Would you let your 14-year-old child...

[sweet angel]

attend a mixed-gender slumber party?

(I tried to post this 3 times last night, but they wouldn't go through).

DS14 has been invited to a sleepover down the street from me. I barely know the parents at all. There will be girls and boys there, and the parents will be there.

My reaction was, "Absolutely not!" DS, DBF and ex-H say, "What's the big deal?"

Am I being overprotective? Somebody please back me up!

 

[vald1977]

I agree with you mom. Absolutely not!

 

[Pop Daddy]

why wasnt this happening when i was 14 , of course not, this is a no brainer

 

[chris1gill]

I'd have to ask the parents IF THEY WERE CRAZY!?!? Mixed slumber parties at the age of 14?? Uh, NO!!!!

There are 14 year old's having babies all over the place.... won't be my kid if I can help it... JMHO here!

 

[Gaspode]

Hiya,

I'm not a Mum but I still say NO! Sounds like a bad idea waiting to happen I'm afraid.
Esp since you dont' know the parents very well..... whose to say they will be there all the time?

Good luck,
Gaspodé

 

[NMAmy]

Well, compared to most on this board, I'm a pretty lenient mom of a 14 yo girl but in this case, I'd have to say no. Kids this age are so susceptible to peer pressure and I know from things dd has told me that there are a lot of sexual things going on between some of the kids. Why put her in a situation like that?

 

[Stitch Inside]

Are they all the same age?
I would have loved to have been able to attend a mixed gender sleep over at 14, so I would have to say no.

 

[Credit Man]

No way!!!

 

[Christine]

My DD will be 14 in July and "NO" I would not let her go.

I'm just waiting for this to come up. The girls and boys in my DD's class are very chummy and hang out all the time. Much different than when I was 14--we just didn't "hang out" with boys, so I know times are different. But, I just believe that too much familiarity at that age is not a good thing.

 

[Ariel Wanna-be]

Somebody please back me up!

Girl, I got your back on this one! This is just a baaaad idea. In nine months, everyone else will see just how bad of an idea it was too.

 

[SherryNC]

no!!!

 

[Breezy_Carol]

No way.

As the parent of 2 older teens, this has come up for after Homecoming Dance or Prom. My kids know what the answer will be.

But, on another note, when they swam on summer swim team we let tham stay for an overnight at the pool. (They have pointed this out to me.) But, that was mixed age group, out in the open, with plenty of adults around.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

No way! My kids have already been told that would not be allowed so it won't be a surprise if they are ever invited.

The closest we've been to that is this year after prom. My 17yo senior daughter went to prom with a group of kids, the after prom school party which lasted through most of the night, and then an after-after get together at one of the houses. She didn't come home until about 9 or so in the morning. BUT, the parents took shifts and were with the kids at all times, someone always awake.

T&B

 

[Jenn Lynn]

The girls will probably all be wearing thongs and we know what that means!

I say no also.

 

[cruisnfamily]

We have one family we are very close with and DD12 and their DS12 have grown up together since age 5. If it was that family inviting my DD for a sleep over with their DS and there would be NO other boys or girls there and the parents would be there I would say yes. As a matter of fact, we offered to have the boy stay over just the other day due to some things going on at their place at the time and the boy turned it down as he didn't want to have to "hear about it" from his friends. Although they are just friends, the rest of the kids their age have a hard time believing it and not trying to turn it into something more. That is the only, and I mean only, situation in which I could even imagine saying yes.

The fact that you barely know the parents is a red flag too, you would have to know them really, really well as well as all the children attending. If this is a sleepover just for the fun of it, I wouldn't put my child in that situation. Peer pressure is tough for the kids.

 

[swilphil]

NOOOOOOOOOOO! Are these parents nuts?? Maybe you could let your son go to the party for a few hours earlier in the evening, but he would have to leave before "bedtime."

 

[crz4mm2]

No way. I can't believe any parent would ask.

 

[dg39]

Like NMAmy, I too amy fairly lenient with my dd. I try not to make a big deal out of alot of things. But, in this case, I'd have to say no. I wouldn't be comfortable letting my dd sleep over. What I would do, as another poster mentioned is let her go to the party and stay late, but would pick her up and she'd sleep home. But, knowing my dd, she probably wouldn't want to sleep over anyway. She'd be uncomfortable. I do have boys and girls come over to play and swim, etc. But, I wouldn't have them sleep over.

 

[funhouse8]

I have said "No" and to my surpised my kids seemed OK with that. I think that they are growing up way to fast and what is wrong with these parents. I know kids can do things even if they aren't sleeping over but why chance it.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Sounds like a "party" in disguise of a sleepover, maybe??? My answer is NO!