Do You Have An 'Open' House?

[Saphire]

Oh my, I never thought I would have such an open house but as my kids have gotten older there have been many 'opportunities' to extend invitations to people. I added an Aerobed to our household in November and it has gotten a lot of use so far.
My DD just texted us that she would like to invite a college friend home for the night. We just had an overnight guest for the last few nights, so when she texted us, my DH and I just looked at each other and laughed. I went to wash the sheets, he to rearrange the room to accommodate the Aerobed.
When I was growing up, we had a 'closed' house. But as I have moved into adulthood, I would like things to be different. I want my home to be open, and I want my kids to feel like we are a warm and welcoming place. Someday soon, very soon, they will all have a place of their own, and they won't need our 'home base' anymore. Until then...the door is open!

 

[dislal]

Oh my, I never thought I would have such an open house but as my kids have gotten older there have been many 'opportunities' to extend invitations to people. I added an Aerobed to our household in November and it has gotten a lot of use so far.
My DD just texted us that she would like to invite a college friend home for the night. We just had an overnight guest for the last few nights, so when she texted us, my DH and I just looked at each other and laughed. I went to wash the sheets, he to rearrange the room to accommodate the Aerobed.
When I was growing up, we had a 'closed' house. But as I have moved into adulthood, I would like things to be different. I want my home to be open, and I want my kids to feel like we are a warm and welcoming place. Someday soon, very soon, they will all have a place of their own, and they won't need our 'home base' anymore. Until then...the door is open!

I hope to be like this when my kids get older and their friends need somewhere to go. My parents did this too when I was younger, we had a friend of my brothers stay with us for her senior year, because her parents kicked her out, and we had a neighbor stay with us because his parents moved in the middle of his senior year.(not at the same time, but about three years apart) The kids had the same rules that me and my brothers had.

 

[luvflorida]

Your house sounds a lot like our house! My husband has said more than once that we should replace our front door with a revolving door.

My husband and I have raised three kids and we've always had a very "open" house as far as friends and relatives are concerned. Our kids have always known that their friends are welcome here, and throughout the years we have had many, many people stay overnight or for longer periods. We have had extra beds in the house, sleeping bags, inflatable beds, sleep-sofas, futons, you name it. We've accommodated schoolmates, neighborhood friends, college friends, and friends of friends.

Last week, over Christmas, I felt like we were playing musical beds/rooms. In addition to our four bedrooms, we utilized two Aerobeds (a double and a queen) and moved things around to accommodate a variety of situations. We had people in the bedrooms, in the family room and the living room. I lost track of how many times I washed and changed bedding.

The best part is that all of our kids have told us at some time or other that they always appreciated the fact that their friends were always welcome at our house.

Our youngest is now a college sophomore and she does bring friends home now and then, but the revolving door has slowed down a bit.

 

[Silent1CB]

No kids, but we seem to always have people sleeping over for whatever reason. We have an aerobed, a click-clack couch, reclining sofa ends, and floor space. Its all been used too. And we aren't young. We are in our 40's. I thought this would have stopped long ago. lol

I call our house "The Hotel Jones".

Growing up, no one stayed at our house. I was embarrassed by its condition to even bring anyone home.

 

[mamajoan]

open, open, open. That is us! I enjoy having guests. Our kids have always had their friends stay over. In fact Jake, DS -22 would invite lots of kids to our house from his dorm. The last year he was an RA he had 18 of the kids from his floor stay with us one week end... yes that is 18~ We have a big house and there were kids upstairs, main floor, and basement. and you know what... after they left .. you would have never known they were here except to restock the pantry. They were great guests.

We were the "kool aid" house when the kids were younger. I liked knowing where the kids were and who they were hanging with ..

 

[MizTink]

count me in! there really is no other way to be once you have kids. unless you don't want them home much. right now the sofa sleeper is pulled out in the living room and 5 kids are watching a movie and eating pizza. it's a good way to make sure you know who your kids are hanging out with when they aren't at home too.
other than a few instances with rude teenagers not controlling their appetites, i've had no problems. that was quickly taken care of and we have no problems now. i really do love my kids' friends and enjoy them being over most of the time!
this morning i was the first to wake up and there was a 16yr old boy on my couch that wasn't there when we went to bed the night before! we just exchanged "good mornings" and he continued to play the xbox. he said my son had let him in earlier, then went back to bed. the boy just doesn't like it at his own house and feels more comfortable at ours. i'm just glad he has somewhere to go.

 

[MizTink]

my sister is the same way too. my dad calls her house the salvation army because she always has extra people living there! if there is a flat surface, you are welcome to sleep on it!!!!

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I pretty much have an open house. My kids often have people spend the night. A young man, who's a friend of my son, has been living with us for a year & a half, and will be here until June, he tells me, and then will get his own apartment. Another friend stayed with us for a little over 2 months. I ended up converting the dining room into a temporary bedroom for him. He was happy with it.

When family comes from Texas they stay with us. I grew up with people always coming over, and so it's normal for me.

 

[HunnyPots]

I gotta say no, I don't have an open house. I wish I were more hospitable but honestly, it just bugs me to no end to have extra people sleeping in my house! What can I say?

 

[NMAmy]

Oh, yes, we have an open house. We love having guests. Last summer, it seemed like I was always washing the sheets in the guest room for the next person. My niece was just here for a week from England. We have lots of space and we love to have company!

 

[Darcy03231]

We definitely have an open house. We have four children (two are away at college and two still home in high school). We also have DD's friends (twin girls) living with us (long story short their parents moved and abandoned them here - they're 18 and finishing their senior year in high school) last night I had 8 teens upstairs. My four plus four more. I wouldn't have it any other way. My house always seems to be the gathering place. It helps that we converted one of the bedrooms upstairs to a teen hang out room so they have their own place to go. DH and I have a master bedroom suite on the lower level.

 

[Nancyg56]

Yes we do! When the kids were younger there was always friends staying to dinner and then often through the night. As they reached HS we never knew who would be here for dinner. We would get up and there were generally more than we started out with when we went to bed.

DH and I loved it! We always knew where our kids were, they were home with their friends! Now they are all on their own but the door is still open and we often have them here for dinner along with some neighborhood friends. It often starts with cards or a visit and then the next thing you know dinner is on the table. DH and I love it!

 

[golfgal]

We have an open house as well. Heck, we had friends stay there last week and we weren't even home . We have queen sized beds in 2 of the kids' room and DS14 has bunk beds in his room. We have several air mattresses--we have discovered that TWIN air mattresses are way better than double or queen because sharing an air mattress isn't any fun. We have couch sleeping space for 4. We also have 4 bathrooms so that helps, a LOT.

 

[DMickey28]

Growing up our house was always very open. It helps when one parent is home, I think. We would like the same for our house. Of course we call the shots when it comes to family visiting (specifically ONE BIL) but otherwise, help yourself. We had this "policy" when living away from our families in IN, IL and FL. We invited both my brother and one of the DH's brothers at seperate times to come live with us to get away from situations or get jobs or go to better colleges but they both turned us down. All we asked was that they covered their own bills and were either employed or in school ... ironically both are in the same situation they were 3 years ago and 6 years ago!!

One of the main reasons we worked so hard for me to be a SAHM was so that someone would always be here for the kids after school and stuff. We want our house to be the house that everyone gravitates to. We bought in our location and our town also for that reason. We are just off a MAIN route to the middle school and high school as well!

 

[pyrxtc]

I love when my kids have their friends over. I don't see a problem with constant sleep overs but my DH does. He doesn't care for extra people around but I try not to let that stop my kids.

 

[Disney Doll]

I have no kids, but am very willing to have most people stay at my house (other than crazy SisIL). Growing up, my parents were also very willing to have kids over all the time, and people stay.

My DSisIL (the other one that I really like) always welcomed her children's friends in. Her theory was that f they were in her house, she knew where they were, what they were doing and with whom.

 

[charming23]

My parents have always had an open house policy. I would say that when I was in High School about 90% of the time there was always someone crashing here on weekends. We always had so many activities going on from dance events to marching band stuff that it was always easier to just all crash somewhere and go together.

 

[1stluvispooh]

My kids are still relativity young 11 and 9 but when we were building our house 4 years ago we insisted on having a 4th bedroom for guests. My sister always stays during the holidays (she left Sunday) I have friends who live in a different state and on their way to their kids they stop by. Sometimes my friends kids (I babysat them!!!) stop too. It fine. I run a relaxed house and love to cook. It's nice to cook for new people. The funny thing is we still haven't gotten a bed for the guest room so people sleep on the air mattress.

 

[minkydog]

I'm with you Saphire--I like an open household. My mother was the ultimate "Open House Mother." She never knew from one day to the next who was going to be sleeping under her roof. She took in any and all friends who were on the outs with their parents, had a fight with the roommates, or just needed to lie low from the boyfriends for a few days. One of my friends made her a wooden plaque that says "Mother Bs Home for Wayward Children."

DH & I have been pretty much the same way. We have taken in numerous young men who had bad family lives. Some of them have lived with us(like our foster son Eric) and some just spent all their waking hours with us. The rules of my house are If you're here at dinnertime, you have an invitation to eat. And if you can't go home, you can stay here. I always make sure that kids under 18 call their parents and let them know where they are(sometimes I do that myself.) DD16 has 7BFFs, 4 girls and 3 boys. I don't do co-ed sleepovers, but I don't minde if they're all over here for the evening. I don't mind providing them some pizza and cokes.

I hope that when my kids get older than they'll "pay it forward." In all the years that I've been operating this "open house" we have never had someone steal from us, hurt us, or do anything illegal on the premises.

 

[pixiedust218]

Definitely have an open house. Wouldn't have it any other way...the kids usually hang out here, playing video games, watching movies or the band is playing (and the walls are shaking, lol) who ever doesn't want to go home just crashes on the couch, chair or the floor. Both my kids (ages 22 and 18) have very respectful friends so I don't mind. My husband isn't as "open house" as me, but it all works out. My husband works at night so I'm always home.