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Slumber Parties And Sleep-overs

What is your opinion on girls having slumber parties and boys having sleep-overs?

What age do you think is appropriate?

How many kids at a time?

How much supervision?

What to do if behaviour becomes uncontrolled?

Sleep-overs Parties Slumber

I think it is great for kids to have slumber parties/sleep overs. Even though I came from a large family, we were only allowed to have one friend sleep over at a time. We didn't have enough beds or floor room for slumber parties. I went to slumber parties starting when I was 8. I loved them.

How many giggly 8yr old girls can you handle? Start with one friend and see how that goes. Then progress up, adding one at a time.

Does your daughter want to have a slumber party? Perhaps if you can get a girlfriend to stay over and help you out, it might not be such a big project for you. Keep it simple, don't overdo the snacks.

Enough to overhear, yet not be seen by the kids.

Tell them from the get-go what is acceptable and what is not. Decide ahead of time where your limit is, then be sure that the girls understand that if any of them cross that limit the stay-over/slumber party is off. Every one goes home. Not just the one who mis-behaved, but all of them. Be sure the parents know your rules and limits too, and that they will abide by them.

I know this sounds cruel and harsh, but believe me it really is fair. That is why if you have more than three of your daughters friends over you really should have a girlfriend helping you out. IF you have to take the girls home, there should be two adults in the car with the children.

Before you undertake this, go to your ward librarian and borrow Teach The Child video. Watch it, then use it's suggestions when you set your limits, & rules.

Edited: AGene on 15th Feb, 2004 - 3:10am

Slumber Parties And Sleep-overs Reviews Consumer & Travel Family Culture

Not to be negative, but in these modern times I do not know if such things are good. Recently there was a case here where a boy went to a friend's pool party (not even a slumber party). The pool party was for a friend's birthday and these were all 10-11 year olds. Well it so hapen that boy drowned, at least that is what an investigation revealed, but the mother was not satisfied with that answer and ordered a private autopsy that revealled the boy was buggered and then drowned. Sad and sick, but when you send kids into another home, no matter how nice they seem you really do not know what they will be exposed to.

Sleep-overs Parties Slumber

I have misgivings about them also. I remember when I was very young, our nextdoor neighbors were an "older" couple with a very young daughter about my age. Once when I was there (or maybe more than once, that's all I remember), the father actually exposed himself to me!! I pretty much freaked out. And that was during the day, and in front of his daughter also.

So I worry about that sort of thing, in addition to violence, etc. And I remember some of the weird things we did when my sisters and I were kids and having sleepovers... a dozen girls with no real supervision get into all kinds of trouble...

I wouldn't mind having kids *here* I guess, but I don't really want my daughter going to someone else's. I don't want her watching inappropriate TV shows, or listening to some of that awful music that's going on nowadays, and I already know some of her friends do those things.

So I guess I get to be the "koolaid mom" in our neighborhod if I want her to stay close to home....

IMO
Roz

Sleep-overs Parties Slumber

I used to have no problems whatsoever about sleep overs but the world have become so corrupt that I don't trust things like that anymore, even more in this country where sexual crimes are the order of the day.

Slumber Parties And Sleep-overs

Honestly I believe that sleep-overs/slumber-parties can start when your is around 6-8 years old.

My mother, Head Lady person(dont know name) for the LaMonte Girl Scouts, held a slumber-party for the Girls in her area. Of course LaMonte is small, around 3000 ppl but still dangerous as a city.
Anyways, she had one adult to every 4 girls, with a total of 5 adults(for some reason she counted me in), but we only had around 12 girls that could stay the night, so the ratio went up.
But you should ultimently decide if you want 1, 2, 6, or 20 adults there...It depends on how well you can handle large or even simi-large groups of kids, either boys or girls.
I would go with a 1:5 Ratio...but remember to count your spouse(if you can trust them) also.

Slumber Parties Sleep-overs

In this day and age, I would have serious misgivings about my children having sleepovers at other people's houses.
I know it all sounds like great fun, but can you seriously 100% state that you know the full background/history of their school friends family?
I wouldn't have a problem with my kids having friends over to stay, at the end of the day though, it's all about being able to trust the family that you are letting your kids stay with!

Slumber Parties Sleep-overs Culture Family Travel & Consumer Reviews

What is your opinion on girls having slumber parties and boys having sleep-overs?
I personally don't have a problem with it, but I only allow my daughter to sleep over at houses where we know the parents, and have developed a relationship with them in the past. Currently that amounts to about 3 set of homes in all. One of them is across the street from us.

What age do you think is appropriate?
I think 10 and older is appropriate. That is about the age we started letting our daughter sleep over at other houses. At first it was only one kid's house, then once we developed a relationship with another kid's family, we allowed a sleep over there. And so on. I have to know the parents, before I let my kids go over there.

How many kids at a time?
I am very strict about this and only allow one at a time. I believe there is too much room for mischief when there are more than 2 kids. Plus the distraction for the parents can become to great. 1 is definitely the limit.

How much supervision?
When kids come over to our house, if they are not in my daughter's bedroom, which is controlled, ie, we know what is in there, then the basement is the only other room we allow the girls to socialize in. If they are outside, then they are supervised as much as when my daughter is outside. No going over to other people's houses in the neighborhood.

What to do if behavior becomes uncontrolled?
Call the parents. This actually happened one time. The girl that came over was just bouncing off the walls, and it was 1am and she still wasn't asleep. We called the parents and told them and had them come get her. Needless to say she never came over again. Some kids just are not ready to be at other people's houses in my opinion.

The whole sleep-over bit does not happen very often with us. I would rather have kids come over and spend a day or vice versa, but go home to sleep. I don't have a very good reason for this, it is more of a comfort level with me. When I am home, I want to be able to feel comfortable, especially at night. When there is someone over, especially a kid, I get anxious and feel I need to monitor them all the time, and that takes away from my comfort level. I think that is my problem, but that is just the way I feel.