Arghhhh stupid, idea for a party/bloody sleepover.

[DustyOwl]

My DS was 10 on Tuesday. He wanted to "be dropped in the forest with a tent and some friends, so they could have a 2 night adventure."

5 (plus DS) have ended up at a sleepover in our lounge. 2 of them kept talking until 12, so I sat on the stairs until 1, when they all went quiet. Then I heard 2 of them at 5. I am back on the bloody stairs. There is no way I'm sending them home at 9, with 4 hours sleep. They are all back asleep, except one that keeps trying to wake the others up!

I am literally posting this to say "Arggghhhhhh". I will stay on these stairs until 7 if I have to. No more sleepovers, ever. Not until they are 18. Not until they have their own house. Not until hell freezes over. (Until you say anything I do realise this is impossible.)

He shares a birthday with his friend. His friend had a sleepover last week.

I formally apologise to my Mum. The sleepovers might have been amazing when I was a kid. We might still laugh about the stuff that happened, even now. I am so sorry! I'm sorry for the time I woke you up at 3am and "just to let you know, we are going up to the rec to play football." "NO YOU ARE NOT."

For the time I woke my baby sister up at 5am, even though we were in the garden in a tent.

For the time you picked me up at 4am because I had lost my money and I couldn't get a taxi (I wasn't ten by then.)

My children are never, ever going out. They will be home by 7 every night.

We had even considered DC4. I am NOT doing broken nights/no sleep again. DH is getting the snip tomorrow. (He will be getting up at 7 to take over and feed them by the way.)

Rant over. I am sorry for all other parents who have had no sleep tonight, for whatever reason. Hats off to those who do this every night. Sod this for a game of soldiers. (Yet another phrase I have taken from my mum, which amuses my DH.)

I have had 4 hours sleep.

Share your pain. If I don't reply I may even have got some sleep.

Oh. And thank you to Mumsnet. You nest of (lovely) vipers have kept me going.

Ha ha. I remember "sleep" overs as a child. I was always so wiped out the next day I would vomit through sheer exhaustion.

Sleep overs are a bloody stupid thing and DD is banned without even knowing about it!! Be calm in the knowledge that never again is perfectly acceptable.

Arent sleepovers for staying awake as long as possible?
Id leave them to it and get some sleep. They are old enough to wake you if there is an issue.

A wise woman at work (kids now grown up) told me that the sleepovers had evolved so the kids came for food, films, games even got into their pj's; then got dropped home at 11.30. Late night but chance for a lie in. Why did I not listen?!?!?

Why are you on the stairs?

Good point Newjob but I will have to deal with a foul 10 year old, who will be mean to his brother tomorrow/ today. I'm sure 1am-7 will still feel like being awake all night, it does to me.

Can't move off the stairs as I think they may actually have gone to sleep and our stairs were created by a musical carpenter, which are creamier than my knees. Great for when they are trying to crawl in at 3am as teens, not good now.

Aha, well originally I sat here to shhh when the two noisy ones tried to wake up the rest. I am now a bit stuck. (Creaky stairs/knees/ now wide awake.)

(In all seriousness I do have one who gets quite poorly with no sleep. I forgot how you literally get no sleep at a sleepover. It's been a long time since I was at one and this is the first. It's a steep learning curve.)

If you expected anything different you are remarkably naive! Why so so many people make problems for themselves then get uptight about the obvious consequences??

This is only lighthearted uptightness really. In one way I have killed lots of play dates in one swoop. In another it was actually a fairly cheap birthday party. They will all recover and I do fondly remember all the sleepovers I had. I will probably take mine down the beach today for a splash and a run and then a nice early night.

You're being a martyr OP. Leave them to it.

Your son can nap later, the parents will expect them to be tired. What else did you think would happen?

You are more conscientious than me. I would have gone to bed and contented myself with yelling 'Shut up!' down the stairs at intervals.

I don't understand why you were sat on the stairs after 1am instead of the in middle of the room watching them like an owl. Or separating the noisy one / saying you would call his parents and take him home.

I know it was light-hearted, but I'd be pretty annoyed if my DC came home after staying up so incredibly late, it would completely wipe any Saturday plans for the family.

Unless they were waking YOU up, I think you should leave them to it! It's kind of the point of sleepovers to get no sleep

I am in my mid-30s now but I have very fond memories of being a total shit in my own and other peoples' houses sleepovers in my early teens. It's a right of passage!

I'm not on the stairs anymore! Chilling with a cup of tea. Then back to sleep for an hour or two. DH can do breakfasts and drop offs. All good.

Seriously, that was lighthearted. I was aware of the lack of sleep. Sleepover ticked off, not to be repeated for a long time.

Most have had 7/8 hours sleep now. Only one fidgety, whispering rustler.

Why were you sitting up all night on the stairs? One night without sleep won't do any long tern damage - they're making lovely memories (still some of my best memories from childhood are staying up late giggling with friends). They'll catch up the sleep the next night.

Surely you send your child to a sleepover expecting them not to get any sleep? That's the whole point!

I've had broken sleep last night (and every night previous for nearly a year). I am making notes.

Because of a baby.

I feel your pain we had the same. Bloody nightmare it was too. One sparko on the floor and 3 YABBERING on till 2am then up like larks at 6am. FML.

I detest sleepovers!

I had seven 10 year olds in a tent in the garden with me in a one man tent next to them. At 1.00 am I finally lost it and said if the last two who kept keeping everyone else awake didn't shut up they would be going home. Then at 5.00 am the first one needed a wee which woke up the lot. I put a film on at that point to stop them waking the younger siblings in the house. Max 4 hours sleep. But I think it's to be expected and anyone who expects their child back from a sleepover well-rested is kidding themselves.

Bon, we nearly did a tent. Hats off to you! We did fire and marshmallows. All parents are good friends. We have survival plans in place for today. Seriously going to give my mum a big hug when I see her.

I can remember collecting my daughter after a sleepover... she was deathly pale and actually hugged me on arrival ( most out of character ) it turns out the rest of them had been fuelled up on haribos ( my veggie daughter declined ) and none of them had let her get any sleep at all the whole night . Was the last one she ever went to. She was asleep in the car in mins.

Oh l remember sitting on the stairs for my ds 11th birthday sleepover swearing...never again. He is 23 soon and it's a lovely memory now.
He has had many a friend stay over since but once they got older l never cared if they got sleep or not as old enough to decide. However l noticed they always slept so l think it's a late Primary thing ..the staying awake.