If you have a young child who is starting to create their first friendships, play dates and gatherings will naturally occur. And at one point, somebody is going to ask to host a sleepoever….and sleepovers can be a challenge.  They can become an issue for so many different reasons. 

One of our kids (I won’t say which!) really had trouble falling asleep; they would read lots of books in bed and that helped.  When this child would sleep at someone else’s house though, he was always that kid who was the last to fall asleep.   FYI, that is not convenient for the parents hosting the sleepover!  The other didn’t like to read to themselves at bedtime, and they didn’t like to be away from “Mommy”.  There were often tears.  Just to reassure you young parents, they are both completely independent now- my, how things have changed!

Some kids have health issues that present challenges, some have dietary restrictions, and some just have separation anxiety.

There is a cute, sweet story about this topic.  We can read it to our kids just to enjoy a funny story, but it can also help that child who is a bit nervous about spending the night AWAY from Mom and Dad:   Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber.

Here’s how it starts:  

“I was invited to sleep

at Reggie’s house.

Was I happy!

I had never slept at a

friend’s house before.

But I had a problem.

It began when my sister said:

“Are you taking your teddy bear along?”

…..Because you never slept without

your teddy bear before.

How will you feel sleeping without

your teddy bear for the very

first time?    Hmmmmmmmmm?”

You can see where this is going with the sibling as the antagonist.  Is that a familiar family dynamic? The humor in this story is clever, with just the right amount of sweet and sassy.

Ira has to figure out how to solve his problem. So much of what we teach our kids is about decision making.  Having a story with an example of how to work things out can be useful to us as we parent and to our kids as they relate to and connect with characters. As we BOOK TIME WITH OUR KIDS, we can also talk about and help them figure out solutions to real-life issues.

Ira’s sister does not let up, but Ira figures out what do to. I won’t tell you what he decides, but there is a sleepful ending!

Thank goodness, as our kids got older, large sleepovers became less appealing.  One or two close friends staying over became more of the norm.  “Llego forts” were designed and built, and dance routines were carefully choreographed with one or two favorite friends. Going to sleep actually became a possibility.  I wish someone would write a children’s book about how sleepovers aren’t all that great- something like, “Why Perfect Parties End at 8:00!”  Hmmmmmmmmm…….?

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