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There’s a Reason They Call It a ‘Stay-Up-Over’
I didn’t plan on causing chaos, really. Sure, I played a part in a wild chain reaction fueled by sugar and excitement. Honestly, who in their right mind lets a group of six 5-year-olds sleep over? While other kids were enjoying pizza parties or clowns, my idea of a fun night was a Fudgie the Whale cake with a Nesquik chaser. After Fudgie, things can only go downhill.
And where did we crash? The bathroom, of course! What better spot for a birthday princess to host a zero-dark-thirty pretend game? “You, my loyal subjects, must entertain us! Climb up on the edge of the bathtub and dangle from the shower curtain rod for our amusement!”
Five-year-olds may seem delicate, but you’d be surprised at the kind of destruction they can wreak. Six of them hanging from a shower curtain rod bolted into tiled walls? It was an amateur DIY disaster waiting to happen.
When that rod came crashing down, we scattered like cockroaches, and I was the leading rat princess, racing to my room. I made it there 30 seconds ahead of my mom. Breathless and sweaty, snuggled in my sleeping bag, I pretended I was asleep. “Wha-what was that?” I stammered when she came in.
I tried to play innocent, but my mom wasn’t buying it. “We’ll discuss this in the morning. If you think you’ll ever have another sleepover, think again.”
But let’s be real—we weren’t actually sleeping. We were troublemaking! My mom learned quickly that sleepovers are more about mischief than rest. She kept her promise, limiting my sleepovers to one friend at a time after the infamous Fudgie incident.
As for me, I thought I’d hold off on sleepovers for my kids until they were at least 10. But my oldest turned 10 in February and has already had over 25 sleepovers!
When she was nearing third grade, my daughter had been pestering me for her first sleepover. “Not yet,” I’d say. “When Mommy and Daddy think you’re ready.” We worried about the families we didn’t know well—what if they had loaded guns or served trans fats?
But then we made friends with a neighbor who had a daughter just about to start third grade. The girls clicked instantly and even shared the sacred Oreo-eating method (twist and lick!). So when they both asked for a sleepover, I caved.
We sent my daughter over one night, and a week later, we hosted her friend. As expected, our house was filled with laughter, snacks, and hand-drawn friendship posters, punctuated by my gentle reminders to get ready for bed.
The whole experience felt like a rite of passage, and when my daughter was out of the house for the first time, it hit me how fast she was growing up. I was both proud and a little sad that she didn’t call home in the middle of the night asking to come back.
However, one thing I totally forgot was how little actual sleep happens at sleepovers. No amount of arranging sleeping bags or telling them to go to bed could keep them from staying up late, chatting and giggling. They’ve outgrown the days when a long day’s play would knock them out. Now, they’re older and more intent on making the most of their night together.
While they didn’t manage to destroy a bathroom this time, my daughter and her friend definitely showed that sleepovers should be called wakeovers. It’s more of a snooze-not or stay-uplate situation. It reminds me of that line from The Princess Bride, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Maybe we should call it a giggletogether or a chattyallnight instead.
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Summary
Sleepovers may be dubbed as times for rest, but they often turn into late-night adventures filled with laughter and fun. As kids grow, the dynamics of sleepovers evolve, leading to more giggles and less sleep. It’s a rite of passage for both kids and parents, reminding us of the fleeting nature of childhood.