Good Gosh She wants a sleepover

[diskids2]

My DD will be 15 next month and I was just talking to her about a possible party. She said the words I dread more than almost anything......Can I have a sleepover pleazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzze???????

I'll never forget her first sleepover party. She was turning 8 and in 2nd grade. She invited the whole class (ok just the girls) 12 of them. I thought - oh not everyone will come. EVERYONE CAME. I think I still have a piece of scotch tape on the ceiling in the living room where we hung up all of the mobiles that were made from an American Girl party package.

Needless to say it took me two years before I agreed to another one. This time she was turning 10. I dont' think they slept EVER. I couldn't wait for the last one to be picked up.

After that, she wanted another one at age 11. This time I limited it to 4 girls. When the last one left, I had to fold and or clean the 50 sheets they used to make forts and castles in the living room. I swore NEVER AGAIN.

At age 13, she asked for another sleep over. This time I thought I would beat her at her own game. I had it in a hotel. Rented two adjoining rooms. DH and I slept in one. At 3 am, when I heard giant screaming - they had rented a scary movie - I stepped in SLOSH - wet bedspreads on the floor covered in soda. Yes, I fessed up, but the hotel said don't worry about it.

At age 14, she asked for another one over Christmas break because her best friend who had moved to NC was up for vacation with us. I, being very weak and gullable (DH calls me a sap), said OK. They arrived all nine of them at 3 pm and at 5 pm the next day - New Year's Eve - I finally got the last one to go home.

So now I'm here again. MY DH said he's sleeping at my Mom's. My DS said he is too. She's inviting only 7 plus herself......Maybe they all won't come!

 

[Karel]

I feel for you.

I just had 10 fourteen/fifteen year old boys in my living room for 5 hours playing video games.

We banned large party sleepovers years ago.

My daughter did have one for her last birthday but was only allowed four girls. That was how many fit on her bedroom floor. A 12 o'clock curfew was in effect too.

 

[mommytotwo]

Having a limited amount of people would be good. Ask them to bring their own sleeping bags and you could provide blankets to those that don't have sleeping bags.
Try to organize a plan of what is going to be done that night with your daughter so that things don't get out of hand.
Popcorn and a movie, smores, and maybe later they could decorate a picture frame that will hold a group picture of them for your daughter.

Since your DH and DS is going to be away for the night, why not invite a friend over so that you have company and someone to help you with watching the girls.

It's your daughters day and something that comes just once a year.

 

[Sparx]

we usually just do two or three people at my best friends house. last time it was me, her, and our other friend, whitney. we had a blast. maybe let her have just a few people over.

 

[pixiemomma]

LOL. Good luck! You are very brave!

 

[diskids2]

I know either brave or very very dumb!

 

[luvflorida]

Haha! I know what you mean! Being the mother of two daughters, I've suffered through numerous sleepovers! They should change the name of sleepovers to wide-awake overs because nobody ever sleeps!

Most of the time, the sleepovers haven't been too bad. We've had anywhere from two to twelve girls at one time. If you go into it expecting to get NO rest or sleep and expect that there will be lots of giggling and late night chatting and fridge raiding, then it makes it easier to deal with. And never plan anything too strenuous for the day AFTER the sleepover!

I know many times when the girls were in the middle of a sleepover, I'd start grumbling to myself and swearing it would be the last sleepover I ever hosted. Of course, it never was.

Just the other day, my younger daughter and I were watching some home videos and there was one of her older sister's 8th birthday party sleepover. There were about six little girls performing skits for the camera and every so often, one of them would pick up my younger daughter, who was barely two years old at the time, and put her in the skits with them. They even put "costumes" on her. My daughter turned to me and said, "I can't believe you let them ABUSE me like that!"

And, I know what you mean about not being able to wait for that last kid to go home! It's probably no coincidence that the worst acting kid is always the last one to be picked up. I can think of one child, (13 at the time and certainly old enough to know how to behave at a friend's house), that I couldn't wait to be picked up. She was rude and obnoxious acting the entire time she was at our house. I was ready to put her and her sleeping bag out in our driveway to wait for her mother. Her mother ended up coming to get her THREE hours after the designated time. We had the girl call her mother, but she couldn't reach her anywhere. The mother never explained where she was or why she was late. When she drove up, she honked her horn and yelled for the girl to hurry up. I actually felt sorry for the kid.

Anyway, good luck, keep a sense of humor, and have fun at the sleepover!

 

[CapeCodTenor]

My DD will be 15 next month and I was just talking to her about a possible party. She said the words I dread more than almost anything......Can I have a sleepover pleazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzze???????

I'll never forget her first sleepover party. She was turning 8 and in 2nd grade. She invited the whole class (ok just the girls) 12 of them. I thought - oh not everyone will come. EVERYONE CAME. I think I still have a piece of scotch tape on the ceiling in the living room where we hung up all of the mobiles that were made from an American Girl party package.

Needless to say it took me two years before I agreed to another one. This time she was turning 10. I dont' think they slept EVER. I couldn't wait for the last one to be picked up.

After that, she wanted another one at age 11. This time I limited it to 4 girls. When the last one left, I had to fold and or clean the 50 sheets they used to make forts and castles in the living room. I swore NEVER AGAIN.

At age 13, she asked for another sleep over. This time I thought I would beat her at her own game. I had it in a hotel. Rented two adjoining rooms. DH and I slept in one. At 3 am, when I heard giant screaming - they had rented a scary movie - I stepped in SLOSH - wet bedspreads on the floor covered in soda. Yes, I fessed up, but the hotel said don't worry about it.

At age 14, she asked for another one over Christmas break because her best friend who had moved to NC was up for vacation with us. I, being very weak and gullable (DH calls me a sap), said OK. They arrived all nine of them at 3 pm and at 5 pm the next day - New Year's Eve - I finally got the last one to go home.

So now I'm here again. MY DH said he's sleeping at my Mom's. My DS said he is too. She's inviting only 7 plus herself......Maybe they all won't come!

You know, at this point I'd hand her the keys to the house, walk out the door, get in your car and drive and not return.

 

[Hannathy]

But think about it this way You must be doing something very right for her at her age to want a girl party at HER house with her Mom there. Read the boards there are so many people posting about the problems they are having with their kids this age. I'm sure they would gladly trade your problem with theirs. Sometimes I think we all forget to be thankful our problems are as little as they are.

Have fun don't plan on sleeping and lay down a few ground rules and with teenage girls get out your credit card for all the food you will need. They can eat the boys under the table!

 

[SnowAngel08]

Teenage girls can be pretty rough(me being one myself). Maybe try having everything planned out. Not exactly to the dot, but have a general plan on what to do. And have an earlier pick up time and maybe a later arrival time.

 

[wvjules]

My DD had a sleepover a couple of weeks ago. It was her and three of her friends. They got off the bus on a friday at our house at 2:30. We went to the mall at 5ish, ate at Garfields then went to the movies. Got home around 10:00. The girls were wound up and were having a great time. At 12:30 I coudln't take it anymore and made them a bed in the living room then I headed to bed. (I knew they wouldn't go to sleep just yet but I didn't hear a peep out of them. llol) I got up the next morning there were 4 bowls in the sink. Apparently they had an ice cream craving at 2:30am! (I'm happy they put the bowls in the sink. lol) The next day they just hung out in her rooms, played outside and talked on the phone. I finally took the girls home at 7:00pm on Saturday. They're looking forward to the next sleepover at our house. Actually I am too. They were actually a pleasure to have a guests. Now when they call the house for DD they call me "mom".

 

[tiff211]

DD has had two sleepovers, one at a hotel and one at home. Actually not too painful. I only allowed 3 friends at a time. The worse part of being at home was keeping her younger sisters away, "MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, get your kids!!"

 

[EthansMom]

If it's really that bad, then maybe you could "buy" your way out of the sleepover? By which, I mean, maybe you could offer a more expensive, but more fun alternative to a sleepover.

In high school, the mom of one of my friends rented a limo for her party -- two hours driving around in the limo, doing nothing much was a total blast and then we went back to my friend's house for cake and ice cream. Sure, the cost wasn't cheap, but no one lost sleep and the mess in my friend's house was minimal.

I'm sure other DISers could come up with other attractive alternatives.

For my DS's 5th birthday, DH and I are considering a pool party at the local children's gym. Cost is steep at $240 minimum (for 10 kids), but as DH says, "It's probably worth it for the clean-up alone."

BTW, if I had ever had a sleepover where we trashed the place (soda on the bedcovers), my Mom would have been calling parents to pick up their kids immediately.

 

[we3disneygo]

isnt' it funny that we mom's can remember every awful detail..... we are doing the hotel party this year for dd's 13th....I have already tried to bribe her to mall with her friends, cash, nope...... we always host a new years eve sleep over....one girl....we offered to take her home..... never again......

 

[Lynn CC]

My DS who is 18 always loved to have sleepovers and had quite a few over the years. I was the one that never got much sleep, DH was always snoring in the other room! I have this thing that I can't go to sleep until everyone is sleeping especially if they arn't my kids.

My son is still inviting friends for "sleepovers" and he's in college, except he just says he's having friends for the weekend. Since the Cape is so far from college, we can't expect them to turn around and go home after visiting for the day so they end up sleeping over. A couple of nights at a time is all I can take!
I've always tried to make it special and fun for everyone involved. DS just had 3 college friends here over Winter Break so I made a lot of special meals and snacks for them, make them feel at home! He had 3 sets of friends here at different times over a month's span. I like to see him enjoying himself with his friends and it's nice that they have a place to go.

to us parents!