ds social life so complicated...

[A]

ds1 (5 1/2), has had almost a year at school and found making friends hard. He has sort of friends on our road who seem to turn up to play with him when they are bored and have no where else to go (I have a feeling they like our garden, not my children), and has just made friends with some other children from further up our road.

Unfortunately tonight the new friends were playing with ds1, and one of the other friends came and asked to play with ds2 (almost 4) being a bit dim and tired I said yes. Unfortunately, this was an awful mistake as he was duly joined by big sister in the garden, and I had virtual warfare on my hands, and it was not nice for anyone. I really hope ds other friends won't be put off coming again. I feel so stupid.

I know I shouold be able to say no, I know I should keep groups of kids separate... don't know what I was thinking of!

Does anyone else have social nightmares?

A little boy comes round to play with ds1 sometimes, he is 6, but then his 9 year old brother turns up, which means next door's 8 year old hops over the fence, and brings her mates, and my little ds1 gets left out in his own bloody garden

But I am gobby, and quite happy to say "If you don't let him play you can all go home. I'm not running a playground."

I think I'm going to have to be a bit more direct!

I stick to invites only, we don't have kids popping over the fence. It's far easier that way.

I am angry at myself for letting things get like that. The visiting new friends were invited, the others are muuch harder to deal with.

could you afford to put a higher fence up?

They come round the side of the house to find us (regardless of gate), and one girl in particular even came through an empty house and out the back door last summer - that was stopped straight away!

This time it was me inviting the youngest in that opened the flood gates - my fault!