A great article on Slumber Parties from
Kidspot
I remember spending more Friday nights at my friend’s house than at
home. I’m not sure why – it was just the done thing! It gave our parents
a well-deserved rest and the favour was often returned.
Slumber parties have become less popular in recent times, and when my
eldest asked me to organise one for her tenth birthday I was excited.
Then came the invitations
They always say to choose your friends wisely but I had no idea
choosing participants would be this difficult. Some (most) friends that
said their parents didn’t allow sleepovers – fair enough, they’re only
10. Then there was the one that visited that day and demanded the WiFi
password and laid down her own rules – scrapped!
After lengthy discussions with Miss (almost) 10, we decided together
that the oldest friends would be the wisest friends and that worked!
Counting heads
I don’t know how the majority of people do it, but we’ve always had
strict rules in our house. The age you turn is the number of kids you
can have at your party. But, should you choose a slumber party, a gift
given to only age 10+,
you can have a maximum of two kids slumbering with you. Now, I have
heard of sleepovers spilling out to class sizes – that’s very brave!
Two kids plus your own, and in this house my own is three, that’s enough to keep in order for the night.
If you’re feeling like you’re letting the team down but can’t
possibly face more overnight guests, have a small lunch the next day for
the friends who couldn’t stay. This is a nice compromise. You keep your
sanity and the kids still have fun.
Slumbering siblings
You have a few choices here:
- Get them in on the action
- Make a special night just for them
- Get them out of the way
If you’re party kid is in the mood, then option one may be the best.
If using a rumpus room in the house for slumbering, lay out a few more
sleeping bags and let them join in – what’s a few extra bodies?
If the party kid is being a party pooper, separate the party.
Siblings can feel left out, after all if it were a regular party they’d
be included so let them have their own fun. A movie or a late-night
activity could mean the difference between night-time tantrums and sweet
sleep!
Option three is ideal. If you have a close friend or family member
that is willing to take the other kids for the night, take advantage of
it. I’m not afraid to say that I have done this and not only did the
party kids get a much needed sleep-in, so did I! The younger siblings
had the chance to spend some quality time with their aunty and were
spoilt rotten!
Make the rules known
From the get-go I made it clear
that they were to be asleep by 11pm. I thought this was a reasonable
time considering the parents of the kids sleeping over had told me that
the usual bedtime was 9:30pm on a weekend. So, being the rule-breaker I
am, I allowed a little more time for the regular shenanigans. You know,
the tricks on the first to fall asleep, the giggles and groans from the
most tired and, of course, the fart jokes. They’re still funny, even to
10-year-old girls!
Movies, TV and other entertainment
Face paint, reptile handlers and all sorts are considered ‘normal’
entertainment at parties these days, but what is normal for a sleepover?
Movies!
Have you thought about the kind of movie you will show? We’d decided on a classic comedy that we grew up with, Drop Dead Fred!
But, I’d forgotten about that one explicit scene and was only reminded
by my husband who so eloquently asked … “What about when so and so are
on the boat!” Cue PANIC! Now, my daughter has never questioned such
scenes and she’s seen this film before but I wasn’t to know what the
others knew, so I quickly called the other parents to get the OK to show
the film.
Another form of entertainment considered was make-up, but depending
on the age and style of your kids they may or may not want to play. I
was very cautious about whether parents would actually like the kids
playing with nail polishes etc, so all that was used was washable and
worn for minutes. I let them do their own faces (priceless) and they had
fun!
Food can also be tricky because you have the kids for dinner,
breakfast and if you’re brave enough, lunch too! So that’s three meals
and possibly fussier mouths than you’re used to. A quick text to the
parents about preferred diet can fix all of this. It’ll clear up allergy
questions, preference and will leave empty plates.
Privacy plus
Parents know before agreeing to let their kids stay that there will
inevitably be times where their child is changing. Make sure there is a
room available that is private and possibly lockable for them to feel
secure. Even a small sibling walking into the room when they’re getting
into their PJs can be confronting.
