Sleepovers are considered a rite of passage for tweens, and your child will have many before reaching adulthood. Whether your tween is hosting or staying over at a friend’s, it doesn’t stop the worries that those tween sleepovers can bring. Here are some great tips on how to handle your tween’s first sleepover:
Ask questions
If you’re concerned about where your child is staying, make sure to ask the host parents questions about what they have planned for the night. There is no such thing as stupid questions, and if you have genuine worries that your child is unable to answer, do bring it up with the host’s parents. From bedtime to where your tween will be sleeping - if it’ll help calm your nerves, it’s worth asking. Other parents will understand your worries, and if they don’t, your tween should probably sleepover somewhere else.
Courtesy call
It’s always a good idea to inform the host parents of any issues that may pop up while your tween is staying over. Whether your child sleepwalks or wets the bed, it’s important that you discuss these possibilities with the host parents not just for courtesy, but for your own peace of mind. By offering your advice on how to handle these flare ups to help things go smoothly on the night. If there are still concerns however, it can be a good idea to move the next sleepover to your house.
Stay awake
You don’t have to stay awake all the night but it can be a good idea to have your phone at your bedside table with the ringer on high volume. So if the worst does occur and your tween rings you up crying in the middle of the night, you can be there straight away to pick them up. Make sure to reassure your tween that these things happen and they did the right thing by calling you. Only talk about what occurred if they want to and if they don’t, that’s perfectly ok too. If you don’t treat what occurred as a big deal, they won’t either.
Many sleepovers
There will be many dramas and of course, not every sleepover will run smoothly. Your tween’s first sleepover will be difficult, from separation anxiety to lack of sleep - it will take a while for both of you to come to grasps with being away from each other. But don't worry, like with many things, your tween will soon become a pro at sleepovers that it will soon become impossible to get them to stay at home at night.
