The Sleepover

Did you (do you?) wet the bed/cry/do evil things to your friends when you sleep near them?

“[Y]ou definitely want to warn other parents if your child may sleepwalk or have a sleep terror,” said Dr. Jodi A. Mindell … These episodes — in which a child sits up in bed, screaming, looking terrified, and does not respond to comfort or reassurance — tend to be more frightening for the observers than for the child …

The Times is currently running a conversational guide to the dark side of sleepovers and slumber parties: lice, misery, injury, and “emotional bloodshed.” (Most of my slumber party memories are good, but there’s also the time my friends made me watch Leprechaun and I got so afraid I threw up. Also a time the police had to be called! Haha. It was OK though.)

Anyway, to ensure smooth sleepovers, the article recommends “prophylactic naps” and also post-sleepover days devoid of activities that “require too high-level cognitive process or emotional regulation.” Kids today are having a lot of fun.

Photo via Flickr