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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To say absolutely no way

61 replies

mamamamaa · 06/04/2024 13:18

I have a friend I've known since university, I'll call her Emma, me and Emma have a really good relationship and her oldest DS is a year older than my oldest DS (eight and seven), she also has a younger son who's three and I have a daughter who is one. Around 6 months ago I agreed that both of her children can come for asleep over at my house as DS gets on really well with them. I was apprehensive as DD was only small but I thought it would be nice for my son to have something after my daughter having the attention for the past six or so months. Chaos ensued after the children were put to bed they were screaming banging and jumping on the beds and not quitening down when me and DH asked them to we that wake the baby and that we have neighbours who don't want to hear their screeching. After around 3 times DH went in and said that this was their final chance and if they didn't quite down X and y couldn't come for a sleepover ever again. This did the trick for DS and he calmed down and went to sleep about half an hour after DH went in. However Emma's children persisted screaming, shouting, banging to the point where they woke DD ( her rooms next door) I removed them into the spare room so DS and DS wasn't disturbed and no more of his toys got broken (which had happened earlier in the evening). When I put them in the spare room I told him that this was their last chance it was now 11 o'clock and if they didn't go to sleep I would call their mom to which the children said no! Mummy will shout', it quietened down a little, however there was still shouting, when I went In for the final time i discovered Enmas children had pulled one of my pot plants out and there was soil all over the floor and had pulled a picture down so I ended up taking the children home at half 11 at night. I was very explicit in saying Emma's children would not be welcome to sleep over again.
Fast forward to this morning me Emma and the children all met up at the park, in spite of this DS and Emma's children still have a really good friendship and they were playing together and DS came over to me and Emma and asked if X and y could sleep over again I said absolutely not due to the shenanigans that happened last time, I explained to DS that I know I knew that it wasn't his fault because he went to sleep and was a good boy but they're not staying over again because their behavior was unacceptable. Went home and I got a text from Emma saying the the way I spoke about her children was unacceptable and that she was very upset with me. I've spoken to DH he doesn't think that I've done anything wrong all I've done is stated fact. But I'm in the dog house with Emma for not acknowledging her children as perfect angels. Was I unreasonable to say no and explain why to DS?

OP posts:
Zanatdy · 06/04/2024 17:37

You could have just said not today darling and then spoke about reasons why later; absolutely no need to say it in front of them / their mum.

MeMyCatsAndMyBooks · 06/04/2024 17:40

YABU in the way you said it. YANBU in refusing, at least you didn't say they could when hell freezes over it could of been worse. Grin

cannaecookrisotto · 06/04/2024 17:42

Your tact skills were lacking.

A "not tonight, maybe another time" would have sufficed.

BobbyBiscuits · 06/04/2024 17:50

'My own kid did nothing wrong as he's a good boy' equals 'you are a shite parent and I'm the local genius'.
The kids were all fecking about together, you can just say it was chaos without painting your kid as christ incarnate when they clearly have an equal part to play.

BettyShagter · 06/04/2024 17:57

You didn't have to be smug about it because let's face it anyway, your kid was not a 'good boy'.

They're clearly too young for a sleepover and you're clearly a bit too inexperienced yet to handle it, as you should've contacted their mum waaaaay before 11pm.

TotHappy · 06/04/2024 19:02

Ohhhhhhh I think I get why you said about DS being a good boy now, you threatened him with no more sleepovers if he didn't calm down and then he calmed down - so you felt you had to explain why you weren't following through to him.

I would have wanted to explain that too, because its important to me that I follow through for my kids, but Emma didn't have that context and so what you said definitely implied her kids were the only problem and ergo she's a shit mum! You needed to explain things to DS later

SleepingStandingUp · 06/04/2024 19:19

Well he wasn't perfect was he? Up until the middle of that story he was also screaming and banging etc.
Ok hers were worse but I wouldn't stand in front of two kids and do the whole "it's a no because they're so awful and I just can't cope with such awful children, unlike you who are perfect!"

The tactful thing would be to suggest Emma hosts this time, or that it's a no until they're older because they all got over excited last time

Gingernurt88 · 06/04/2024 19:24

Hmmm I'm not sure you were the most tactful. I'd have probably said something on the lines of "we tried but unfortunately I think we may not all be ready to have sleepovers yet which is ok. However I'd love to try again in the future some time but just not yet".

Alwaysalwayscold · 06/04/2024 19:51

By telling your son he was a "good boy" last time, you were saying her kids were bad. How did you expect her to react to that?

Atethehalloweenchocs · 06/04/2024 20:48

You could have referred to what happened - we cant have another sleep over because people did not listen to the rules - rather than making the statement about good boy etc etc.

Nowayhayday · 06/04/2024 21:07

You were out of your depth OP, and returning their dc on the night of the sleepover is really bad form.

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