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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

19 year old coming in all hours AIBU

156 replies

Crazylou1981 · 18/03/2024 19:39

Hi,

i have a 23 and 19 year old who live at home with my partner and his children 12 &14.
my 23 year doesn’t really go out more of a gamer which results in needing him to be asked to be quiet. He is meant to be off at midnight. I have hammered down on this recently

my other child is refusing to come home at 11 in the week as he needs to be out with his friends. This can be any time between midnight and 4am. They are not always the quietest either by banging doors or cooking. He lives 50/50 between me and their dad. The lateness has worsened since passing their test and dad buying a car. Dad and I are no contact due to Domestic abuse.

Aibu to ask for him to be home at 11pm Sunday-Thursday.

regards,

crazy

OP posts:
ForestBather · 19/03/2024 21:53

JenniferBooth · 19/03/2024 21:36

Oh you are one of THOSE parents who want young adults to be old enough to contribute financially but also young enough so they can be told what to do. An adult when it suits and a child when it suits.

They should not be making a noise when they come in and waking everyone up. But telling them what time to come home not acceptable

Of course it is if they are repeatedly waking you up and affecting your health because of it.

EmilyPlay · 19/03/2024 21:54

So kick them out to make way for the boyfriends children. Yeah that sounds like a good plan.

ForestBather · 19/03/2024 21:56

Dottymug · 19/03/2024 21:48

In my long and bitter experience, even when a young adult attempts to come in quietly at 2am or whatever, they make enough noise to disturb the already insufficient sleep of a menopausal woman. And when you've got work in the morning, and younger siblings in the house, it feels like torture. It's all very well telling Op she can't tell her kids what to do because they're adults now, but they're making her life really difficult and it can't be allowed to continue indefinitely. Personally, I'd be telling the 19 year old to go and stay with his dad for a while, since his attitude stinks and you're fighting a losing battle without his father's support. And tell the 23 year old he needs to be quiet during the night, because you can't work and pay the bills on no sleep. Look for solutions-soundproofing or a different bedroom -but if he can't shut up he needs to move out.

Totally agree. When you get to the age that you have kids this age at home your own body is going through a lot of changes, sleep is more precarious, and you feel disturbed sleep so much more, with flow on effects.

One of mine has shown they can come in without disturbing the house, so that's fine. If he couldn't, I'd have to change things. My health matters.

ForestBather · 19/03/2024 21:57

bakebeans · 19/03/2024 21:20

Ask yourself what you were doing at 19? Stopping in at weekends. Bed by 9 perhaps?
set some ground rules. They let u know if they will be stopping out all nightand quiet when they come home.

kids don't go out till around 11pm now and stop out till 4-5.

When I was 19 I had my own home, own baby and own partner and paid all our own bills. Broken sleep didn't really affect me then either, but it sure does now.

mathanxiety · 19/03/2024 22:18

CammyChameleon · 19/03/2024 10:16

Wtf are they doing during their days that they're habitually staying up past midnight - as late as 4am - during the week? Do they need to get jobs, maybe?

This.

Kaiserchief · 19/03/2024 22:33

bakebeans · 19/03/2024 21:20

Ask yourself what you were doing at 19? Stopping in at weekends. Bed by 9 perhaps?
set some ground rules. They let u know if they will be stopping out all nightand quiet when they come home.

kids don't go out till around 11pm now and stop out till 4-5.

No but I was living in my own place and not under someone else’s roof making noise when they’re trying to sleep.

coureur · 20/03/2024 09:20

Kaiserchief · 19/03/2024 22:33

No but I was living in my own place and not under someone else’s roof making noise when they’re trying to sleep.

Exactly this - the problem is young adults still living at their parents rather than getting off their arses and going out into the world, even if it means renting a terrible flat with their mates like we all did. Their lives have been made too comfortable.

Kaiserchief · 20/03/2024 10:59

coureur · 20/03/2024 09:20

Exactly this - the problem is young adults still living at their parents rather than getting off their arses and going out into the world, even if it means renting a terrible flat with their mates like we all did. Their lives have been made too comfortable.

My husband lived at home until his late 20s as he ‘couldn’t afford’ to leave home. We earned similar amounts. I rented a shitty room in a shared house as everyone did back then. Rent and bills paid first, then anything else. I don’t think people do that so much these days. Most young people seem to have a nice/ new car yet live at home. I appreciate that I’m old/ old fashioned 😂

LlamaLoopy · 20/03/2024 16:49

Nope not being unreasonable in the intent (but would personally approach it differently)

When we live at home was mums house, mums rules! This was all through our teens and even when I was back home in late 20s! Her view was if we didn’t like it we could move out and do what we wanted when we had our own places (we also paid a high % of our monthly wage in ‘keep’ so absolute value went up as we were earning more … we didn’t realise she was saving some of this so when we wanted to move out she gave each of us a lump sum that we could put down as a deposit but we also had a good life lesson in budgeting while living at home)

Where I would approach differently is it’s not the specific time rules (they are adults and should be able to go to bed when like) but the behaviour they are demonstrating… think about the ‘house rule’ being one level hirer for both ie ‘no noise after x time Sunday to Thursday’. Keep it about the time and noise not the specifics of how they are causing the noise.

if the eldest can’t play on computer quietly after that time he needs to work out a solution which might be he needs to come off instead of you setting the time he must come off.

similar with the younger one … after x time if you come in you need to do so quietly/no friends can come in and go straight to your room as you are waking up the house.

K0OLA1D · 20/03/2024 16:53

I don't think you can put a curfew on gaming and coming home on adults but being respectful you can definitely ask.

I never had this problem as I'd moved out before I turned 19

stichguru · 20/03/2024 17:04

You should not be imposing a curfew on adults, but 'the 12 year old goes to bed at X time, you either come in before that, or you come in without waking up anyone, or you live elsewhere' is totally reasonable.

coureur · 20/03/2024 17:25

Kaiserchief · 20/03/2024 10:59

My husband lived at home until his late 20s as he ‘couldn’t afford’ to leave home. We earned similar amounts. I rented a shitty room in a shared house as everyone did back then. Rent and bills paid first, then anything else. I don’t think people do that so much these days. Most young people seem to have a nice/ new car yet live at home. I appreciate that I’m old/ old fashioned 😂

Yep, it seems that they value comfort and material possessions over independence. When I was in my late teens-early 20s, very few of us had cars (and if we did it was a clapped out old banger) but we would have thought anyone (and particularly a bloke) who still lived with their parents was a saddo. How times have changed.

BackAcheWoes · 20/03/2024 17:44

The gaming itself is fine, but if he's being loud and talking / shouting with friends while gaming, then he should be quiet after 11.

The 19 year old coming home at all hours in the week is also not ideal and clearly disturbing people in the house. I wouldn't be happy about that either.

My older teens / adult kids don't behave like this at all and do still show respect in the house. That shouldn't stop just because they are now adults.

BackAcheWoes · 20/03/2024 17:46

LlamaLoopy · 20/03/2024 16:49

Nope not being unreasonable in the intent (but would personally approach it differently)

When we live at home was mums house, mums rules! This was all through our teens and even when I was back home in late 20s! Her view was if we didn’t like it we could move out and do what we wanted when we had our own places (we also paid a high % of our monthly wage in ‘keep’ so absolute value went up as we were earning more … we didn’t realise she was saving some of this so when we wanted to move out she gave each of us a lump sum that we could put down as a deposit but we also had a good life lesson in budgeting while living at home)

Where I would approach differently is it’s not the specific time rules (they are adults and should be able to go to bed when like) but the behaviour they are demonstrating… think about the ‘house rule’ being one level hirer for both ie ‘no noise after x time Sunday to Thursday’. Keep it about the time and noise not the specifics of how they are causing the noise.

if the eldest can’t play on computer quietly after that time he needs to work out a solution which might be he needs to come off instead of you setting the time he must come off.

similar with the younger one … after x time if you come in you need to do so quietly/no friends can come in and go straight to your room as you are waking up the house.

This would be my approach too.

Gettingonmygoat · 20/03/2024 18:08

dwightkurtschrute · 18/03/2024 19:47

Yabu, you cannot tell a 23 year old when to stop gaming at night and you cannot tell a 19 year old when to come home. They are adults. Stop smothering them.

Nothing to do with smothering them and everything to do with their lack of respect for others. Why should they be keeping the rest of the household awake?

Everanewbie · 20/03/2024 18:53

Gettingonmygoat · 20/03/2024 18:08

Nothing to do with smothering them and everything to do with their lack of respect for others. Why should they be keeping the rest of the household awake?

Yes no one is saying it’s fine what they’re doing. There isn’t a binary choice between do nothing and the stupid curfews for adults being discussed

Nanny0gg · 20/03/2024 19:13

pippapipps · 19/03/2024 13:22

YABU 11pm for a 19 year old?? He's 19 yes it's your house your rules but he is an adult who can't afford to move out like every other young person these days! Don't give him a curfew just ask him to be quiet when he comes in!!
You'll miss him when he does eventually leave op just leave him be have a friendly chat and just ask him to be quiet that's all..

What about the other kids?

And have you read the OP's updates?

Nanny0gg · 20/03/2024 19:14

Everanewbie · 20/03/2024 18:53

Yes no one is saying it’s fine what they’re doing. There isn’t a binary choice between do nothing and the stupid curfews for adults being discussed

What would you advise seeing as they're ignoring the OP?

Everanewbie · 21/03/2024 06:52

Tell them to be quiet and if they can’t, they need to move out.

PlumbersWifey · 21/03/2024 08:17

Yes yabu op you are the mother of young adults you can't tell them when to come home. They are acting their age.

Notamum12345577 · 21/03/2024 08:33

EmilyPlay · 19/03/2024 21:54

So kick them out to make way for the boyfriends children. Yeah that sounds like a good plan.

How did you come to that conclusion? The BF and his kids have been living there for 8 years already!

Appleandoranges · 21/03/2024 09:05

The thing is young people need to save much more to afford a deposit for a house. So it makes more sense now to live at home and save funds rather than rent with friends etc. Also because wages have stagnated for the past 10 or more years, they don't have optimism of people who were young 20 years ago who just assumed they would earn more and be able to afford a house sooner or later.

Charlierae · 21/03/2024 10:38

Rumplestrumpet · 18/03/2024 19:54

I'm guessing the curfews are because of the noise, i.e. I don't wanna hear you gaming last midnight - which is totally reasonable (I'd even make it 11 but I'm early to bed). The 19yr old I think should be the same - if you come in past 11 I don't wanna hear you - and consequences if you're woken up by him being rowdy and banging around.

Yes they should be treated like adults, but they have to behave like adults and respect your home.

I definitely think this. Ours are 25,24 and 21. The 21 year old is still at home and our 24 year old came home last year for 6 months after being kicked out of his shared house (because he was “selfish” and didn’t play by the house rules- their reason).

My job, even when they’re adults, is to
make sure they are reasonable people. So the living at home rules are really strict. To put into context, I left home at 16, so age or adapting isn’t an excuse for behaving badly or being disrespectful in my world. My children have had good care and lots of nurture, but I’m preparing them for life in the real world. There are consequences if they can’t manage life outside of the home. (Being kicked out is a great example).

When the 24 yr old came back, the rule about gaming was clear. He could go
out to do it, but he wasn’t sitting up all night connected and he wasn’t running a cable through my house. We both work at home, the 21 year old often has to be up early and we need to be aware of the impact of our behaviour on others. Also, his gaming was part of the reason he was kicked out, because he was frankly dirty and didn’t care, or contribute to the house as agreed. I wasn’t inviting that back! I was really honest with him too.

I don’t curfew in and out, but I expect them to be respectful when they do come home late. It doesn’t always work, because sometimes they are drunk… but they do try and so do we if we come back late. They also both work in hospitality so their shifts can end really late.

So. I think whatever the rules are in your home, they abide to. It’s your home. If they want different rules, they need to look at somewhere else. Just because they are adults doesn’t mean your rules don’t apply. If anything I think it’s more important that they do because that’s how life works.

Duechristmas · 21/03/2024 12:28

It's unreasonable to set a curfew, it's not unreasonable to set quiet hours and all for respect, no cooking and no showering during that time.

Victoria3010 · 21/03/2024 19:54

I think it depends how bad the noise is, but ultimately I'd treat them like an adult housemate/lodgers, some stuff they do will be a bit annoying/not line up with how you live and thats ok (especially if they pay rent or contribute in some way, they have a right to live their lives). If it is really not livable for the rets of you, I'd have another conversation and agree some house rules but this time set a consequence such as the router being unplugged at midnight (personally I'd be saying, maybe it's time you look for your own place as living with a family who have to be up for work etc might not be a good fit).