DS inviting GF round

[SSOYS]

I’m out on Saturday night and DS (turning 16 this month) is going to be home alone. He’s asked whether he can invite his new girlfriend round.

My instinct is to say yes as long as her parents know we’re not going to be here. Is this reasonable? It’s DS’s first girlfriend and I don’t have any sense of what’s normal, tbh. Or is this crazily hands off?

I don’t know her family at all so can’t speak to her parents direct.

I think that sounds reasonable

Is she 16?

How old is his GF?

I think it's reasonable and very honest that he asked first

Of course it's OK. He wants some time with her. Lovely that he asked you.

She’s y11. I don’t know if she’s 15 or 16.

@SSOYS

She’s y11. I don’t know if she’s 15 or 16.

Then yes, I think that’s absolutely fine.

Thank you, everyone

Sounds reasonable, my dd wouldn't have asked! It's hard realising they have nearly grown up - time to ensure he's careful though

It looks like I'm bucking the trend here but especially as it's a new relationship, I'd want to be home if it were just the two of them at this age and in that situation.

I'm a big believer in giving teenagers – especially girls – a guilt-free 'out' of potential sexual encounters, and often that means me banging around downstairs / nipping up to my own room every now and again.

An empty house with no adults around can feel like a rare opportunity to explore sexually and that piles extra pressure on to 'make the most' of that alone time.

And that's no judgment on your DS, OP –I'm sure he's a great kid and may not be even remotely exploring that kind of stuff yet. I have no idea and I'm not saying this to imply anything about him or his girlfriend.

It's just an angle I take –it takes some young people a long time to learn to say 'no thanks' on their own terms, and while they're learning, I like to give them something to hook their 'no' onto –my presence.