Do your kids want to invite their friends over for a sleepover? As a parent, it can be difficult knowing if it’s a good idea to have a sleepover. When deciding what’s right for your family, you’ll want to take into consideration how old your kids are, as well as if they’re ready for a night with friends.
How Old Are Your Kids?
When deciding if it’s a good idea to have a sleepover, you’ll want to think about how old your kids are. If your kids are younger, you might want to wait some time before having a sleepover. Younger kids tend to miss their parents easily, which can lead to a rough night with crying kids for you. If your kids are older, a sleepover can be a good idea if both you and your kids are ready for one.
Are They Ready?
No matter how old your child is, you’ll need to decide if they’re ready to have a sleepover. Take into consideration your child’s maturity level and whether or not they can handle a night with friends. Throw a mock sleepover to test if your kids are ready. Let them camp out in the living room and stay up a little later than usual. If they’re able to do this and not cause any problems during the night or the next day, then they might be ready to have a sleepover with friends.
Are You Ready?
Even if your child is ready to have a sleepover, you need to decide if you are ready as well. Hosting a sleepover is a lot of work for you. Depending on how old your kids are, you might need to worry about cleaning up after a bed wetting accident. You probably won’t get a lot of sleep since you’ll check in with the kids throughout the night. Before allowing your kids to have a sleepover, make sure you’re ready for the extra responsibilities.
Set the Rules
If you’ve decided that having a sleepover is a good idea, you’ll want to set some rules. Even if your kids are younger, you might want to consider setting the rule that your son can invite boys only and your daughter can invite girls only. Although there is nothing wrong with your kids having friends of the opposite sex, it can be inappropriate for them to spend the night. You might also want to consider your rules when it comes to what time lights go off, as well as where everyone will sleep. Once you set the rules, make your expectations clear to your child and their friends.
Let’s discuss: Do you allow your kids to have sleepovers? What are some rules you have in place?
