Would you let your 17-year-old daughter sleep over at her boyfriend’s house?
I’m looking for some honest and respectful input. My 17-year-old daughter has been dating her boyfriend for just over a year. Their relationship seems solid, he’s respectful, and we’ve met his family a few times. She recently asked if she could sleep over at his house.
She was upfront about it. She came right out and asked. I appreciate her honesty and trust her, but I’m torn. Part of me wants to respect her maturity and the trust we’ve built, while another part feels like it crosses a boundary I’m not totally comfortable with yet.
Have any of you faced this situation? Did you allow it? Regret it?
Would really appreciate a range of perspectives.
Relevant Facts: good student, in accelerated classes, never been in trouble, working part time,
Quick Edit: She is on birth control. His parents don’t have any issue with her staying the night.
Update: My wife and I talked it over and have come to a decision — we’re going to allow our daughter to stay over at her boyfriend’s house. While she’s still 17, we feel like we have a bit of influence and guidance to offer, and we’d rather help her navigate these experiences now than have her enter adulthood completely unprepared.
We see this as an opportunity for growth, and we’ll be supporting her in managing her time and responsibilities. If it turns out she’s not ready for this level of trust, we still have the ability to step in and adjust the boundaries.
Really appreciate all the thoughtful feedback, it helped us a lot in thinking this through.