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Adele Hamilton, Editor Parent24
My first sleepover was at age 6, at our next-door neighbours' house.
I cried solidly from 9pm until 10.30, at which point the mom walked me home in her fluffy slippers and her dressing gown, reeking of resentment.
Flash forward 35 years, and Joel is walked home by an equally grumpy neighbour. Some of us just don't have that sleepover gene.
It's a delicate question: do I trust this person enough to leave my child with them the whole night? And can my kid handle it?
An adult friend recently told us that he was not allowed to sleep over at a friend's house until he left home. And that he deeply resented it from around age 11, and felt it had stunted his ability to make close friendships.
The teen years do seem to revolve around long nights of bonding. They move in a noisy, happy pack, make popcorn at midnight and have a ball shouting abuse at each other over the X-Box.
This got us thinking about all the things children need to be the right age for:
Too young for fun?
Early teen drinkers at risk
Ready for school
Dad, where's my car?
What's your take on sleepovers and this other stuff? Is there a right age?
I cried solidly from 9pm until 10.30, at which point the mom walked me home in her fluffy slippers and her dressing gown, reeking of resentment.
Flash forward 35 years, and Joel is walked home by an equally grumpy neighbour. Some of us just don't have that sleepover gene.
It's a delicate question: do I trust this person enough to leave my child with them the whole night? And can my kid handle it?
An adult friend recently told us that he was not allowed to sleep over at a friend's house until he left home. And that he deeply resented it from around age 11, and felt it had stunted his ability to make close friendships.
The teen years do seem to revolve around long nights of bonding. They move in a noisy, happy pack, make popcorn at midnight and have a ball shouting abuse at each other over the X-Box.
This got us thinking about all the things children need to be the right age for:
Too young for fun?
Early teen drinkers at risk
Ready for school
Dad, where's my car?
What's your take on sleepovers and this other stuff? Is there a right age?
