Is it easier to let your kids play outside all night rather than get them in bed at a reasonable time?

[ssd]

I'm asking as after being up since 6.20am with my ds2, ds1 got up at 7, I'm trying to get them in the bath and into bed. Usually they're in the bath about 7, tonight it's later as my dh and I wanted to chat without constant questions/demands so we let them play out the back till about 7.45.

But as usual there's kids out playing while I'm trying to get my 2 in bed and it makes it really hard for me. The kids are aged from 4 till about 6 and the parents don't seem to give a damn, they'll be out there till 9 at the earliest, maybe 9.45.

Am I a looney trying to make sure my 2 get a decent sleep and my dh and I have some adult time, or should I just let them play away outside crossing the road and out of sight till they eventually come home?

My 2 are 4 and 7 years old and the 7 year old can't understand how kids younger than him are allowed out till 9 or 10 and allowed to play way out of sight.

Drives me nuts.

I agree with roisin. We have some children living behind us who play out until late too but ds accepts that I'm not their mother and my rules apply to him, not to everyone else. He is 7.5 and goes to bed at 7.30-8pm, these children are out until 9 or later. I wouldn't go for double glazing personally, it seems a bit drastic! Can't you just get your ds used to going to sleep with the noise? Surely he will eventually?

Lunavix, that does sound awful.

Kids are all different though!! My kids get up at 8:30 every morning school or not and they stay up playing until 20:30.

If the weather is nice they play with their friends outside which is exactly where I want them to be - not to get them out of my sight because I'm a rotten mother but because it's good for them to be out in the fresh air.

There must be 20 little boys and girls out on the green in front of my house tonight. They are playing Star Wars. Running around, shouting, helping each other and having fun without any grownups butting in. It reminds me of summer evenings when I was a kid and I wouldn't deprive them of it for the world.

nerdgirl - how on earth do you manage to get them fed, dressed and to school in time?? (Or does your school start at 11am? )

WWW, I don't want to apply my rules to other kids, the other parents can do as they like with their kids.

That's not my point. My point is my son is being kept awake by a few shouting and yelling kids his age or younger playing outside his bedroom window AND IT PISSES ME OFF.

And I'm all for kids getting fresh air etc etc but I just wish they would play outside their own house and make a noise, not my son's room.

Thank you for agreeing with me WWW!

I suspect my neighbours think we are rather strange for bringing the boys in (on school days) at 4.30 for tea then wind down time. But I would hope they would respect our decisions as being what we think is best for our boys.

I am rather surprised how judgemental some people are on this thread.

And my son does accept my rules might be different from other kids parents rules, but it doesn't help him being kept awake. Not that he questions me, he excepts bed time when I say, he just can't get to sleep with a racket outside. Must say I couldn't if I was him.

roisin, I hope the judgemental comment wasn't aimed at me.

As I said other people can do anything they want with their children, I honestly couldn't care.

But I do care when my son can't get a decent sleep because he's being kept awake. Is that unreasonable?

If they are being extremely noisy ssd, then I'd have a polite word with them and ask them not to play right outside your house.

Otherwise just grin and bear it I guess. You ds1 will probably thank you when he's older if he learns the knack of going to sleep through any disturbance. And in any case if he's lying quietly in bed with a book or something, he's getting a good rest at least, even if he's struggling to go to sleep as early as usual.

god think a lot of you are miserable
cant stand living where kids paly out
! god what do youwant ?
put hem in hideous soft play cnetres all day?
yes past 9 is taking the piss I agree but really you need all to live and let live a bit

I don't feel I can ask them to move, as this is a terraced street and the kids live a few doors away.

I wouldn't ask them to move as they live here, allbeit nearby. I wouldn't want my 2 sons moved from near their home if they were making a noise. Although hopefully they wouldn't be.

sigh, I know this is a hard one. If my 2 slept later in the mornings then maybe I would let them stay up a bit longer. But as they are up really early I feel they need to go to sleep around 8 to get a decent night in, otherwise they don't get enough sleep and their school work suffers.

I'm not critisising anyone who lets their kids stay up, all kids are different.

think the ids need to get used to it liek the others said

Cod, all I want is my oldest son getting a decent sleep.

And don't tell me I'm miserable, I childmind and had 4 kids all at the park today for a picnic and a play, almost all day.

Of course kids should play outside.....

Feel like I'm banging my head off a brick wall now...

hmm ok then
advise yourself

eh?

Agree with roisin.

Our neighbours are Iranian and none of the children seem to go to bed before 10pm. If they have visitors, which they do quite often, then there are generally little kids tearing around the garden and the pavement in front of the house until after midnight.

dh and I occasionally indulge in a little middle-class self-righteousness ("I can't believe those kids are still up, no wonder they're always late for school"), but tbh it doesn't really bother me, nor does it seem to keep my children awake. I've lived in Africa at various points in my life, where there are always little kids out playing at all hours, and there's something rather nice about it -- makes the place feel alive.

Doesn't mean I'm going to let my kids follow suit though, especially in term time.

you ask for opinions but if you dont like them you get al huffy

you ask for opinions but if you dont like them you get al huffy

frogs, it wouldn't bother me if it didn't keep my kids awake either.

But it does and that's my moan.

oh shut the wiondows then
its nto that hot tonight
youa rea so fussy!

don't take it hard, ssd, fishyballs is surpassing herself in feistiness today....

Who's getting huffy?

I'm having a moan, some people agree and others don't.

I thought thats what MN was all about?

Yes, but if it wasn't that it could be something else keeping your kids awake car stereos, people shouting etc. At some point they're going to need to sleep without there being total silence. Have you tried leaving the radio on at a low volume? Radio 4 has always worked well for us at masking other noises lots of speech and no music.

frogs, I know what you mean. This is my dh's point too, there will always be noise of some sort. Ds1 just seems to be a light sleeper like me, anything wakes me up.

Hi ssd,
I'm with you. Trying to get to sleep when there's a lot of noise going on is really tough, and if your children are upset about it then that's bound to upset you too. You could try putting some soft music on in your children's room as more pleasant background noise. Thicker curtains also help muffle noise. Or could you swop bedrooms and have them sleep at the back of the house maybe?