How Old Were Your Kids Before You Let Them Stay Up To Ring In The New Year?
@danishcanadian (28953)
Canada
December 31, 2009 6:04pm CST
I think I was around 9 years old, the first time I stayed up to ring in the new year. It was a great New Year's Eve. Sadly my parents had just separated four days before on the 26th of December, but my Dad made it a perfect New Year's Eve for him and myself. We had seafood for dinner and red wine (I'm half Danish, so it's not uncommon to drink a bit of wine as a child... only a bit) and we not only stayed up till midnight, we stayed up till about 3 AM. :) It was a great night, and I still remember the music we were listening to, a CD by a Canadian Acapella group called the Nylons.
2 people like this
11 responses
@rainingdove72 (15)
• United States
1 Jan 10
Last year was the first time we attempted to keep the children up for the new year. They were all excited when Grandma said they should be old enough. Well, they didn't last. It seems like any other time they would've been wide awake. So, maybe this year for our children, also. They are 12 and 10 this year.
@charblaize (1026)
• United States
1 Jan 10
My son is 6 and I am going to see if he can stay up to the watch "The Big Apple" drop on TV with me (his mother). I even got us some games to play, movies to watch and ordered a pizza for us to eat. I am really hoping he will stay up and watch but we had a busy day so I am sure he may fall asleep, heck I may fall asleep also we will see..
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
2 Jan 10
I have always been a night owl. I was born at 1:30am and I have been up ever since, lol. I don't remember Not being up to ring in the new year.
@kezabelle (2974)
•
4 Jan 10
I always let them try but until this year they always fell asleep my almost 4 year old fell asleep at 9pm and didnt wake again despite the party we were having, my eldest is 6 in march and she managed to stay awake she had a wonderful time and there was something very special about standing outside watching our neighbours fireworks with her it was amazing................she was very tired the next though as she still woke at 8am!!!!
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
1 Jan 10
This year was the first time that I let my children stay up to actually ring in the New Year. My daughter is seven-years-old and my son is three-years-old. This actually wasn't a huge stretch for them because of the fact that their typical bedtime is 10 P.M. so we were only letting them stay up a couple of hours later than usual and both of them were behaving very well which is the main reason that I didn't force them to go to bed earlier. As for myself, I can't remember the first year that my parents actually let me stay up until midnight on New Year's Eve.
@GardenGerty (157627)
• United States
1 Jan 10
I imagine they were 9 or 10 as well. By the time they were in middle school (about 11 or 12) there were lock in parties sponsored and chaperoned by the church for them. They had fairly frequent all nighters.
@idowrite72 (2213)
• United States
1 Jan 10
I let my kids stay up as long as I can remember, but many times they didn't make it that long and fell asleep on the couch or the chair in the living room. We used to bang on pots and pans with spoons and even went on the porch and my kids did the same, if they managed to stay awake. I remember one year I was with this new guy and we went to bed, heard the fireworks and said happy new year, kissed each other and went back to sleep!!
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
1 Jan 10
It's been so long ago that I don't remember......I think I let them try to stay up about the same age as you were but I don't think they made it until they were in their teens.....carrying them off to bed when the new year snuck in was par for the course.
@froggieslover (3069)
• United States
1 Jan 10
My kids have always been off on school for christmas vacation for New years so we have always let them stay up on New Years eve to watch the ball drop. This year my husband has chose to work for New Years day which usually doesn't happen so it waon't be such a late night but we will still allow the kids to stay up and watch the ball drop. Happy New Year
