Ah, slumber parties! Those fun nights when usually no slumber is had, and one or two people wake up with drawings on their face. Oh, to be a child again. Now that you are a parent, they can take on new meaning and new stress.
The key to a most successful slumber party is to make sure your child is ready. Whether hosting one or having them go to one, talk to your keiki about what happens during a slumber party. Also, talk about any rules. Let them know that they can always call you or ask the hosting parent to call you, and then be ready for that call, as it happens more than you know.
Here are some fun (and important) slumber party “Dos” and “Don’ts”:
DO share your phone number with the hosting parent. Or, if you are the host, be sure to share your number with all of the parents of children who are joining in on the slumber fun.
DO make sure you find out any particulars for each child to help make them feel most comfortable.
DO set ground rules for all slumber goers. You can even make it fun by writing them on poster board and hanging it on a wall.
DO be an active chaperone.
DON’T assume that all is well just because you are down the hall behind your closed bedroom door. Check in on the slumber party periodically, or sleep in the same room with them, to make sure all is going as it’s supposed to.
DON’T assume that because your child is ready for a slumber party, his or her friends are too.
DON’T be pushy or make a not-quite-ready slumber goer feel bad if they need to call their mom or dad in the middle of the night.
DO have rules, but also let them have fun. If you have a bedtime set in stone, let it go on the slumber party night. That’s half the fun!
DO separate girls from boys. Or better yet, DON’T have a girl/boy sleepover. Easy peasy.
DO take your vitamins and have coffee waiting for you in the morning. You will probably need it!
