Riddle me this, pennywise parents. How old is old enough to let your little one go on a sleepover at a friend's house?
I ask because sleepovers for kids is a topic of hot debate among my mum-friends and I.
And with three kids ranging in age from two years old to almost 12 years old, it's a topic I seem to keep re-visiting every few years.
I'm not talking about staying with relatives overnight for the first time or even sleeping over at the house of a family friend who is practically family. Nope, I mean the first proper sleepover where your kid gets invited to a party of a classmate, and the invite clearly states that the plan is for the kids to overdose on sugar and then stay up all night nattering in the name of 'sleeping over'.
Perhaps it's obvious from my tone that I'm not a huge fan of sleepovers and have yet to allow my eldest child to have one, despite the fact that he's high-school bound and most of his mates crossed this milestone yonks ago.
I didn't go on a sleepover until I was well into double figures and even then, I don't exactly look back on the experience fondly. So I'm in no rush to allow any of my kids to go on a sleepover and I can totally live with the fact that this means they think I'm over-protective and pretty lame.
So I want to hear your views. How old is old enough to be allowed to go on a sleepover at a classmate's house? And if, like me, you're less than in love with the whole notion of sleepovers, what is it about them that bothers you?
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One of my eldest friends keeps mentioning it, I never know what to say so scoot round the subject. He's 7 now but don't want him stopping anywhere apart from family really.
I guess for everyone saying staying with family and friends almost family-like that's another issue, the case of staying over with school (or similar) friends, is a bit frightening for me as a mother. I see the parents at pick up and drop off and I interact with them, identify they are good people. But, the ever there but, is that enough ever in this day and age with all the crazy things that you hear and read in the news...I know we can't keep them wrapped in cotton wool forever but can't we just keep them as safe as possible within our power? Or is that stopping them from developing as their own person?
My daughter's about to start high school and the fact that there's already so much in her life that I have no control over I guess this is something I'd like to hold her back from just for that bit longer until she's truly ready knowing good from bad...
I am in two minds about it all my 5 year old has already asked when can she go to one, if they are younger at least they might get some sleep?! Wouldn't really want to host one myself unless it was a child I really knew. I went to them and hosted them myself from about 11 ultimately they were good fun!