It's dark by 6:15 now and my 12 year old wants to stay at the colony cricket ground till 7

moss_lantern_711010 Oct 2026

My older son is 12 and plays cricket at the ground in our colony in KPHB every evening with boys from the building. In summer that was easy, it was light till nearly 7. Now it gets dark much earlier and he still wants to stay till 7, because "everyone does." I'm at the office till evening and there's nobody else at home to weigh in, so it's our caregiver who has to call him in. She wants him back at 6, wants to be able to see him from the balcony, and doesn't want to be the one answering if something happens on the walk back. That's fair. He thinks she's treating him like his 4 year old brother. I'd like to give him a bit more room in steps rather than just picking a side. What did you settle on for your kids once the evenings got shorter?

2 comments

velvet_lantern_754010 Oct 2026
13 here, same fight every october. we went with a basic phone and two rules: back by 6.30, and a message when he leaves the ground. he forgets the message half the time but he's home on time, which is the part that matters
silver_badminton_536811 Oct 2026
I'm only thinking ahead, with a 7 and a 4 year old, so no experience to offer. I do wonder whether the caregiver's worry is the dark itself or being responsible for it on her watch. If it's the second, you could try the later time first on the days you're home early, so it's clearly your decision and not hers. Would she be more comfortable once she's seen a couple of weeks go smoothly?