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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not tell her parents?

594 replies

foreverornever · 05/08/2026 18:45

Dd(15) had some friends stay over last night, they all helped one of the friends (also 15 but turning 16 in a month) sneak her boyfriend in and they ended up sleeping together.

Dd is obviously in trouble for lying, younger dc saw teen boy in our house which scared them. Friend has apologised, has promised that they used protection and pleaded with me not to tell her parents.

I don’t know her parents well and she is basically 16 so I do feel like it’s something that she should get to tell them only if she wants to and not my place to do so but then obviously I was supposed to be responsible for her last night.

If it was my daughter I would probably want to know but I wouldn’t expect to be told in this situation by other parents.

WIBU to not tell them?

OP posts:
SleepingStandingUp · Today 08:51

PinkBottle75 · 05/08/2026 20:45

All this pearl clutching. They would have found a field or a toilet eventually to do it in. At least it was in a bed. When I think what we all got up to at a similar age.

They're both almost at the age of consent.

OP, I'd personally just leave it and let them all get on with their own lives. They'll be 16 very soon and it will not be anyone else's business.

Why are parents so involved these days. I'm going to wait to be shot down now... but we all survived, somehow!

So you'd be OK your underage DD orchestrating for her mate and a random lad to have sex in your house in the middle of the night with your young kids home? Perhaps you could just offer the spare room out in the local yrc11 wattsapp group for a tenner a go!

SleepingStandingUp · Today 08:57

Imdunfer · Today 07:29

It shows western countries which are geographically close to us and have similar cultures who understand that 15 year olds very often enjoy sex with each other and shouldn't be criminalised for it.

What happened in that house was a technical illegality which would never ever be prosecuted by the police because it was consensusl between two young people only a few months apart in age.

It's relevant what our near neighbours do because It simply doesn't reflect the reality of teenage life in this country to have the age of consent at 16.

Edited

So any age as long as they enjoy it?

The age limit isn't about pleasure, it's about understanding the choice and being able to make informed consent.

Yes maybe thry can do that at 15, but you put the line at 15 and everyone argues all the 14 would like it too.
So you put the line at 14 and all the 13 year olds wanna try.
Etc. Etc.

It's right that no leg action would be taken because in reality the line is designed to be a bit fluffy in parts. But it's also meant to protect kids at an age where they are fully children in the eyes of the law.

Perhaps we should lower the age of marriage a bit too, alcohol and serving in the army. 12 should cover it!

cramptramp · Today 09:16

15 and 11 months is not basically 16. It’s 15. What an odd way of thinking. Especially in this case.

dh280125 · Today 09:16

ChaiLou · Today 07:17

Because they may already know their daughter is having sex!
she is almost 16. It's not as if she was 12 which would be far more worrying.

The issue is the OP doesn't know who is sleeping in her house. and that her daughter facilitated this event.

Edited

They may, but the fact the kid didn’t want the parents told suggests something is wrong.

RareJoker · Today 09:24

CrypticClueless · 05/08/2026 20:30

No, he hasn't, not if the sex (if any) was fully consensual. 15 year olds are considered able to consent, and between teens of similar age it is not an offence per se and the law would not seek to prosecute unless there was vulnerability that compromised consent (e.g SEND, MH vulnerability, alcohol) or lack of consent (Sexual Offences Act 2003).

Anyone under 13 is not considered to be able to give consent and it would always be an offence.

This. The police wouldn’t do anything. Wow. Reading this thread is like seeing something out of a 1920s journal.
15 and 16 year old had sex at mutual friends house… yes it’s cheeky and OP is right to be annoyed that it happened in her house but - newsflash - 15 year olds have sex!!! As long as it’s mutual it’s hardly that big a deal.

x2boys · Today 09:25

RareJoker · Today 09:24

This. The police wouldn’t do anything. Wow. Reading this thread is like seeing something out of a 1920s journal.
15 and 16 year old had sex at mutual friends house… yes it’s cheeky and OP is right to be annoyed that it happened in her house but - newsflash - 15 year olds have sex!!! As long as it’s mutual it’s hardly that big a deal.

One poster even called him a Paedophile 🙄

littlebowpeepscrook · Today 09:29

Imdunfer · Today 07:38

I wish standards and morals were what they once used to be.

Did you lead a sheltered childhood? In the 70s I was at school with 15 year olds having sex with each other.

"Copulate". 🤣. That's certainly not what they were doing, which is a biological term for sex with the intended consequence of fertilization.

That is incorrect - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/copulate

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/copulate

Etymology 1
From Latin ^, perfect passive participle of (“to couple, join, connect”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French ^.

RareJoker · Today 09:32

LT1233 · Yesterday 21:40

Some of the replies are WILD. I've genuinely never met anyone as sheltered and hysteric as some of the posters on MN on posts like these, wow.

Glad it all worked out OP

Same! I lost my virginity when I was 14 (so was my boyfriend) in my best friend’s auntie’s house, when she went away 😂😂😂.
Come on posters, throw your horror my way!
I’m now 49, married, 3 kids and perfectly happy.
I’m just super impressed that OPs daughter told her…we never told our parents anything!

littlebowpeepscrook · Today 09:35

@RareJoker "I lost my virginity when I was 14 (so was my boyfriend) in my best friend’s auntie’s house, when she went away"

and are you still with that guy?

littlebowpeepscrook · Today 09:37

x2boys · Today 09:25

One poster even called him a Paedophile 🙄

Well, he is

"paedophile
/ˈpiːdəfʌɪl/
noun

  1. a person who is sexually attracted to children:"
Imdunfer · Today 09:37

SleepingStandingUp · Today 08:57

So any age as long as they enjoy it?

The age limit isn't about pleasure, it's about understanding the choice and being able to make informed consent.

Yes maybe thry can do that at 15, but you put the line at 15 and everyone argues all the 14 would like it too.
So you put the line at 14 and all the 13 year olds wanna try.
Etc. Etc.

It's right that no leg action would be taken because in reality the line is designed to be a bit fluffy in parts. But it's also meant to protect kids at an age where they are fully children in the eyes of the law.

Perhaps we should lower the age of marriage a bit too, alcohol and serving in the army. 12 should cover it!

So any age as long as they enjoy it?

Do please point where I said anything that justifies you suggesting that I said that.

Imdunfer · Today 09:39

littlebowpeepscrook · Today 09:37

Well, he is

"paedophile
/ˈpiːdəfʌɪl/
noun

  1. a person who is sexually attracted to children:"

Actually the term for sexually attracted to sexually mature teenagers is ephebophilia.

x2boys · Today 09:42

littlebowpeepscrook · Today 09:37

Well, he is

"paedophile
/ˈpiːdəfʌɪl/
noun

  1. a person who is sexually attracted to children:"

He is Three months older than her
Do you acyually know what a paedphile is ?
It is somone who is sexually attraced to pre pubescent children
Seriously some posters 🙄🙄

Hazzaar67 · Today 09:43

You have to let them know asap. Kids can't keep quiet about something like this and the parents will find out. Can you imagine how they'll feel when they do AND that you already knew about. In their eyes you'd be complicit. It won't be a good look at all.

mjhx · Today 09:43

Defo tell the parents.

I'm not going to lie I would be absolutely fuming with you and would never trust you again.

x2boys · Today 09:43

Imdunfer · Today 09:39

Actually the term for sexually attracted to sexually mature teenagers is ephebophilia.

He is also a teenager
A reenager bring attracted to another teensgrr who would have thought

littlebowpeepscrook · Today 09:44

x2boys · Today 09:42

He is Three months older than her
Do you acyually know what a paedphile is ?
It is somone who is sexually attraced to pre pubescent children
Seriously some posters 🙄🙄

I've just given you the definition, if you want to ignore it that's up to you.

littlebowpeepscrook · Today 09:46

x2boys · Today 09:43

He is also a teenager
A reenager bring attracted to another teensgrr who would have thought

Do we know if she's sexually mature? That's assuming stuff we know nothing about.

Megifer · Today 09:54

littlebowpeepscrook · Today 09:37

Well, he is

"paedophile
/ˈpiːdəfʌɪl/
noun

  1. a person who is sexually attracted to children:"

So shes a paedophile too?

x2boys · Today 09:56

littlebowpeepscrook · Today 09:44

I've just given you the definition, if you want to ignore it that's up to you.

Only you havent
Becsuse a paedophile is a attracted to prepubescent childrren
If you really cant work out that a 16 year old boy who is just 3 months older than a girl who turns 16 in four weeks is vastly different to an adult who is attracted to a prepubescent child
Than i dont know how you get through life tbh.

RareJoker · Today 09:56

littlebowpeepscrook · Today 09:35

@RareJoker "I lost my virginity when I was 14 (so was my boyfriend) in my best friend’s auntie’s house, when she went away"

and are you still with that guy?

No, but we’re still friends. What’s that got to do with anything?
I don’t come from a repressed culture where I have to marry the first man I have sex with. I enjoyed it for what it was, at the time.

EmeraldShamrock000 · Today 09:56

littlebowpeepscrook · Today 09:37

Well, he is

"paedophile
/ˈpiːdəfʌɪl/
noun

  1. a person who is sexually attracted to children:"

A 15 , nearly 16 year old is a young lady, he is a young man at 16, they’re not mentally adults, but physically they are, there is nothing perverse about the attraction at all.

x2boys · Today 09:57

littlebowpeepscrook · Today 09:46

Do we know if she's sexually mature? That's assuming stuff we know nothing about.

Do we know hes sexuslly mature

littlebowpeepscrook · Today 09:58

EmeraldShamrock000 · Today 09:56

A 15 , nearly 16 year old is a young lady, he is a young man at 16, they’re not mentally adults, but physically they are, there is nothing perverse about the attraction at all.

I never said it was perverse, I said she was a child, which in law she is.

x2boys · Today 09:59

littlebowpeepscrook · Today 09:58

I never said it was perverse, I said she was a child, which in law she is.

As is he .

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