Some weekends are funner than others…this one was on the funner side. Here are my random thoughts. Also, there is a lot of talk about time travel in this post.
Friday night Princess Sparkle had a movie night at our house with all the girls from her pre school class–only 4 girls including herself. They had lot of fun. I enjoy seeing her at this age where she starts doing activities like this. It’s fun watching little girls be little girls. However she keeps talking about sleepovers and not only is that not going to happen now, I’m not sure we’re ever going to allow it for various reasons.
Saturday night was date night for B and I. He said he had a good idea for date night and did he ever…. we went rollerskating. Seriously the most fun date night in a long time. It was also like taking a time machine back to the 80’s because I promise you it’s the exact same carpet, decor, pizza, games and prizes (Do kids still want stuffed Smurfs? Didn’t think so.) as the last time I went roller skating in 5th grade. Only the music has changed. Also, FYI my husband is really good on roller skates…really good. Busting moves left and right. Not like backflips or anything but for someone who hasn’t been on wheeled footwear in years homie could skate. Who knew? So if you’re looking for a date idea, there you go. Afterwards we headed to Chili’s for molten chocolate cake. Never dissapoints. While there a song was playing at Chili’s that I knew, but couldn’t remember the name of or who sang it. I got home and figure it out! I love finding and remembering classic tunes…anyone remember the Housemartins? Yeah it was this song. Another step back in time…which leads me to this…
And last night we finally watched the finale of Lost. We were devoted watchers years ago and then we just got annoyed with the whole show. My husband recently started watching again on Netflix. I still wasn’t buying it, but after all is said and done I did want to watch the finale. So I read some season synopses online to catch up and then we watched. After it was over we sorta gave each other blank stares and then went online to read some commentary to figure out what really happened. Our conclusion: Huh. Here’s the funny thing though…. I also decided to re-watch Felicity recently since I never saw the end of that show. (I still have 2 episodes left so no spoiling it for me!) Well there just so happens to be this weird connection these two shows share: Time travel. I expected it in Lost, definitely didn’t see it coming in Felicity. The other connection? They’re both created by JJ Abrams. I don’t know why more shows don’t just use time travel as a neat little solve-all…oh wait I DO know…because it’s stupid. I’m onto you JJ…no more time travel to solve your sloppy writing problems OK? Sorry for the snark, but I feel OK about it since JJ doesn’t read this blog and he’s a butt-loadillionaire anyway which sorta makes it like I’m not writing about a real person. You understand right JJ?
That was our weekend. What about you?
Questions: How do you feel about sleepovers–will you let your kids participate? Why/why not? Have you been rollerskating lately? Are you going to now? And finally, anyone else think this Felicity/Lost time travel/JJ Abrams connection is just a little fishy?
i'm still trying to figure out what to do about sleepovers, but i'm leaning towards "not allowed, mostly." my mom didn't usually let me go to them. i could stay late, but she'd come pick me up at bedtime (holy embarrassing, batman). she said it was because they made me too cranky (true), but last year she told me it was actually because her good friend was raped at a sleepover by the older brother. i'm soooo glad she didn't tell me that when i was a kid, but i definitely understand her rules better now. so we might stick to cousins and close friends only? or maybe not at all, haha.
I am a huge Felicity fan. I loved the characters, the premise, the location, the finale and everything else. I felt a little "huh" about Lost too. JJ does love a good time travel and there are a lot of similarities in his projects… but overall I'm a fan.
I LOVED Felicity. My friends and I would gather around our little college apartment and watch it religiously. I was so sad that it was ending that to this day I have still not watched the last episode. Fun story, my friends and I actually told one of our friends who was moving out go to NYU all about Felicity and he thought she was a real person and not a show. He was pretty upset to hear the truth and realize he would never get to be her friend.
I say no to sleep overs. I don't want my kids to sleep at someone else's home where things can happen. I have heard way too many scary stories to ever let my kids stay the night. They will just have to deal with having "Late Nights" at friends.
My daughter is still too young ot have to deal with the sleepover issue, but my husband and I have basically decided on being a non-sleepover family, at least mostly. I am just too paranoid about the horrible things in the world. Family would be ok with me, I think, and maybe I'd re-think the issue later, but for small children, it seems scary to me.
Also, the grumpy thing is probably true, too!
I loved the first 2 seasons of Lost, but then it got totally bizarre.
Wheel-a-While is basically where life began! I spent my entire 5th grade year there. Miggs, if you haven't been rollerskating since 5th grade, then you never went disco skating in Orem? Ask B, because it sounds like he might have spent quite a few Saturday nights bootin' it up…
No sleepovers! There was actually a conference talk on that last year … Alwys helps to have the suppot of the brethren. Sorry kids, blame the brethren! My friend's hubby is a sex addiction therapist and I've heard WAY too many stories to feel good about having them. My son is in fifth grade and so far no problem because he's grown up knowing it's not an option. We sleep in our own beds! I'm finding that a lot of parents have the same rule, which helps, and late overs are always lots of fun.
Yes there is a conference talk on sleep overs (I almost said left overs) because I feel the same. Just plainly said the answer is "no" to sleepovers …, and leftovers for that matter.
Kidding aside, with 4 girls in my fam we later found out how many bullets were dodged when my dads car was there to come pick us up at 11:30. Without being too specific, fights between girls would start with three girls crying. Family secrets would get revealed. I would come home and ask my mom, "what does intercourse mean? Who has incest?" Two words terrifying to my mom of late night antics and pretty much nailing the coffin shut for my 3 remaining sisters. later we learned of 3 girls who had slept with a father of one of the girls. Ewwww.. So my parents were wise to let the Spirit guide them in such a way that they knew was not making their kiddos happywith them. Noe I am.
As far as Felicity, huge fan. I still think about Noel and Ben. Not so big into Lost, I never even watched the finale.
My parents never let me have sleepovers and honestly I don't remember it being that big of a deal. They didn't want to get into sticky situations and risk offending if we were allowed to sleepover at one friends house but not another house. My daughter is far too young to be even asking about this but my husband and I have already had this discussion . . . we're going with the no sleepover rule for her too. Pretty much for all the same reasons others have mentioned above. The only exception might be cousins. I'll be more then willing to facilitate late overs.
We allow sleep overs only with a few select friends where I know both parents well. I'm not a huge fan of them in general and, as my kids get older (13, 11 & 8 — the 8 yo has not been to a sleep over yet…..), we're moving away from them for various reasons — mainly because they don't sleep at them and having tired kids is no fun for us the next day. During high school there will be NO sleep overs at all. I hear too many stories of the mischief kids get into to allow that — especially when they are of driving age. They aren't necessary anyways.
I don't want my kids to go to sleepovers. Will it happen? I don't know. I may only if I know the family well. It stresses me out just thinking about it. My kids are 5 & 7.
Oh, once a mom asked if my son could spend the night and I actually had a good reason at the time and I wasn't lying: he wakes up in the middle of the night sometimes and wanders around the house. Problems solved (that time).
I actually have no problem with sleep overs IF I know the family REALY REALLY well. Or if its with their cousins or family. My boys are 10 and 6 and they are actually best friends with two of the 4 boys of my best friends family. SO, I feel comfortable with sleep overs ONLY because I know my friend so well and all that. However, I'm not sure I would let them just go have a sleep over with one of their buddies from school. Too many scary stories out there. And about roller skating- My 10 year old son has type 1 diabetes and I took him to a fundraiser at the local skate place about 3 weeks ago. Though I was being a cool mom and threw on some skates to strut my stuff around…. Ended up falling and tore all the ligaments in my right ankle. Nice. So, I've decided that from now on, I will have an absolutely NO SKATING rule for myself!! Ha ha! Btw, I love your blog and think you are such a inspiration!!!
I always went for sleepovers as a child to families I knew well, and in turn my daughter goes as well. She has since she was 8 BUT there are lots of things that have to be right for me to let her go. We talk about it together to decide. I like to know that they have working fire alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. No guns in house. Will they be sleeping where there is a fire escape plan?
So far none of her friends homes that she has been to have older brothers, the one that did and we didn't know him we said no to sleeping there. She accepts that she cannot always go.
One time she had so many tears when we picked her up at 11 from a sleepover. She forgave us when it became apparent later that week that every girl at the sleepover got head lice from sleeping with their heads together and of course she never had it- yikes!
It depends on so many factors, and you'll know if it feels right.
good luck,
Linda
We have only allowed our kids to sleep over at one other family's house (they have kids our same ages, 8 and 7). We've known them forever, so they're like family. I'm thinking sleepovers in the traditional sense are asking for trouble… at least, if my kids are anything like I was as a preteen/teenager. And I wasn't even all that bad!!
I am usually a silent reader but since you asked about sleepovers I thought I would put in my 2 cents. We started sleepovers with our now 13 year old, when she was younger and it mostly included her cousins. As she got a little older friends were involved (mostly one friend). We moved to a new area around the time she was 11 and decided that late nights were going to be the norm. We still let cousins and our one friend from our old neighborhood do sleepovers but the rule now is just late nights. She didn't like the change one bit but I felt better knowing she was home and not out roaming the streets with friends, even though she was coming home late she would probably sleep better than at a sleepover, and while you like to think you know the families she is hanging out with you can't always trust everyone (older brothers, older friends, friends relatives). I just decided it would be best to have her home and not worry about anything during sleeping hours.
My mom and dad said "yes" more often to sleepovers at our house and not so much at other people's houses. I understood why then and didn't argue with them. Plus our house was always so much fun!! I am going to do the same with my daughter. I'd rather have her at home where I know exactly what is going on.
so interesting to hear a majority of anti-sleepover opinions. i don't feel so outnumbered. i would've gotten in MUCH less trouble if my parents had said no.
and, we had an awesome roller skating date years ago and now that's all i want to do. unfortunately it's not easy to find sitters until one am to facilitate disco skating! so fun to see your husbands talents on wheels!
so interesting that many folks have said no to sleepovers. I had them growing up- best times of my life with my friends.( but we didnt do anything bad- just good ol late night movies, popcorn and talking till the wee hours) I would consider them carefully for my own kids- must know family and be totally comfortable. Its interesting like many things with children…sometimes you think you will do one thing…but then when presented with the reality- your feelings change. I think its a very personal and situation thing..no one can tell you what might be right for you and your own kids.
Love JJ abrams…one of my fav shows- Alias- he did…LoVED it!
Sleepovers– no, in our household, including with family except for very special occasions. Maybe we're paranoid, but it works for us.
JJ Abrams– I've decided that all his series {Felicity, Alias, Lost} start of wonderfully and then kind of… fizzle. I generally learn to love the endings, but they are never immediately satisfying. I hadn't made the time-travel connection, but that's interesting. 🙂 {also, did you know the only reason they have that time-travel bit in Felicity is because the show had been cancelled, they'd wrapped everything up, and then- surprise! You actually have til the end of the season. All the actors had to come back and film a few more episodes.}
ps- I'm the same way with sweets. Even when I'm eating healthy, I have to build having a few Dove dark chocolates into my meal plan, or I freak out and devour a whole half gallon of ice cream. Good luck! And I'll have to try that dressing… it's the jam!
After reading all the comments I guess I must have been pretty lucky because I never went to a single bad sleepover. Sure there were confessions made, we stayed up late and ate an overabundance of junk food and talked about boys. Maybe I was just blessed to have a circle of friends who were all on the same page and in the same stage of adolesence. Boys were discussed, clothes swapped and hair crimped. Sure there were late nights, but I bounced back. I guess what I am saying is… that every sleepover isn't a parent's worst nightmare waiting to happen. Screening and talking to other parents is a must, but I would hate for my children to miss out on what could be a completely wonderful experience because I had made some black and white total blanket rule. It's a tough call.
As for J.J. we are a bit FRINGE addicted in this household.
my favoritest (word?) random post ever. :> I need to time travel back 15 minutes because it is a crazy day and I just sat here reading the post and all the comments! quickly – I just went to a roller rink in Sept and NOTHING HAD CHANGED SINCE 1985, or whenever the last time I was in one. They even played 80s music. And great exercise – I swear I lost a pound just rolling around. Our oldest girl is 6 and there is HUGE pressure in our neighborhood (with only a few girls but I can tell they will be the "popular" ones) for her to go. She keeps getting asked and we keep saying no. A) WHO EVER HEARD OF A 6-YEAR-OLD SLEEPING OVER??? and B) we are just too paranoid. Loved Felicity (gave up before the end, I watched till she cut her hair and then I was kind of over it). Loved LOst but hated the last season. Too much grabbing at straws. HAVE A PLAN, JJ. I would give up sweets but there is a Cheesecake Factory three blocks away. Too much temptation. :>