When I leave work today I will be heading home to prepare myself for my son’s 15th birthday sleepover party with five of his friends. I’m not sure where they will sleep or what they will do to entertain themselves but I anticipate that it will be very much my problem to solve. Or not.
My son wanted to have his friends over on a night when they could go directly to our home after school. Apparently it extends the day. Apparently they don’t see enough of each other all day. Apparently there may be basketballs on hand this evening….
Our home isn’t nearly large enough to accommodate six young men who like to jump around excitedly shooting hoops. There really isn’t enough time for me to be home after work to meet and greet them as they arrive. Thankfully they don’t care.
In my experience the best way through this is to go with the flow. I have learned to give in to timing, sleep arrangements and food requests.
TIMING: I would prefer the boys to arrive at my home after I have been home for an hour and done a quick tidy up. My son wants them all to follow him home after school and arrive whenever. He says it doesn’t matter if I’m not home when they arrive….
SLEEP ARRANGEMENTS: My preference would be for them to sleep in beds, in bedrooms, and tucked in before midnight. The last time my son went to a sleepover party at a friend’s house the mother had spread mattresses across the floor of the family room, expecting the boys would put themselves to bed in a civil manner by midnight, having brushed their teeth. Instead they slept where they fell at around 4am wearing the clothes they arrived in. None of them made it onto a mattress. I suspect tonight will be the same.
FOOD REQUESTS: Ideally I would have arranged a nice dinner with a birthday cake for my son and his friends. The boys have requested pizza. If I was Donna Hay I might make those pizzas from scratch. But the boys have their favourite brand of fast-food pizza and I now have the ordering app on my iphone for easy access. Why fight it.
This evening my house will be bustling and noisy and I will be worried about the neighbours. I will still be finding pieces of pizza behind and under sofas for days after. Personal hygiene will be the last thing on their minds. The control freak in me will be anxious as a result of all of this. But the boys will be really happy.