle of the night and people think it's amusing!
Me too! I was a pretty adventurous/naughty kid, but didn't do that kind of thing at 7!! 11/12, yes, but that does seem young to be doing stuff like that.
Frankie2018 · 12/04/2022 20:39

When my kids do things like this and I just really want to know. I offer them full immunity in exchange for the truth. Thus method has provided me with so many funny stories for when they're older

Tonkerbea · 12/04/2022 20:41

@UsernameAlreadyTaken101

Google 3 am challenge. It could be that. Check their Chromebook history. This was doing the rounds in primary school a while ago.
Just googled that, YouTube is full of some utter crap!

OP, have you checked what they were doing on the Chromebooks?

CrankyFrankie · 12/04/2022 20:41

I would be threatening sanctions/separate bedrooms till they come clean and/or I’m satisfied it was nothing to worry about, but then I am a control freak and not particularly proud of it!

CrankyFrankie · 12/04/2022 20:47

Ask them if it was the 3am challenge and I’m sure their reaction will betray them immediately!

Mollymoostoo · 12/04/2022 20:53

@TroublesomeTrucks

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!

I think they were looking for hedgehogs and having a mini adventure, but they don't want to tell you in case the pixies steal their teeth. Sorry, not sure exactly what answers you were hoping for in response to your post OP, only your children know what they were up to. I lock my door every night and take the keys to bed. The fire service advise this so the keys can be thrown from a bedroom window if needed.
ThorFull · 12/04/2022 20:54

My boys are 6 and 8 and honestly I think this is really funny and really cute. They were on camera, didn’t leave your front garden. Not sure why there’s a need to panic.
I’d probably laugh and giggle with them, maybe wind them up a bit making up a mad story about why they were out. Then they’d want to prove me wrong and tell me what they were doing. Then I’d tell them that front door is not safe at night, stick to back garden adventures. I might even leave a cheeky note or a little snack out in case they decide to have another adventure.

ThorFull · 12/04/2022 20:57

Also just horrified to read that people lock front doors and take keys to bed! I always kept mine in the door for emergency escape. Imagine getting to the front door and not being able to get out in a fire.

VenusClapTrap · 12/04/2022 20:59

Db and I “ran away from home” when he was about 7 and I was about 4. We’d been planning it for an age with our friends down the road. Db woke me up in the early hours and let us out of the house. I can remember him fastening the buckles on my shoes because I couldn’t do it myself. We walked down the road to our friends’ house, and waited in their garden for them. We tried chucking stuff at their window, and calling their names, but they didn’t wake up. Eventually we gave up and started walking home, just as our dm came running down the street in her dressing gown to round us up. She was furious. Db got into more trouble than me though, because he was the older one.

Dickopf · 12/04/2022 21:08

@Frankie2018

When my kids do things like this and I just really want to know. I offer them full immunity in exchange for the truth. Thus method has provided me with so many funny stories for when they're older
I do that, too. An information amnesty.
MummyToOrla · 12/04/2022 21:14

Im amazed at how 'normal' this seems to most people. I know I led a very strict and sheltered life, especially my childhood, but this really drums it home how much so. At 9 I wasn't allowed out of the house without my parents, not even to walk to my friends house 6 doors away. I wasn't allowed out in the daytime with friends til I was about 14 and even then there was a 4 hour limit to whatever we were doing and a 4pm curfew. Leaving the house at night would never have even crossed my mind- I used to get told off if I woke for the loo more than once per night cus it disturbed my parents sleep! My OH often laughs at how pushing the boundaries/breaking rules would never have occurred to me. He was a total scoundrel always in trouble. For context I'm in my late 30s so we are talking late 80s/90s childhood.

WonderfulYou · 12/04/2022 21:41

I agree with speaking to them separately - be extra nice about it, you’re not in trouble etc.

I remember me and my sister sneaking out just to play out the front - it was just fun being a daredevil being out late at night.

I’ve not heard of the 3am challenge but considering they use chrome books then they could have got the idea off the internet.

Also I agree that you absolutely should leave keys in the front and back door or close to it.
If there’s a fire or even if you get a break in and you need to escape ASAP you don’t want to wast time faffing around with looking for keys.
Also if the fire is in the bedroom then it’s no good taking your keys to bed as no one else can get out.

WonderfulYou · 12/04/2022 21:42

@MummyToOrla

Were you an only child?

My DD is an only child and would never dream of doing this.

Boys tend to be more daring too.

SaveWaterDrinkGin · 12/04/2022 21:43

Absolutely horrified at the number of people on this thread suggesting locking the door and hiding the keys / taking them to bed or having out of reach bolts. What the hell happens in an emergency?! If you can’t trust your kids not to open the front door in the middle of the night you need a door alarm.

Fraaahnces · 12/04/2022 21:44

My guess is the kids were mad that you had the temerity to take their Chromebooks. (How very dare you?) They were running away to teach you a lesson, but chickened out.

ReadyToMoveIt · 12/04/2022 21:56

@BeautifulDragon

Mine are the same age. They wouldn't be brave enough to even go downstairs in the dark without us, let alone leave the house!

I'd be really upset if mine did this (even if it does make me pearl-clutching & uncool) but I agree they were probably just arsing around.

We don't even need keys to lock/ unlock our front door, just a turning latch thingy, because anything else is a fire risk.

I'd be tempted to get an alarm tbh. Going for a walk around the garden is one thing, but walking out the front door in the middle of the night is not safe.

Same! Mine (same age as the OP’s) don’t even go downstairs in the morning without coming to tell me they’re awake, I can’t imagine them sneaking out of the house! Wouldn’t occur to them.
Robinni · 12/04/2022 22:05

Older one is at the age where he’ll be seeking more independence and be likely to get into bother being almost a pre-teen at 9. Could put the younger one at risk.

If it were me I’d no. 1 put a Chubb lock on the door or move the keys to your bedside drawer, stick locks on the windows also. And affirm to them just how dangerous what they did was.

Time for separate rooms so they can’t be up to collective mischief at 2.30am. And take the chrome books/devices off them at bedtime and stick them in a locked drawer.

That way bedtime is boring, they will actually go to sleep and will be less likely to misbehave like this.

Robinni · 12/04/2022 22:07

@SaveWaterDrinkGin we’ve had to hide the keys as our DS(6) has a habit of waking up at 5am and attempting to go into the garden (not enclosed) to play pirates. He hasn’t been successful as yet but I figured safer to guard against him being outside unsupervised in the middle of the night…

SaveWaterDrinkGin · 12/04/2022 22:11

@Robinni again, door alarm. Not sure how you think it’s safer than your child being trapped in a house fire.

MissStarry · 12/04/2022 22:12

I voted yanbu due to the curiosity element, but actually I did stuff like this all time when I was younger so from a broader perspective, yab-slightly-u.

(Not to say my parents wouldn’t have reacted the same had they ever found out about my own “midnight walks”!)

Gladioli23 · 12/04/2022 22:13

@edwinbear

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.

Did you read Milly Molly Mandy as a child? I'm pretty sure this idea came from there!
Bbq1 · 12/04/2022 22:27

@dworky

Don't be ridiculous Bbq1, most of the UK has streetlighting and even without, it's not pitch black every night. Honestly, the nonsense some people post, on here!
Well, you crack on with being happy young teens are out at 2am skateboarding... I don't see how it makes me ridiculous to think that a 14 year old getting up at night, dressing, telling nobody and going out "to skateboard" is odd. That's not normal teenage behaviour. If it is where you live, fine.
MummyToOrla · 12/04/2022 22:27

No I am the oldest with a brother 4 years younger who would also never have dreamed of breaking any rules.
To this day neither of us ever tried smoking (drilled into us from very young what a disgusting habit it is and how utterly disappointed DM would be if she ver found out we had done it), neither of us drink much or often (again, grew up surrounded by lots of judgement from DM about lash-heads, lushes and alchis, usually family members having a glass of wine or 2 at a family meal) and I can say with certainty that neither of us have ever tried any illegal substances - even now at almost 40 I would be terrified of her response - she is a definite 'hold a grudge and make you relive your disgraces for the rest of your life' type of person.
She once promised me that if I ever dabbled in illegal substances and she found out that I would be evicted from home and cut off totally - not spoken to and removed from the will, photos removed etc as if I had never existed.

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