Sleepovers...Who Needs Them?!

Last night one of Grace's friends slept over. This prompted begging from her younger sister,Chloe," Mom can I please have Dana sleep over? It's not fair...I never get my friends." She was as composed as any five year old could be.
-This was a serious moment in Chloe history.
-This was followed by a pouty puss that left me wishing that other parents would see "the sleepover light" and turn it on!
I was left gazing into those incredible sea blue eyes...those sorrowful, baby blues.
Someday they will melt the heart of a boy but today they were working their magic on Mama.
They left me feeling so badly for her, my baby.

The SLEEPOVER is a constant topic with the average kid. AS Friday approaches you are bound to hear...
What night can my friend?...When can they come over?...Can we pick them up?... Please, please???...MOOooOOoMMMMM!!! "It's been so long, please." "So and So's" Mom wants to talk to yoOOouuUUUUU!!!!"
It's never ending.
It's extra WORK for Mommy.
The weekend is no longer the end of the work week when you are a parent.
SLEEPOVERS...let's see.
The kids will all think you're a cool Mom and Dad...(like that really matters at the end of the day.)
It's better than THEM staying somewhere else!
At least we know our girls are safe.
They love them!

SOLD!!!

Have you been there? If not your time will come.
Just wait.
We all, as parents, want to be ready. We want our kids to be independent enough to make it through the night when the time comes. 


...OR DO WE?!

Come on,
...In your heart of hearts you, (yes you...) will never be truly angry at the 1, 2 or 3 a.m. phone call from the groggy Mom or Dad or Kid at the "other house."

ADMIT IT!!

QUICK!

Throw on your coat.

Warm up the car.

Watch your breathe ice up and freeze in the air.

Now get your child.

YOU WANT YOUR BABY HOME.
As much as you want alone time with your husband or wife...
...and an uncrowded bed...
YOU WANT YOUR BABY HOME.

 I feel the same way. I will never let my daughters know this, of course. That goes against the "kid code."No matter what age your kids are they will always want to feel "big." No harm in keeping that "big" feeling alive.
It would be wrong of me to smother my children, never letting them seek out the bonds and memories that their social circles offer. The sleepover is a right of passage amongst grades k - ???????????????

Do we ever stop?
No.
My friends still sleep over when visiting from other towns, states or countries.
Elementary school is the beginning of the familiar ritual.

Every girl needs to be able to stay up all night giggling loudly and getting yelled at by someone else's Dad.
-Alien homes are the "stuff of dreams."
I have many memories of my Grandfather, "Bull," hitting the ceiling with a broom and screaming "Quiet up there or I'll come up with a rolled paper!! (empty threats)
My room was just over the living room.
Years later I find myself in similar shoes. After multiple attempts at getting Gracie and her friend to quit the giggling on the top bunk and go to sleep before waking Chloe (who was on the bottom) I gave them one last chance.
I aired my most sugary, sweet voice and gently said this," Giiiiirrls. If you don't quiet down and go to sleep one of you will be taken out of here and will have to sleep in Addi's room."

THAT DID IT.
SILENCE.
It was midnight, but they were asleep and fast.
I had won. With a whisper of a voice they had gotten the message. What a glorious Mommy moment!

Chloe now begged for the same right that her thirteen month older sister had. How can I successfully get my five year old to understand that she is the EXCEPTION to the sleepover rule for kindergartners?
Most her age aren't ready to take this leap...or more accurately, their parents aren't ready.
 ---PARENTAL CONCERNS---
I don't know many parents that are willing to let their five year old leave "the nest" for an entire night.

---MY TASK---

Make Chloe happy.
Find another COOL KID...
that happens to have COOL PARENTS.
Please note...This sounds easier than it is.
I believe in unicorns although I've never seen any.
Therefore I believe in the cool kid/cool parent combo!

WAIT. 
THERE'S MORE!

This made up, COOL KID, with the COOL PARENTS should also be the youngest of three children or maybe the second child in a house with four kids. Other combinations may be deemed acceptable...but less likely to have a high success rate.
This is my MOMMY SLEEPOVER SUCCESS WISH LIST...for Chloe and her happiness, of course!

The MOMMY SLEEPOVER SUCCESS WISH LIST for CHLOE is unfortunately, I fear, doomed to failure until at least mid- year- first grade.

Grace got lucky. Some of her closest friends from pre - school moved up to elementary school with her. These were her "bestest buddies." We had lost a few along the way due to the battle of the sexes and sleepover rules regarding boys. Ultimately, we had all known each other for four years and felt comfortable kid swapping.

My oldest, Addi is not a sleepover kind of girl. She loves our house. She tries to love others but always makes that middle of the night call to come back to our little green house. She has been banned from one home because they are tired of being woken up! Jim and I are perfectly content with this.
We'd keep all three of our bugs home every weekend if they didn't have such strong yearnings to socialize.

Our kids are social beings!
They network!
...so strange. (You know that you were thinking the same thing. When did it happen?)

If Chloe is lucky one of her friends will eventually be able to spend the night at our house. I'd much rather they stay here. Lack of sleep, more Mommy "work"...I don't care. It feels good to have a house full of kids even when half of them don't belong to me.

I got up early today, way before the girls. I had a breakfast tea party to prepare.