To put my 5yr old to bed at 7pm?

[sunshinecoffee]

It's a school night here in Scotland. On school nights I send my son to bed around 7/half 7. But the local kids tend to ring the bell wanting him to go out and play at 7pm. Am I being a mean mum (as as they and he) suggest?

Not unreasonable at all. Even if he wasn’t in bed surely it’s too late for him to be out playing and then having settling time.

DS5 here is still on school hols and just gone up. It will be go back to 7pm next week ready for school.

My just 5 year old (going into year 1) is up for a bath at 6 or 6.15 if not a bath night and lights out by 7! In the holidays that has slipped to 7.30/8 but this week will be back to normal.
also there are still kids playing outside, some are his age but I am mean and don’t let him go.

You let your five year old play unsupervised out with his friends?

I think dd went to bed at about this time at that age.

My DD goes up at 7 and asleep around 7.30 so definitely wouldn’t be going out at 7. She’s grumpy if she doesn’t get enough sleep.

Wether he’s in bed at 7pm is pretty irrelevant. There is no chance I’d let a 5 year old play out at that time, no matter the circumstances.

My 5 year old goes to bed at 7 every night. Even on holiday.

My son is 5 and we go up to get a shower and story at 7pm so in bed by 7.30pm and usually asleep 5 minutes later. He wakes up at 7am. If he was waking up at 4 or 5am I'd put him to bed a bit later but he isn't. Yanbu.