[LeChatNinjah]

What's your limit and/or rules?

The going thing with my 15-16 year old DS and his mates is to have group sleepovers at each others' houses at the weekend.

I love the concept - they're not out on the streets, they're where we can keep an eye on them and feed them decent quality chips and soft drinks as opposed to the cheap and nasty ones, lol.

But then there's bedtime.

In my house the girls get the bedrooms and the boys get mattresses or camp beds in the playroom. I stay awake as long as I can. I leave my door open. I come out for random drinks of water at 1, 2, and 3 am and so far I haven't found anyone out of their assigned spot.

These are good kids, but I know they're of an age where they're partnering up and this could all be a huge COVER STORY FOR A GROUP ORGY, or whatever the 15/16 year old equivalent is, lol.

To clarify, usually there are a total of 4 - 6 teens, some of whom may be partnered up, others not.

I know the rules of the other parents involved in this crowd and we are all on the same page.

But I still worry... But then again I like the fact that they can hang out under my roof and the other parents' roofs.

Would you allow this kind of thing? If you already do, how do you patrol the corridors all night or don't you bother? Do you just trust the kids to be sensible? Attack dogs? Would never allow it ever?

[Chelli]

To me, an arrangement like that sounds pretty responsible, and they haven't given you a reason not to trust them. I would do the same until when/if that trust was broken.

I remember what it was like to be a teenager, and I often stayed in group situations like that. We never broke the house rules out of respect for the parents of our friends and besides, if we wanted to get up to mischief, then there were plenty of other unsupervised opportunities to do that.

[mad madam mim]

Not even close to this yet so my answer may very well change however right now the answer is no mixed gender sleep overs, it's either all boys or all girls until they have finished high school.

[JustBeige]

To me, an arrangement like that sounds pretty responsible, and they haven't given you a reason not to trust them. I would do the same until when/if that trust was broken.

I remember what it was like to be a teenager, and I often stayed in group situations like that. We never broke the house rules out of respect for the parents of our friends and besides, if we wanted to get up to mischief, then there were plenty of other unsupervised opportunities to do that.

Yep same.

I think if it really is starting to worry you, you could always send the girls home. (boys stay as its your DSs house iykwim)

[Becky Thatcher]

NinjaAlpaca, I have been through this mixed sleepovers with one of my kids. Yours sound pretty good kids and really if they want to have sex they will do it anywhere.

[kittennic]

I had mixed sleepovers as a teenager where we all slept in sleeping bags in the one room. No funny business ever happened.
When the time comes for me as a parent, I plan to have a little chat about trust before any sleepover, then (assuming the trust is there) I'd generally trust them, although if I'm awake in the night I expect I'll peek

[LeChatNinjah]

My own DS is one of the ones who is partnered up, but I've spoken to his GF's mum a few times about these sleepovers and she seems to be on the same page.

And also does 2am random thirsty patrols, rofl!

I did come out one Saturday morning at 9am and find him tucked in his sleeping bag in the boy area and her fully dressed sitting on the side of the camp bed chatting, but as soon as I appeared she mysteriously flew into the air and hit the ceiling fan and went round and round and round, lol.

They are good kids, as far as I can tell. Lots of thank yous for dinner, offers to help clean up mess after dinner, good with the younger siblings and mostly respectfulish in how they speak to each other.

[~*Twilight~Zone*...]

yeah my teenager and her friends do the same thing. It is nice knowing where they are and that they aren't out wandering the streets.

[SlinkyMalinki]

I'd probably be okay with it if i liked my kids friends and their families.

[HeroOfCanton]

It's something we did at a similar age - although, most of us were sharing beds anyway...
We also roamed the streets for a while before coming back to 'go to bed' - sometimes with fireworks

But seriously, it's better than them all lying & saying they are staying with xxx and not being there, you know where they are, and if Yu feel the need to patrol to make sure it's all going to way you're happy with, then so be it