How much do your kids play out?

[TiredMamOfTwo]

Just wondering if I'm being unreasonable here.

Ds7 friends are always knocking for him to play out, in the summer I don't mind with the long light evenings but when it gets dark at 6 I'm not to keen on him playing out.
We have dinner at 5 so doesn't give him much time to play out!
His friends (also 7) complain that it's only early and they are allowed out till 8pm on a school night!
I always say he can play on the weekends, weekends are fine but they always want to play out on the weekdays.
Ds7 says I'm being mean also can't have them in as there's around four/five of them and ds7 has the box room. 🙈

Am I being unreasonable? He's also diabetic so I don't feel comfortable letting him go to his friends houses just yet as he's not able to look after himself!

Mine don't play out at all. Ever. It's not really safe where I live due to traffic etc. I constantly have a house full of kids instead.

Could you have them over in the garden?

I wouldn't allow a 7 year old out til 8 - or after dark at all.

I would but it's been raining solid all day and the garden is drenched through and not very safe (very slippery with steps etc)

That's ds7 bedtime too!

Just hard explaining that to kids who are seemingly allowed to do whatever they like. (I'm sure they're not but that's the impression I get. )

To be fair we live in a village where everyone knows everyone (and he's only allowed one street off ours) but still with the dark nights drawing in I'm scared a car won't see him!

My dc are 8&9 and 9 year old will go over to the rec for an hour with his friend very occasionally but on the whole they never play out. They're in bed at 8 in school nights and definitely wouldn't have been playing out in the dark at that time at 7. Like Strawberryfieldsforeverrr we always have a house/garden full of kids.

My eldest isn't old enough to go out yet but my niece who is 7 plays out everyday literally as soon as she steps foot in the door after school someone knocks on for her. She's usually out till about half 5/6 then has dinner, bath then bed

My child plays out at weekends until about 6pm. Not allowed to play out on a school night. You sound like you’re being reasonable. Dinner is at 6 and ready for bed by 7. I don’t care what other kids are allowed to do, it’s about what you feel comfortable with.

I meant it's hard because I feel like I'm not being fair on ds7 I don't want him to loose his friends as I'm constantly saying no on weekdays!

No I don't know them.

Mine don’t play out at all and I wouldn’t have time in between trying to finish work, watch DC, make dinner etc

Ours always have stuff on in the evenings so aren’t home anyway but I can’t imagine letting a 7 year old out to play unsupervised and we live in a small safe area.

YANBU OP

I wouldn't let a 7 year old play out at all if only accompanied by other 7 year olds. At this age they are likely to face situations they are ill equipped to deal with and shouldn't be trusted to look out for each other. In my opinion bieng in a village doesn't make it any safer.

I've had them play over quite a lot, but only spoken to one of the mums once about their child coming over to play.

I mean if I saw them I'd know it's such and suchs parent but I'm not on a friends basis with them if that makes sense!

Thanks for the repiles im glad it's not just me, as I say weekends are fine I'm happy to have them over or play on our street but seems in the winter the nights draw in so quick there's no time to do anything other than dinner and then get him ready for school the next day!

I have a 7yo DS.... it never occurred to me that he might play out unaccompanied at this age. I don't think any of his school friends play out, unless at the park accompanied by their parents. We live in a village, and our house is in a cul-de-sac where a couple of kids a year or so older live too - but none of them play out.

He still seems so young, and immature at 7.

Mine plays out straight from after school club. Has to come in for tea then back out again unless I can convince him otherwise. His bath and bed routine starts at 7 and he's in bed for 8. I can't imagine letting him play out till 8 on a school night. He did play out late in the summer holidays though.

All day/evening after homework. Mine is older but has been playing out for a good while. It's all age/situation dependent though, in our last place it wasn't possible. We are lucky where we are now, a lot more freedom. Not the same for everyone.

I grew up in the middle of nowhere, so never played out in the evening unless staying at someone's house. I didn't lose any friends over it!

My 7 year old plays out til 6 on a school night. He pops in and out to let me know where he is (park, den, best friends house). Up until around 5 he is allowed on his bike on the top road but this will change soon as it gets darker.

If he had his way he would play out with his friends all hours of the day and night. It is hard, I get it, but you know why you are setting boundaries and one day he will too. For now, no means no and any whinging means he won't be allowed out tomorrow

We live right opposite a green in a cul de sac. We let DD play out there from about 9 (we had only just moved here), but i sat gawping out the window for a good while after we moved up. But as we have gotten used to the place, there are loads of kids pottering about. Parents of young kids are prob hovering, but not too much.