  |
|
|
|
"Mom, can Eric spend the night?" Inviting your child's friend over for the night, sounds like a big deal? It doesn't have to be. A little planning will make this event fun for the children without being overly demanding on you, the host parent.
There are benefits to having sleep overs other than having fun. *Children like to share their family with their friends. There's no age limit for sleep overs but each age group has different needs. When the parents know each other, some children as young as pre-schoolers can sleep over at their friends house. "I like being the host mother. I know exactly what's going on with my kids," says Alice P., mother of two boys aged 5 and 7. "I prefer everyone here, with me." Some parents will not allow their children to sleep away until they reach eight, nine or until they're teenagers. Slumber parties happen more as the teenage years progress. "There is no actual sleeping at slumber parties. I think that is a common mistake a lot of mothers make. The parents - who holler out of their bedroom at 10, at 11, at 12, at 1, at 2 to BE QUIET! - are only aggravating themselves," warns Joy L., mother of three teenage girls. "A word of advice is to limit to number of children sleeping over." Does the idea of having strangers in your house make you feel uncomfortable? Have the child over for a visit before the sleep over. It is important for the relationship to be at a level where both children and the families feel comfortable. Children who are friends at school might need a little more getting acquainted with one another than in the school yard. There are children who get along when they meet for the first time. The child sleeping over needs to feel at home for the sleep over to go smoothly. "Young visitors should always bring a comfort object from home. They may not want to pack it, but will appreciate it once it's there in the middle of the night when they are scared in a stranger and dark house," advises Lucy M., mother of seven children and host to many sleep overs.
The copyright of the article Rest Easy With Well-Planned Sleep Overs in Early Childhood Education is owned by Marie-Helen Goyetche. Permission to republish Rest Easy With Well-Planned Sleep Overs in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
|
|
|
