What I learned from having my son’s hockey team sleep over

It was Saturday of the long weekend and spontaneously, Kyle decided to invite his hockey team for a sleep over. We sent out the message pretty late so we weren’t expecting a huge turn out. However, it appeared that most of the kids were willing and available. Next thing I know, we’re having 10 kids from his team for a sleep over at our house.

Besides the fact that John and I are clearly out of our minds for doing this, there are a few other things that I learned from having his team (ages 9+) sleep over. In no particular order, here’s what I learned:

I’m in the know!

A sleep over is a great way for you to get to know your kids friends. Sure, I ‘knew’ all of them before, but now I truly know their personalities. I know who is a ‘leader’, who is an ‘instigator’, who is the loud one, the one that knows too much about inappropriate things and so on. I’m making a mental list of sorts which can help me navigate Kyle’s social life. I also get to see how the kids interact together and what they do. What are they doing when they are online and what are they watching? What are they speaking about and how do they interact with one another? It’s great teaching points for future discussions with Kyle but also allows me to learn what they kids do when they are together so I’m a more aware parent.

I want to create a welcoming and safe place for everyone

You know those houses and those families. The one that always welcome you with open arms. In a way, my house growing up was that house. I remember hosting my friends often. Our house was always open and welcomed everyone. I want my kids and their friends to feel the same way. Our house can be a safe place for them to hang out and I want John and I to be trusted parents. I hope that having this open space and dialogue will encourage our kids and their friends to turn to us for guidance and support as they get older and life becomes more challenging.

I want to enjoy their innocence while I still can

A fellow mom messaged me Instagram that night. She also had her son’s hockey team over, but they were 15 years old. She lamented about the difference, stating that her boys were in a ‘ridiculous’ stage and that it was more stressful because she’s worried about ‘booze, weed, girls and sneaking out.’ She reminded me of how innocent Kyle’s friends and stage is. There were tons of giggles, and the worst thing they did was TP our basement (which we made them clean up immediately… and now apparently they’re slightly terrified of John). While they did spent some time on their screens, they also played with nerf guns, Foosball and had many hockey games in our basement.

As parents we worry about our kids more than ever with the advancement in technology, access to a variety of information and social media. We wish that our kids could experience those carefree days we had in our childhood. If you agree with this sentiment, just invite a few of your child’s friends over for a sleepover. You’ll quickly see that they are not that much different than your were as a kid.

And for a brief moment, between the giggles, shouts, craziness, and late night (or early morning), everything will be alright in your child’s world.