Sleepovers

[curlew]

My 10 year old is at a sleepover. She has never managed to stay over at anyone's house before (not even her beloved grandma)- she's tried and I've always had to collect her because she was so upset and homesick(!) then she's been heartbroken because she's missed the fun. She is absolutely determined to do it tonight - her friend's dad has promised them a fantastic pancake breakfast (her favourite - he checked before planning the menu - he's a lovely man!). I do hope she makes it - but I'm on tenterhooks waiting for the phone! Does anyone else have children that find staying away so difficult?

Hello! I was like that when I was little!! I was SO SHY!! I couldn't go to parties without my mum staying and every Thursday I'd go for tea at my best friend's house and my mum had to stay too!! Poor mum what a pain up the arse I must have been! I remember sitting in the garden, wanting to go to where my sister was playing with a neighbour but I just daredn't and I could see them in their garden! Such a vivid memory!
I did grow out of it!! And she will too. She just needs to know that she is strong enough to do things but also to know that whatever she feels she needs is ok and not to feel bad about it. She must be a lovely, kind girl I bet!
I don't think anything will change her except time.

Curlew, that could have been my eldest dd when she was 10. On several occasions she would try to stay over at a friends but we would get a phone call saying she was feeling ill (she was always too embarassed to admit to her friends that she was homesick) and could we come and pick her up.
She's 19 now and just back from a holiday with her best mate in Corfu and now although she still stays at home, she treats out house like a hotel so she got over it....eventually.

No dd but her bf. She really struggled, desperately wanted to stay. Eventually she did because we had no way of getting her home. She spoke to her mum on the phone, sat up with me a bit, then eventually went to sleep. In the morning she was delighted she'd done it. But still now won't do spontaneous sleepovers, they have to be well prepared for in advance.
She did however manage a 4 night school trip which she worried about for months before.

She's done it! I am so proud I can't tell you! The daft thing is that she's so brave in other ways - she sang the lead in her school play (3 solos and lots of words in front of 500 strangers) without batting an eyelid- it's just this staying away thing - and there's a school trip to France in March she's desperate to go on. Let's hope she's cracked it now.

Well done to her, Curlew. Now that she's got over this 'hurdle' I'm sure she'll be just fine

Aw, well done to her. A big step there. Hope she enjoys her pancakes

I have never let DD stay out overnight at a friends. But she does stay at both of her nans and sometimes there are tears but I've never gone and picked her up.

well done to your DD

Kid -if you're around, can you tell mewhy you don't let your dd stay overnight?
Manuka - I feel for you even now!

I don't know why really, I guess I'm just an over protective mum, she is my eldest! She has stayed at her aunts as well but not friends, she is 7 1/2 years old. Maybe when she is a bit older I will feel differently.