Am I being to protective?

my best advice is what i'd do myself...there's nothing like a woman's "6th sense"...we are able to sense things that make us so uneasy and if we were to explore them further, we'd find out we're right...

if this boy gives you the creeps, then continue to do what you do...be with your son when they're playing together...be on the look-out for any odd behaviour and if you see any, then be very cautious...there's nothing wrong with being protective of the little ones...they can't exactly take care of themselves yet...

i'd suggest that you go out more often so your child can be around other children more often...but with that other boy being so much older, i'd be cautious...even if he isn't weird, he's stronger and could hurt your 5-yr-old...

now, if your kid was like 10, then i'd say you're overprotective...but a 5 year old can't defend himself as well...so you go!!!!

Does your son like this child? Is there anyone else in the neighborhood closer to this other boy's age? If so, why is he interested in playing with your son? Do you have a lot of toys or equipment (Swings or pool) that are attractive to him? Is he lonely or shy? There are a lot of questions you should ask. I would have the kid over and observe them at play under your supervision. Maybe inside at first. Perhaps if you got to know the child better you might have a different opinion. If however, you still feel the same by all means you must protect your children.

Hmmm. No your not being over protective but as the mother of a boy who is usually the older child your describing I would like to give you the reasoning's that this older child may be doing these things for. My son who is adhd is always playing with children younger then him he is twelve and I often find him playing with kids 8 years old and younger. The reason for this is that these younger kids laugh at them for doing things kids their age would think are stupid. He is often beat up by children who are his age and so prefers to have younger friends. As for the bedroom thing my son is also the same way it's basically just cause they are plain nosy. They have to check out everything with my son it's other kids rooms and peoples bathrooms too. I wouldn't worry about it to much and if you can try talking to his mother to se if he has similar problems like my child. The only other thing I would say is watch the rough housing as I know my son often forgets he is stronger then the younger kids and can get a bit out of hand when it comes to that.

Go with your instincts. There is a BIG developmental difference between 5 and 8. My twins are 14 and I still monitor where they are. My son has a friend whom I don't trust. He says things and makes comments that are very advanced for his age. He also makes comments about revenge and things.... but at the same time he is a funny and very creative kid. My son is only allowed to "play" with him if there is a parent at either house and he is not allowed in my home when I am not here. You have a right to protect your child

Never second guess yourself when you are trusting your instincts, quite often they are right on target. Then again, it could be the boy is perfectly fine, but if something is telling you he isn't, then there is nothing wrong with supervising their playtime. My child (7) had playmates of different ages (older and younger) when she was smaller, and I only had a problem with one of them. I had a feeling, I didn't like the feeling, so she wasn't allowed to go to that child's house - it wasn't just a bad feeling about the child, but also about the father. That's a whole other story.

Anyway, trust your instincts, your child is not going to be traumatized if he can't play with that one particular boy.

Go with your gut, if you have a bad feeling about it, don't let him play alone. My daughter is 5 and our neighbors have 3 boys 2 older then her one the same age. I always stay outside when she plays. 5 is just to young to be out alone in todays society. Unless with an older sibbling.

thats a large age gap. i wouldnt worry for my sons physical safety as much as his innocence. and 8 year old can know things about the world that a 5 year old doesnt need to know yet.

as long as theyre supervised i dont see why it would be a problem. You might feel better about it too if you get to know the parents better.

No, I am a 13 year old I have a friend who has a 6yr old brother and there is a 9yr old kid, my friend says the samething, my friend says no beacause somekids maybe a little rude and kids older can sometimes be very creepy.

You are not being to over protective. There isn't even such thing as over protevtive. There is only very caring. My mom never lets me out to play with any kid. Even though she know them a lot. The only times that I can play with them is when either one of my brothers or my mom. So, you're doing the right thing.

PS: Please choose me as your best anwser

No your son should be playing with someone of his own age, you could if he still wants to play you could let them play in your garden so that you could keep an eye on them.