‘I’m putting a 90-120 minute time limit on playtime,’ says mom after friend’s ‘wild’ 3-year-old son ‘overstays his welcome’

A FRUSTRATED dad has caused quite a stir online after suggesting there needs to be a “sharp stop to play dates”.

The exhausted mother recalled her recent nightmarish experience when she invited her friend and her three-year-old son for “morning tea”, only for them to stay until 3pm.

Bluntly, she explained how the pair “overstayed their welcome” and failed to notice the obvious hints she gave them to leave.

In a thread shared with Mothers Networkthe mother-of-three explained: “Still upset about something that happened over the weekend.

“I invited a friend and his 3-year-old son for ‘morning tea’ at 10am.

“They arrived at 10:30 am and stayed until 3 pm.”

The “angry” woman, who has a baby and two preschool-aged children, noted that the latter two are “adorable” with their companions for about two hours before things get “wild.”

However, after two hours, there were still no signs of the friend and his three-year-old son leaving.

“The three kids running around repeatedly woke up my baby,” she recalled.

“My friend passively watched this happen, but made no move to leave.

“I gave a lot of tips. I didn’t serve lunch. We were all hungry when they finally left at 3 p.m.”

I gave a lot of tips. I didn’t serve lunch. We were all hungry when they finally left at 3pm.

Mumsnet user

The frustrated mom explained that one of her clear cues included asking, “So what else do you have for today?”

In response, his friend replied that he was “hoping to take a nap” as he was able to take his son out all day to give his wife time to relax.

Hitting back, the woman responded: “I’m exhausted – up all night with a baby. I’d love to take a nap.”

She concluded by saying that she and her husband “signed up for there to be a 90 to 120 minute hard stop on play dates,” before asking other social forum users what the socially acceptable limit is.

“In the future, meet up in a park or play a light game, as some people just don’t get the hint,” advised one mother.

A second commented: “I would have noticed this tip even if I hadn’t realized I was going past that point!”

They then encouraged the mother to find a “more direct way to say it next time.”

Meanwhile, a third wrote: “I agree with the two hours and that’s it.”

And a fourth, who said he would “hate” to feel like he had overstayed his welcome and recommended: “[A] A good idea, if this happens again, would be to say, ‘Come from 10-12. I’m meeting X at 12:30, but it would be nice to see you.’

“Just provide some sort of end date and a reason to leave the house soon after that end time.”