for those of you who let your kids play out on the street

[jco]

My two kids (5 and 7) play out on the street with their friends most weekends but what generally happens is that all the kids end up in my back-garden because we have a swing, slide, trampoline etc. i don't mind this at all but when ever my own kids come in wanting a drink or snack all the other kids want one too, and they other kids are always asking to come in to use the loo.

I might sound really mean but i'm sick of feeding all the kids in our street and having them all trampling through my house too go to the loo. Now i've started saying that if they want a drink, the loo etc they have to go home and ask their own mummys, after all they only live a few doors away, and its not like i have invited these children to my house they have just followed my own children into the garden to play, which like i say i really don't mind. but sometimes though i can have 8 kids in my garden and only 2 of them are mine. My children never go asking the other kids mums for drink etc, they always come home and ask me.

Am i being really mean, what do other mn'ers do?

I don't have the proble, but remember that as a child playing in other peoples gardens I would go home for drink or toilet. At least if I only lived next door.

Not being mean - I am the same. You just have to be tough to save your own sanity.

Meanie.........

No seriously if it is only one or two it is OK, but after that I should think it would become annoying.

I don't mind if its only a few but it got to the point where i was giving out 8 bags of crisps at a time and only 2 of them were to my own kids. Also i let one boy in once who was about 7 to use the toilet and he wee'd all over the bathroom floor. its bad enough cleaning up mu won kids little accidents!

Will you stop justifying yourself, you are quite right.

{grin}