Amazingly…
She made it!! I dropped her at her friend’s house around 5pm, and she called once and came home (with a friend) once before 7pm. I walked them back, stayed to sing "Happy Birthday", and hugged my sobbing daughter. I told her I thought she could do this, and I was just up the street if she needed me – to talk, or to come get her. The kids had already tie-dyed shirts, and were going to have S’mores in the back yard, then play Twister…and so they did. I stayed up till 1:30am waiting for the call that didn’t come – and I was amazed, proud of my daughter, and very lonely & sad. I know she needs to be a strong, independent woman – and she WILL be! I was always very close to my Mom, and my daughter & I will probably go the same way. I am glad she had a great time – but when I got her at 10am this morning, she was sobbing again…I was informed by my friend (B’s friend’s Mom) that the girls didn’t sleep, which we both expected. This made for 5 extremely grouchy, wired, happy/sad/laughing/crying little girls. Yay! LOL – I was laughing inside, but wouldn’t DARE to laugh on the outside – my kid probably would’ve swung at me. 😉
All day today, Boo has been crying and telling me how miserable she was in missing me last night. She’d tell me some fun thing they did, smile through that, and then add "…but I missed you SO MUCH!!" and break down sobbing again. 🙁 We went upstairs to lay on the bed & rest, and she FOUGHT that so hard, I had to get firm with my voice…which she hates…I told her that if she kept fighting rest, and didn’t at least try to get her mind calm (which I can’t do for her, would that I could) & rein in the tears, she’d end up dehydrated again, and would be likely to be sick. I decided to institute the "Afternoon Quiet Hour" that I’ve been thinking about…we went into her room, and I told her the rules: Lay on the bed and rest. She may: Read, Play her DS, or play with dolls/toys as long as she remains laying down and is quiet. She didn’t like that – but I turned her radio on to NPR, and set it’s timer to go off when the hour was up. I said that I was going to leave her room & do some things, and she could come out/down when the radio went off. Again, she didn’t like it – but she managed it – and she’s been a little calmer the rest of this afternoon.
Tonite, after Edwin had come home, Boo showed us what she got in her Goody Bag. Before I show you, I just want to say that I detest the idea of Goody bags at birthday parties – but this Mom did it very well…she was funny about it, and that was cool. The things she gave the girls, they used at the party – a Crazy Straw, some other toy, lip gloss, and…well, see for yourself. 🙂
Of course, Mom & Dad had to get in on it.
Edwin said I look like Charlie Chaplin in them:
So, now she’s upset that she’s so tired, and thinks that the sleepover "wasn’t such a good idea after all"…I tried to explain to her that one doesn’t plan on SLEEPING at a sleepover, but that upset her, too. Ah, well – hopefully she’ll want to do it again sometime!
Thanks for your support, my friends. 🙂
Sleepover aftermath = not pretty! Good for her (and you) though!! I hate the goodybag thing too! For Owen’s 5th bday party last month we did a happy bday pencil & Dover car activity book and for M’s bday tomorrow she had the brilliant idea of getting everybody a flower. So $4 later, I had 10 petunias and that’s going to cover it. And it’s not a cheap plastic toy that’ll break in 2 days.
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oh my my!! What an experience.
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you handled it very well!
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I don’t get the idea of a sleepover that doesn’t involve sleep. Since we started doing them, we have had a hard and fast rule and that is “you have come to SLEEP over, not PLAY over, and the lights go out at 10. Period.” Fortunately, all our friends have instituted similar rules, and it makes for reasonable children in the morning. So much so, that I actually broke down and let K have a sleepover on the second-to-last-day of school this year.
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May her next sleepover be more fun and less stressful for both of you. 🙂
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I’m so glad Boo had a great time! I can’t even remember Sarah’s first “official” sleepover but I have so many cousins and nieces and nephews that from the time she was little, she was always sleeping over at someone’s house or they were over our house “sleeping” over. Hopefully you’ll all get some rest tonight and be completely recovered by tomorrow. *s* Take care.
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Ah, what a big girl! That is indeed a HUGE milestone – and now that you write about it I’m remembering all the mornings after, when my girls are RAVING SLEEP-DEPRIVED LUNATICS! For some reason you look absolutely ADORABLE in the Charlie Chaplin glasses! 😉
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A sleepover is a rite of passage, I think she did pretty well for her first time! LOL at the Groucho glasses! 8)
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That first one is always the hardest! Hopefully next time she’ll know more what they are like and really enjoy herself! 🙂
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I’m like Brandie with so many nieces and nephews that a “first” sleep over escapes me, and Cait was always so independent that she came out being that way LOL I do recall sleep overs where kids slept and some where they did not and I just remember a basic madness the next day where I was glad when moms or dads came to collect 😉 But sleep overs are a rite of passage and I am so glad Boo made it through, even with her sobs! she’s a brave little girl!
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Congratulations to you both for passing that milestone!
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And YOU made it, too!!! Love the glasses. 🙂 Quiet hour is a very good idea. I might have to start that for myself. 😉 *hugs*
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I don’t understand the popularity of sleep-overs. They are so stressful for the kids and the parents.
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I don’t think Isabella has done a friends sleepover yet. But she’s done the cousins quite a few times.
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RYN. I also read that Americans do sign language using just one hand, and the lady that was signing last night said the same. Maybe there are different sorts of signing in the one country?
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I hope overall Boo felt it was a good time. I loved sleepovers when I was a kid- but I’ve always been a nightowl & I don’t think the lack of sleep had any negative effect on me. I guess I should ask my mother if she remembers it the same way. RYN- I’ve posted a couple pictures on FB, plan on uploading them here too but just haven’t gotten to it yet.
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Precious Boo! You know you’re doing something right when, in a battle between you vs. s’mores, tie-dye and a sleepover, you come out the prevailing champion ♥
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Poor Boo! It’s hard growing up. I still struggle. 🙂
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We’re not at sleepover age – yet. That’s one of the many reasons I love reading about Life with Boo – you give me a picture of what’s going to happen in our family in a few years!
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aaaw..another thing I’ll be a basketcase for ;p RYN: Yeah..d & c..I was in a rush and was upset.
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I’m not looking forward to sleep over stage. Just not. BTW – I don’t think I have your # in my cell anymore and we were over on your side of the river yesterday!
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