I'm not really a fan of sleepovers as a parent. For obvious reasons. But as Lucy gets a little older and a little giggly-er, and a little more interested in friends, I can almost hear the requests, "Mom, can I?" "Mom,
please!??"
I can almost hear those words. But not quite yet. And because we're still just on the brink of that era, I decided that we needed to have some kind of proactive, preemptive discussion about sleepovers.
So for her birthday, I gave her a pair of new pj's and a coupon good for one summer sleepover, with one friend (of my choosing), which she and I would plan together. But the real idea was that as we planed, we'd also discuss my feelings and a few rules about sleepovers in general.
The plan worked well, and as we worked on an invitation together, picked out fabric and sewed up a couple of pillows for her much anticipated "pillow talk" party, we spent a lot of time discussing why sleepovers often aren't a great idea, and that I might say no to many, or even most, future sleepover requests. But in the light of the little party we were prepping for, I think Lucy understood that even though there might be "no's," to deal with, there will also be occasional "yes's" - always on my terms regarding who, where, and when.
Lucy was so excited when Cambree showed up at 4:00. The girls played and played before dinner, mostly making up skits.
Then they came in to be my kitchen assistants, we had lots of laughs when we simply couldn't get the cheese fondu to melt right. In the end, it was edible, if not perfect, and they were good sports.
But the chocolate worked fine. So that was a win.
Sparklers and nail polish were next on Lucy's preplanned agenda,
And a round of
Sleeping Queens seemed an appropriate last minute addition.
In the morning we ate cereal sundaes for breakfast,
(the meal I remember my mom preparing for my first sleepover), and then the girls were happy to pose with their pillows and slippers before we took Cambree home.
Such a fun time with a friend we LOVE!
