9 year old sleepover

[PinkQuill]

My son has been invited to a sleepover during the summer with 4 other children in his class. They will be sleeping in the garden. I don’t know the Mum and know absolutely nothing about the family. My son does want to go but I feel a bit reticent and uncomfortable due to knowing nothing about the family. What would you do please?

Politely decline, probably citing previously made plans.

This.

Just decline.

Ring up the mum and ask to meet her. It’s not hard.

If she says no, then decline the invitation.

Even when dd was 16 and I was dropping her at parties with her school friends, I still went in and introduced myself to the parents. Our school gets a bloke in every year to talk to the kids about drugs, alcohol, sex etc and he also runs a parenting session. One of his recommendations is that a dropping off parent go in and meeting the hosting parents so that’s what I did.

Decline politely. Can’t believe people are still having sleepovers.

When in the summer holidays? Could you invite the mum and her kid over for a coffee and play first? I have every sympathy with you for wanting to decline your child sleeping over with adults you don't know, but the reality is that I imagine there's no school run or school gate for your child now so if you say no to him sleeping, or maybe even going to another child's house based on not knowing the family, that's going to limit his social life for a few years! (Just a suggestion. I think I'd feel the same as you, but my son finished year 7 yesterday and his best friend is current asleep in my house. He met his BF on the first day of reception so we know the family well. Had he not had that friendship though, I just wonder how you build up knowing secondary school parents....)