Here is situation.
We moved in about 2 1/2 years ago, and there is a boy across the street who my kids (9 & 7) knew anyway from school. Well, that summer holiday was great, the three of them and others in the street played every day, in our house and in their house and all over the place. That continued for 2 years a good while, but towards the end of last year the boy stopped coming up to our house, yet phoned all the time to ask if my boys could go down, which they have been doing.
This year, things became a bit of a joke. He'd phone (my boys have never phoned him, only because they never phone anyone), my boys would go down at say, 10am on a Saturday, I'd call them up for lunch and he'd phone, they'd go back down until tea time. Now, I don't have a problem with that as such, but I think they need to take turns. If we allowed this to continue, this would happen every Saturday and Sunday, and the summer holidays ..... - we'd never see our own children!!!
What was happening was, he would phone here about 10-12 times a day and every time I'd say - the boys are playing up here today, please do come up, you are more than welcome. OR, please come up, the boys are asking you to! He'd say "OK" and then never come up. He'd phone 10 minutes later to ask again if they'd come down and this would go on and on.
My husband has decided enough is enough and has banned them from going down until he comes up. He continued phoning with us asking him to come up (and also the boys asking him to), he says OK, and then that's it til the next phone call.
Anyway, he's stopped phoning. BUT, his dad was very rude to my husband recently, and I don't want this to be a big deal. I don't want it to escalate.
The thing is, I know he's a shy boy. BUT, he used to come up here quite happily and nothing has changed that I can see except he obviously prefers playing in his own house. My boys have their own rooms and own toys, and I think it's only fair that their friends come over here once in a while.
The summer hols are approaching and fun could be had by all, but by the looks of it they are not going to see each other AT ALL!! BUT, I don't want to not see my own children day after day after day.
Classic example to finish (sorry so long). My boys were playing in the driveway one weekend. The other boy was down the street playing with his football. I saw him look up, see the boys, then he disappeared into his house. The phone rings - 'can they come down and play'!!!! Aaagh!!!
AIBU to expect him to take turns??