Whether we're introverts, people pleasers, or highly sociable, we still all understand that feeling of being tired and wanting to say, 'That's a wrap!" at the end of the day.
But sometimes, we get that feeling while we still have guests in our home, and we have to figure out what to say to get them out of our house, just so we can get some sleep.
Ready to take notes, Redditor cimpliDBEST asked:
"What's the most polite way to say, 'I really want you to go home now'?"
Just Be Honest
"Honestly, the best way is to essentially say, 'It's been a long day, and I'm tired, mind if we call it a night?'"
"Most people will understand, but if they don't, then that's on them, and you won't feel bad about being a little less polite."
- DonJonBonJovi
The Midwestern Goodbye
"In the Midwest, we just say, 'Welp...' while slapping both knees with both hands before standing."
"Everyone knows and respects what that means."
- Luna_Gaze
"I thought the Midwest Goodbye meant that the act of departing would take another two hours?"
- Mekroval
"Correct! 'Welp' initiates the delicate cycle of a Midwestern exit. After the 'welp,' you stand up and talk for another 15 minutes. Then chat at the door, the front step, and finally next to the car."
- thewonderfulinternet
Keeping You
"Just say, 'Welp, I don't mean to keep ya.'"
- AskDerpyCat
"It's as good as, 'Let me let you go' while ending a phone call."
- ReadilyReady
"My dad always says, 'Welp, I'll cut ya loose.'"
- copernica
Spectrum Confusion
"After hearing 'I don't mean to hold you up,' my undiagnosed Autistic a** would respond, 'Oh, it’s no problem, I don’t have any plans,' for years and years before I realized what this meant."
- holymolym
"Yeah, same, and now I know that I missed the cues so often I fear that I’m missing them now so constantly worry I’m not wanted where I am. The best way anyone can tell me is clearly."
"I find my other cue-missing friends the most comfortable people to spend time with because we will say, Okay, time for you to go,' and the replies are like, 'Oh, perfect! Thanks, see ya,' because knowing they can and will tell you means not trying to guess when the polite time to leave is."
"And the ones that blow it out of the park and give you directions on what to do /where to be whenever there are options, it’s like a holiday from trying constantly to work s**t out, like, 'I’m going to make a platter, come into the kitchen and talk to me while I do,' or, 'I’m going to make a platter, you guys stay here and chat.'"
- Weekly-Profession987
Past Tense Conversations
"'This was nice. We should get together again sometime.'"
- InspectorNo1173
"Past tense to the rescue!"
- sqqueen2
"I know this isn't what this thread is about, but I love being open about this with people I care about and just... being honest. On the drive home from my first date with my now-husband-of-15-years, he said he had a great time and was beat but wanted to see me again. That turned into a conversation about what some of our favorite parts of the date were and planning our next date."
"With my closest friends, I'm very clear that I'm tired but that I had a great time and want to do this again soon. When I can, I'll ask them right there when we CAN do it again, so we can keep each other on our calendars."
- TheBookishAndTheBard
Time To Hit The Hay
"My grandpa used to say to my gramma, 'Old woman, we should get on up to bed so these nice people can go home.'"
- YogurtClosetWrong268
"I’ve used, 'You don’t have to leave, but I need to go to bed,' when we’d have people over, and I had to get up early for work or when my daughter was little and was an awful sleeper."
- notreallyonredditbut
Kids Come In Handy
"I utilize my child. 'It’s getting close to bedtime!' People immediately get nervous about disrupting a strict sleep schedule, so they bolt out the door."
- StellaSanti
"Kids are a fantastic excuse for getting out of things you don't want to do."
- FennIt
"I know a couple like this. I'm close friends with them, but they're pretty antisocial from nearly everyone else's point of view."
"I dunno if the rest of the neighbourhood buys that their seven-year-old goes to bed at 5:00 PM, but they're gonna keep using that excuse until someone calls them out."
- Tsu_Dho_Namh
Grandma's Honesty
"My grandma says, 'I've seen you, you've seen me... Now go home,' and stands by the door."
- Forsaken-Panic1885
"Boss f**kin' move!"
- straylight
"I think I need to use this line once I have nine cats, dye my hair purple, and master the art of sourdough."
"And I'm assuming your grandma is a lovely lady and is either rough around the edges or simply very blunt with people she's comfortable with, which I TOTALLY identify with."
- 747JJJH
The Kitchen Glare
"'Phew, that kitchen is a MESS!'"
"Then I proceed to start clanking around dirty dishes and plates and glasses in the sink and shooting daggers at the guest until they realize it’s either leave or help clean up the kitchen."
"The way my parents did it all my life, and even long before I was even thought of LOL and it WORKS, trust me."
- JD94funnyguy
"I don’t know why, but I’ve tried this one multiple times, and it’s never worked for me! But at least I end up with a clean kitchen to wake up to the next morning, even if I’m tired."
- GamesQueen61
Never Gonna Give You Up... But Gonna Let You Sleep
"I like to say, 'I have to get up early tomorrow. Let's call it a night.'"
- --Rick--Astley--
"But you said you'd never turn around and leave me."
- monsieurkaizer
"I said this to someone once, and yet they didn't leave and stayed for another hour, until I said, 'Please go.'"
- Amazing-Impress-5372
Seriously, Past My Bedtime
"'It’s already past my bedtime, folks! It’s good to see you, but see you another day! Get home safe!'"
"It still might take another half hour for them to all leave, but it gets the point across."
- Chad_Hooper
"My friend said it was past her bedtime."
"I was immediately like, 'Well, time to go,' when no one else got it."
- carlirodriguez8
Humor Goes A Long Way
"Saying, 'I love you, but [reason for ending the night, like, I'm exhausted, we have an early morning, etc]. So get out of my house,' works well. Usually, people laugh and head home after a round of hugs."
"You gotta say it with sincere love, and it works best with people you know well."
- LunarAnxiety
"I’m going to start using this everywhere. Especially work meeting wrap-ups and to the small talk streamers, the line whilst making groceries."
- g0ldilungs
Always A Good Reason
"'I should really get going before I'm too tired to drive,' is a great option."
"If you have a cat, you can say, 'I need to get home and feed my cat,' or perhaps, 'If I leave my cat alone too long, he gets mad and s**ts in my bed.'"
- Eddie_Farnsworth
Channel Jane Austen
"Say, 'My dearest, do be an angel and toddle off home now, won’t you? It’s frightfully late and quite beyond the bounds of civility to linger.'"
- InkAndFlavor
"I feel like this will only work if I employ my best British accent and send them away with a basket of warm muffins."
- Responsible-Hater
Time To Be Blunt
"These days, I just straight up say it. I spent my whole life being a people pleaser."
"About two years ago, I had an epiphany. I can directly communicate what I want, and that's okay. If someone asks me to do something and I don't want to, I say no. If asked why, 'I don't want to.' No excuse needed."
"If I want to leave a situation, I say, 'I am leaving now. Goodbye,' and then I go. I've noticed that if it's a big gathering, other people appreciate it. Once one person has made the move to leave, other people feel more confident saying, 'I should get going, too.'"
- AriasK
Everyone gets tired and reaches a point where they want to be alone and get some sleep, and according to these Redditors, it's okay to be honest about it!
But if you feel like that's too direct, there are many kind, honest, and humorous options here that will get your inner peaople pleaser out of the way and help you get to bed faster.
@SecretaryBurgum/X
@Doug Ellin/X
@evanrachelwood/Instagram