What you do when they bring 'those' kids home?

[Lulu]

I think it depends. Have you got time to check it out yourself, maybe walk the girls back to their place and suss things out?
It would at least being easier if you could see with your own eyes? If you are happy with what the mums cousin has said (re stealing etc), maybe you need to be truthful with these kids and say I heard you can't play at xxx's house because you took things -is that true? If you do that here you will not be allowed to come back.

I had a rule that playing with kids at my house after school had to be arranged prior, not that day. Mainly cos I was working and my house was a total mess all the time and I couldn't bear the parents coming to pick up the kids and see it!

It's a really hard one - I've often been at the end of parents that can't be arsed with their own children - 3 times over the years I have come home to find small children in my house or backyard playing happily. 3 times I kept an eye on them or played with them to see how long it took for the parents to come looking and it was usually over an hour later.......no they weren't frantically looking for them btw because each time I could see their houses from where they lived.

[~clover~]

Yeah, we have a little girl around the corner who's 6 or 7 & basically just runs around to friends houses all the time. Her mother never comes to find her, I always end up sending her home. It used to be as it was getting dark, now its about 5pm. The nights she would show up at 5.30/6pm to play really bugged me though! She is home alone with a 12 year old brother til her mother gets home around 5. Her older sister is my sister's friend & she left at 16 to live with her father coz she couldn't handle being the responsible one anymore.

I have seen this family around alot, & I did see the way they looked at our house. Like they were in awe (even though it is a mess!) Then I looked their mum up on fb (a bit of creepy stalking I know ) & in the only photo in their house they have plastic chairs around their TV & beer boxes & mess everywhere. With 5 kids from 13 to 1, you'd think they'd have tried to at least have some furniture by now It is a bit decieving.
I do understand its not the kids fault, but if they are going to put my kids in danger by getting them to play games like that, then I will not have it. Especially when my DD1 is very impressionable. I have no worries about DD2, she stands her ground about what she does & doesn't want to do, but DD1 seems to be the type to go along with the crowd. To want to be liked iykwim. While the kids may very well grow up to be good kids, they aren't off to a good start & I don't want my girls being led down the wrong path this early.

I have made it clear that DD can be friends with them all she likes at school & she can have them at b'day parties etc, but I don't want them here or her there. At least not at this age.