Should I Take This Personally?

[redpajama]

My son just turned 5. I also have two daughters, 3 and 5 months.

We live near a lot of my family (I'm the youngest of 5 kids, all of whom live nearby) and see my parents and sister (and nephew and niece, who are very close in age to my son and older daughter) daily, or nearly daily.

My son has always been a tad "clingy" (for lack of a better word--although I don't mean to imply the negative connotation that "clingy" carries...just very..."attached?") and was never interested in being away from my husband and I for any extended period of time--and wouldn't have considered an overnight a year ago.

About 7-8 months ago, he decided he would try spending the night with my parents (2 miles away). We assured him we could come get him if he changed his mind. It went fine.

Several months later, he spent the night at my sister's house, with my nephew and niece. This also went well.

Now he asks to spend the night at one of their houses nearly every night of the week. Seriously, a day rarely goes by that he doesn't ask (his first choice is always to stay at my sister's, but he's also happy to stay with my parents). We often let him--he's in afternoon preschool, so we don't really have "school nights" yet, and they both live nearby and have extended standing invitations to him (and my daughter, but she's not as into overnights as he is).

Anyway, should I be offended or worried that he never wants to stay at home?? He doesn't seem at all unhappy or anything--is it just really exciting to him to stay away from here? Most of the time (tonight, for example), we'll be with him somewhere (tonight, my parents' house) and when we get ready to go (tonight, around 8 pm), he'll ask if he can stay there overnight. So it doesn't really cut into our time together to let him stay--we probably lost an hour with him tonight before bed, and I'll pick him up tomorrow morning--but it sort of makes me sad that he always prefers to stay away.

My parents have TV and we don't, so there's that. But my sister doesn't, so it's not entirely about that. I don't know--am I just over thinking this? When I was a kid, I used to stay at my oldest brother's house (he was 15 years older than I and married when I was only 5, had a kid when I was 6) as often as I could--sometimes 2-3 times a week. And I didn't hate my parents or my house.

[meemee]

it isnt hating your house. it is enjoying all the people around.

look upon it as your son growing up and enjoying the family he is surrounded by. i am sure he loves all the attention he gets.

if we had so many friends and family around me i am sure dd woudl do the same. seh is 7.

i just spoke to my dd's best friend. he told me he had the most boring weekend. why? he did stuff with his parents. BUT did not have any playdates.

i hardly saw my dd this weekend. she went on playdates and then we spent the nights at some fo my friends. she played with their kids and slept with them.

celebrate your child growing up. that's what i do. a sign that she is truly growing up in the knowledge that mommy is always going to be there.

btw it all depends on personality too. my dd is a social butterfly. she is NEVER overstimulated. she looooooves people and they literally energize her. so her wanting more social contact really makes sense. she does find too much time with mommy boring.

[One_Girl]

I don't think you should be offended or worried, it sounds like he really likes to be around other people and is enjoying being around family. Does he stay at houses where there are other kids or do they tend to be places where he will be the only child? One of my dd's friends likes to come over to escape her siblings. I am sure she loves them very much, but she also seems to need a break from them as well as time to be with her friend.