A Pre-Teen Slumber Party by Lita Lane
Published April 25, 2013
Earlier this year I asked my 11 year old daughter what was on her birthday wish list. She looked at me with her beautiful big brown eyes and enthusiastically said …. “Pleeeeeeese Mom I really want a slumber party, nothing else just a slumber party!” Well in retrospect I should have guessed this – at twelve what is better than hanging out with six of your best friends, having pillow fights, staying up most of the night talking about boys, sleeping in a sleeping bag, in a custom designed Arabia style tent I’d add, pizza, cake, popcorn, make up, nail polish and the tried and true “Truth or Dare”?
Not that I make a habit of denying my children the important milestones in their lives but I did hesitate on this one for about two seconds then came to the conclusion: wasn’t I totally capable of handling seven pre-teen girls? Besides, what kind of woman/mother am I if I can’t relate to seven twelve year olds – all at once, and then manage to have them cooperate with me? And, it’s still very predominant in my mind that I am totally capable of functioning on a couple hours of sleep right??
Ok, so first on my agenda, assuming my daughter would conveniently or temporarily forget these points, was to make clear our house rules such as: no screaming, no running, no throwing food, no loud music, shoes left at the door, TV and music turned off by 10:00 PM, no leaving the house …. just to name a few. Then when she had digested all of this and still wanted a slumber party I explained to her what was expected as the hostess of a party: treat each guest with kindness and graciousness, tend to their every whim and demand … you’ve got the idea, I was trying to dissuade her. I’ve brought her up to know her own mind so she was unrelenting.
All in all it was a fabulous party but importantly it was a brilliant opportunity affording me insight into the girls that my daughter has chosen to be her friends and with whom she spends about 40 hours of her time each week.